Questions to ask a marketing agency before you hire

Before you start: know what you want

You will get much more useful answers if you are clear on what you are looking for. Before your first conversation, jot down your goals, what you have tried before, roughly what you are comfortable investing and how involved you want to be.

You do not need a perfect brief. A good agency will help you shape it. But knowing what success looks like for you makes it easier to judge who can deliver it.

Questions about the team

1. Who will actually do the work? You want to know whether the people in the meeting are the people doing the work, and how experienced they are.
2. Who will be my main point of contact? One named person who knows your business makes everything easier.
3. Do you use freelancers or partners? Many agencies do, and that is fine. What matters is that someone takes responsibility for quality and the work is joined up.
4. What happens if my contact is away or leaves? Look for a clear answer about cover and handover.

Questions about experience

1. Have you worked with businesses like mine? Similar size, stage or audience matters more than the exact same industry.
2. Can I see examples? Ask for work that is relevant to what you need, and what it achieved.
3. Can I speak to a client? A confident agency will usually arrange it.
4. What does a typical project look like? Listen for a clear process from discovery to delivery.

Questions about strategy and results

1. How will you work out what I need? A good agency asks questions and looks at your situation before recommending anything.
2. How will we measure success? Look for measures tied to your business, such as enquiries, bookings or sales, rather than only likes and impressions.
3. How often will you report, and what will I see? You want regular reporting in plain English, with what is working and what happens next.
4. What results can I realistically expect? Be wary of guarantees. Honest agencies talk about ranges, assumptions and what depends on factors outside their control.

Questions about ownership and access

This is the section people most often forget, and the one that causes the most trouble later.

1. Who owns the ad accounts? They should be in your name, with the agency given access.
2. Who owns the website, domain and hosting? Again, it should be you.
3. Who owns the design files and content? Once paid for, you should have the right to use them.
4. Who owns the data? Analytics, customer lists and campaign data belong to your business.

Questions about cost and contracts

1. What exactly is included? Ask for every deliverable in writing.
2. What is not included? Ad spend, stock images, software and printing are common extras.
3. How is ad spend handled? It should be paid to the platform directly or shown separately from the agency fee.
4. What are the terms? Ask about notice periods and what happens if you want to stop.
5. What will you need from me? Content, approvals and feedback all take your time.

Red flags to watch for

• Guaranteed rankings or results. Nobody controls Google or the ad platforms.
• Vague answers about who does the work.
• Accounts or files held in the agency's name.
• Reports full of jargon with no link to enquiries or sales.
• Pressure to sign quickly, or discounts that expire today.
• A recommendation before they understand your business.
• Secret methods they cannot explain.

How to compare proposals

Once you have proposals in hand, compare them on more than the total:

• Does it show they understood your business and goals?
• Is every deliverable listed clearly?
• Is there a clear plan for what happens first, and why?
• Is it clear how success will be measured and reported?
• Do you trust the people you met?

The cheapest proposal is rarely the best value, and the most expensive is not automatically the best. Look for the one that shows the clearest understanding of what you need. Our guide to DIY vs freelancer vs agency can also help you decide what kind of help suits you.

How we answer these questions

We are a lean, senior-led studio. Every client has one lead who knows their business, backed by specialists brought in when the work needs them. Accounts, files and data stay in your name, reporting is in plain English, and every proposal sets out every deliverable and cost. You can read more about how we work, or ask us anything on a discovery call.