The 5 Questions To Ask Your Marketing Agency Before You Hire Them

When it comes to hiring a marketing agency, asking the right questions can make all the difference in making sure it will be a successful partnership . Here are 5 crucial questions that you should ask before making a decision to work with a marketing agency.

1. How do I measure the success of our marketing efforts?

Understanding how success will be measured is fundamental - We are here to help you succeed! A reliable marketing agency will have clear metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) that match your business goals. Whether it's increased website traffic, increased consistency on your social media accounts, improved brand awareness or the number of opt-ins per month, make sure their measurement criteria align with your goals. And don’t be afraid to set your own measures of success, part of working with an agency means communicating your wants and needs as well.

2. Have you worked with someone in my industry before?

Industry experience can be a game-changer but not a deal breaker. When it comes to a great marketing agency - they will know the foundations of lead generation + conversion for any type of business BUT there are some that are really good at certain industries.  A marketing agency that has worked with your specific industry understands its nuances, target audience, competitive landscape, lead gen opportunities and where your ideal customer is hanging out. They can use this knowledge to create more effective strategies and campaigns tailored to your business specifically. 

Here are some specific questions you can ask the agency to make sure that they would align with serving you, being honest with where YOU are at with your business size allows the agency to also know if it’s a good fit. Not all marketing agencies are a good fit - and that’s okay. You won’t be a great fit for every human being either! It’s about knowing the ‘bad fit’ and the ‘good fit’ clients. Try being specific with your questions to the agency like: 

1. Have you worked with a new “author/store/relator” who has no leads and no content yet? 
2. Do you know how to generate leads for a realtor who lives in a small rural town? 
3. Have you worked with life coaches before who have very large audiences?
4. Are you familiar with amazon stores and affiliate links, do you know how to drive traffic to those sites?

Pay attention to how the agency responds to these - are they being open and honest? Are they sharing with you that they have NOT worked with your industry but they’d love to learn? Or are they responding ‘yes’ to absolutely everything - working with someone who is honest with you should be a top priority for who you hire. 

3. Who is my contact while I work with the agency, and what kind of access do I have to the team?

Effective communication is vital for a successful partnership with a marketing agency. The more questions you ask the better. And at times clients feel like they are ‘being a pain’ - I assure you…you are not. Like the beginning of any relationship - questions are always welcome. The more questions, the more opportunity the agency gets to know you, feel you and navigate the relationship. When you ask the agency who you will be working with - this also shows you if you’re working with a junior, senior or entire team. There IS a difference. Someone who has been working for 1 month has different experience than someone who has been working on accounts for 2+ years. Make sure that you know who your main point of contact will be and ask about the accessibility of the team members working on your strategy. Boundaries are KEY to a successful marketing agency relationship. Knowing how to reach them, their availability for meetings and updates, and the communication channels they use can streamline communication and prevent potential misunderstandings.  At our agency we check our account messages at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm - there’s a lot of touch points because we feel it’s important! But you should ask the agency that you’re about to hire - how often do we connect, and who do I get access to connect with.  

4. What if I don't love the marketing that's happening - what's the process to adjust it?

Flexibility and responsiveness are key factors in a marketing agency's approach. Ask about their process for handling feedback and making adjustments to strategies that don't meet expectations. We recently had an experience where our strategy was TOO much for our client. We were co-creating her content - we were creating the blogs + emails, and she was creating the Reels + Instagram content. After a week the client told us - it’s too much, can you adjust the strategy so that I’m posting only 2x a week. So we did. Although we KNOW what works - we also had an expectation that this client would have the TIME to do all the posting - and she didn’t. Rather than getting frustrated and avoiding the conversation -the client felt comfortable enough with us as her marketing agency to say “slow down”. A transparent and proactive approach to addressing concerns and changing strategies is essential for achieving the results and more importantly - keeping a good balance between you and the marketing team. When we work with business owners on their marketing - they are trusting us - and trust is EARNED and communication is how you adjust the marketing if you’re not over the moon about it. 

5. What do out-of-scope items cost - can I add to our contract?

Understanding what's included in your contract and what falls outside of it is so important for budgeting and avoiding surprises & conflict for both you and the marketing agency that you choose to work with. Before you hire the agency - ask about the costs associated with additional services or tasks that may arise during the contract but are not initially included in the scope of work you agree upon. A new blog - what is the cost? An extra Instagram reel - what is the cost? Now some agencies (like us!) charge per month and not per item - this is ALSO a question you want to ask & be super clear on. What am I getting when I hire your agency? Clear communication about pricing for in scope, and out-of-scope items helps manage expectations and prevents money issues for everyone. Again - clarity is the key, ask the question! 

Bonus Question: What are the results you've had with other businesses?

You are absolutely allowed to ask about an agency's track record. Ask for case studies or examples of successful campaigns they've executed for businesses similar to yours. If they cannot provide examples - ask them for case studies – when you worked with the Author how successful was it? Now the thing is some marketing agencies have non disclosures and non - competes (we do!) so we cannot disclose the exact strategies or results or even sometimes clients that we work with. BUT we are willing to openly share metrics and campaign performance to assess their level of expertise and success in delivering real results. Any marketing agency will share with you some of their best results - and you are allowed to ask. Plus, you want to make sure that your money is in the hands of the right marketing agency to get you the results that you are looking for.

By asking these questions to your potential marketing agency, you can gain an understanding of the marketing agency's capabilities, mindset, communication style and client results. If they take 10 days to answer the questions - be prepared for big delays in response times when you’re a client. If there are spelling errors in their answers - be prepared to see spelling errors in your content / and marketing. 

It is important to get clear on what a marketing agency can offer for your business and it is crucial that you ask questions to find that out. In other words, be realistic but MAKE SURE THE VIBES ARE RIGHT and that you will see success for your business when you invest in hiring a marketing agency. The other note - marketing agencies are not responsible for your sales, does marketing generate leads = heck yes, but your product and sales efforts are what seal the deal.

We might be biased but… We want you to ask us these questions! We want to work with you - IT IF ALIGNS. When we work with your business and support your marketing - we do become part of your team, and it is important for you and the marketing agency that you choose to  be on the same page. 

Want to ask our agency these questions and find out if we are a good fit? Fill out the form below and let’s chat!