Nine questions to ask before hiring a marketing agency

The questions

• Who will actually do the work, and will I speak to them?
• Do I own the ad accounts and website, and do I keep admin access?
• Is your fee a percentage of my ad spend, or a fixed amount?
• What happens to my accounts if I leave?
• How long is the contract, and what happens after the initial term?
• What will the monthly report contain, and can I see an example?
• What would you fix first, before recommending any additional spend?
• Are you working with a direct competitor in my area?
• What would make you tell me to stop spending?

Why the last one matters most

An agency that cannot describe a scenario in which it would recommend reducing its own scope has an incentive problem. The answer does not have to be dramatic — it just has to exist.

On percentage-of-spend fees

It is a common model and not automatically wrong, but it does mean your agency earns more when you spend more, regardless of whether spending more is the right call. At minimum, know which model you are on.

On ownership

Ad accounts and websites built inside an agency’s own assets are a retention strategy dressed as convenience. Everything should be in your name, with you as administrator, from day one.