Most agencies look impressive in a pitch. The website is polished, the case studies are glowing and everyone in the meeting is enthusiastic. It’s only a few months into the contract that you find out how they actually work. The right marketing agency questions help you find out before you sign.
Asking a set of structured marketing agency questions up front saves a lot of frustration later. It helps you compare agencies fairly, spot warning signs and set expectations before any money changes hands.
Here are twelve marketing agency questions worth asking, grouped by what they tell you, with a note on what a good answer sounds like.
Marketing agency questions about fit
1. What kinds of businesses do you usually work with?
You’re looking for relevant experience, not necessarily your exact sector. An agency used to national brands with big budgets may not be the right fit for a local service business, and vice versa. A good answer is specific and honest about where they’re strongest.
2. What would you need from us to do this well?
Good agencies know that results depend on the client too: access to information, timely feedback, approvals and someone to answer the phone when leads come in. If they claim to need nothing from you, be wary.
3. What wouldn’t you recommend for us?
This one is revealing. An agency that says yes to everything is selling, not advising. A thoughtful answer, such as “we wouldn’t start with TikTok for your customers”, shows they’ve actually considered your business.
Questions about the work
4. Who will actually work on our account?
The people in the pitch aren’t always the people doing the work. Ask who your day-to-day contact will be, who does the delivery and whether any of it is outsourced. Outsourcing isn’t automatically bad, but you should know about it.
5. What happens in the first 90 days?
A good agency can describe a clear onboarding process: research, setup, tracking, first campaigns and early reviews. Vague answers about “hitting the ground running” suggest there’s no real plan.
6. How will you get to know our customers?
Listen for things like reviewing your data, talking to your sales team, reading your reviews and speaking to customers. Marketing that isn’t grounded in your customers tends to be generic.
Questions about results and reporting
7. How will we measure success?
The answer should connect to your business: leads, cost per lead, sales, revenue. Impressions, reach and followers can be useful supporting measures, but they shouldn’t be the headline.
8. What will your reports look like, and how often?
Ask to see an example report with the client details removed. Is it clear? Does it explain what happened, why, and what they’ll do next? Or is it forty pages of screenshots?
9. What’s a realistic timeline for results?
Be cautious of guarantees. Nobody can promise specific rankings, lead numbers or sales. A trustworthy agency will explain what’s realistic for each channel and what depends on factors outside their control.
The best agencies are happy to be questioned. If straightforward questions about people, reporting and ownership make someone uncomfortable, that tells you something.
Questions about money and ownership
10. What exactly is included in the fee?
Get clarity on what the monthly fee covers and what costs extra, such as ad spend, design, photography, software and additional revisions. Ask how ad spend is paid: directly by you to the platform, or through the agency with a fee on top.
11. Who owns the accounts and the work?
This matters more than people realise. Your ad accounts, analytics, website, domain, social profiles and email lists should be owned by your business, with the agency given access. The same goes for creative work you’ve paid for. If you part company, you should keep everything.
12. What’s the notice period, and what happens if we leave?
Understand the minimum term and notice period, and how handover works. A confident agency doesn’t need to lock you into a long contract with no way out.
Before you decide
A few final checks help:
- Ask to speak to one or two current clients, and ask them what it’s really like working with the agency
- Read the contract carefully, especially the terms on ownership, notice and fees
- Start with a clearly defined first phase if you’re unsure, then extend if it’s going well
- Agree the goals and the reporting format in writing before work begins
We’re happy to answer every one of these marketing agency questions ourselves. If you’re looking for ongoing support, our outsourced marketing department sets out exactly what’s included, who does the work and how it’s measured. If you’d rather start with a single defined project, campaign management is a good way to see how we work first.
