How to Choose a Marketing Agency for Your Business

Choosing a marketing agency is one of those decisions whose effects you do not see straight away. You sign the contract today, and the real result or disappointment shows only two or three months later. That is why it pays to ask a few concrete questions before you sign. In this article I go through seven things I would check if I were in your place, and how to recognise answers that should worry you.

Why choosing an agency is harder than it looks

Marketing is usually paid in advance, for results that arrive only weeks or months later. You choose to trust someone with money and time before you see a single concrete result. On top of that, as a small business owner you rarely have time to follow what the agency is doing, so you have to rely on trust.

The good news is that most bad collaborations can be spotted in the very first conversation, if you know what to ask.

1. Ask exactly what you are paying for

A good agency can explain exactly what you get for the monthly fee. Vague phrases like “comprehensive optimisation” or “digital strategy” say nothing. Ask for a concrete list, for example:

• Google Business Profile optimisation and weekly posts
• work on reviews and local signals
• ranking tracking across a grid of points in your city
• a weekly report with rankings and call numbers

If the answer stays vague, the agency itself may not have a clear process. I write more about what the price consists of in How much does a marketing agency cost in Croatia.

2. Ask for results for similar businesses

Case studies with real numbers say more than any promise. A good example says which position the business moved from and to, in what time and what it meant for the business. For instance, a hair salon in Zagreb I work with went from 4 of 130 measuring points to 2nd place in 68 days, and gained 22 new clients in the first month.

Ask whether they have experience with businesses in your industry and a similar city. Local SEO depends on the competition right where you operate, so an example from the same kind of market is worth more than general numbers.

3. Check whether the agency works for your competitor

If an agency works for your direct competitor in the same city at the same time, its interest is split in two. There are only three spots at the top of the map, so two businesses in the same industry and the same neighbourhood compete directly for them.

Ask whether there is an exclusivity rule, meaning the agency does not take on other businesses in the same industry in the same area while working with you. I have that rule for every client.

4. Agree how and how often you get reports

Transparency is one of the best signs of a serious agency. A good report has concrete numbers: rankings, profile views, website clicks, calls and direction requests. Next to the numbers there should be a short explanation of what was done and what comes next.

A weekly report shows that the agency really tracks progress. A report once every three months, or only when you ask for it, leaves you without control.

5. Check the minimum term and exit conditions

A short minimum term, about three months, means the agency believes in its results and does not need a long contract to keep the work. Also ask what happens after that term: does the collaboration renew automatically, what is the notice period and under which conditions can you leave earlier.

6. Check what stays yours after the collaboration

This is often forgotten. Your Google Business Profile, ad accounts, analytics and website should be in your ownership, and the agency should only have manager access. If an agency opens a profile or ad account in its own name, you can lose the history, reviews and data when the collaboration ends.

With me, the client adds me as a manager of their profile, and reviews, photos and profile history always stay theirs.

7. Pay attention to who actually does the work

At the first meeting you often talk to a salesperson or the agency owner, and someone else does the work afterwards. Ask who will manage your profile and campaigns, how many clients that person handles and who you contact when you have a question. For a small business it makes a big difference to talk directly to the person who knows your profile.

Warning signs

Be careful if you hear any of these:

• a promise of first place on Google within a week or two
• a guarantee with no conditions and no explanation of how it is measured
• an offer without a single concrete example of results
• a one year contract with no way out
• a refusal to explain what is being done, with the excuse that it is a “trade secret”

A Google ranking is built, and a realistic timeline for reaching the top three on the map is usually up to 90 days. An agency that says so honestly is usually more reliable than one that promises miracles.

How to recognise the right choice

An agency that clearly explains what it does, shows real results, does not work for your competitor and offers a short initial term is usually a safe choice. If you are torn between an agency and hiring your own person, read Marketing agency or in-house team: which pays off.

If you are considering working together, I am happy to show you on a free call where your business stands on Google Maps today and how I would approach your case. Ask me every question on this list, that is exactly what it is for.