Important Questions to Ask a Digital Marketing Agency BEFORE you sign anything

Choosing the right digital marketing agency can have a major impact on your B2B business. The right partner will help you achieve your marketing goals, drive leads, and increase revenue. 

There are the big multi-nationals, plenty of digital in-betweeners and a few plucky little agencies who serve their niches well (like us!).

So the question becomes not ‘who’s the best?’, but ‘who’s the best for me?’.

Let us help you make the right choice.

Here are a few questions you need to be asking any digital marketing or creative agency you think you might like to work with. They can dazzle you with a fancy office or a comped lunch, but there’s no hiding from these 10 grenades. Write them on your hand and don’t leave the room until you’ve had them all answered.

1. What’s Your Process for Achieving My Marketing Goals?

A good agency should have a clear process for understanding your business, setting campaign objectives, and executing a strategy. Ask about their approach to strategy development, campaign execution, and performance measurement.

• How do you determine the best channels and tactics for my business?
• What metrics do you use to measure success?
• How often will we review campaign performance?

2. Have You Worked with Businesses in My Industry?

This doesn’t have to be a deal breaker – after all, you wouldn’t expect your agency to know more about your industry than you do. With some industries, though, it helps to have some experience – especially when dealing with regulations or peculiarities.

 If the agency has worked with similar businesses, they may have insights into what works and what doesn’t.

• Can you share case studies or examples of similar businesses you’ve worked with?
• What unique challenges have you helped businesses in my industry overcome?

3. Who Will Manage My Account?

We’ve seen it plenty (and it’s happened to us in past lives) – the boss or creative director nails the pitch, then handballs you to a rookie and escapes up the tunnel.

It’s obviously unrealistic to deal with the business owner for every interaction – and having youth on your case can be a good thing – but you want to know there’ll be a senior marketer frequently looking at your account.

It's important to understand who you’ll be working with. Some agencies have a dedicated account manager, while others rely on multiple team members.

• Will I have a single point of contact?
• What is the experience level of the team members working on my account?
• How often will we have meetings or check-ins?

4. What Digital Marketing Services Do You Offer?

Some agencies specialise in one area, while others provide full-service solutions. Make sure the agency offers the services that align with your marketing needs.

• Do you offer SEO, paid advertising, content marketing, social media, and email marketing?
• What tools and platforms do you use for campaign management?
• How do you integrate different marketing channels to create a cohesive strategy?

5. How Do You Report on Performance?

Understanding how an agency tracks and reports on performance helps ensure accountability and keeps you informed about campaign progress.

Regular reporting is crucial for tracking progress and ensuring transparency.

• What key performance indicators (KPIs) do you track?
• How often will I receive performance reports?
• Can I access real-time analytics?

6. What Results Can I Expect?

While no agency can guarantee specific results, they should provide realistic expectations based on past performance and industry benchmarks.

• What results have you achieved for clients with similar budgets?
• How long does it typically take to see meaningful improvements?

7. What’s Your Pricing Structure?

Having a clear understanding of costs upfront helps you budget effectively and avoid unexpected surprises.

• Do you charge a flat fee, hourly rate, or percentage of ad spend?
• Are there any additional costs I should be aware of?
• Do you work on a retainer or project basis?
• How do you handle contract terms and cancellations?

8. Why do you want us as a client?

This is a cheeky question to test they’ve bothered to do their research.

Ideally, you’re looking for them to have a good base knowledge of what you do and why you do it, and an idea of the direction they see your digital marketing strategy taking. This question also helps you gauge the agency’s strengths and unique approach.

• What sets your agency apart from competitors?
• How do you stay up to date with industry trends?
• What additional value do you provide to your clients?

9. How Do You Handle Communication and Project Management?

A strong working relationship depends on clear and consistent communication.

Before you start a working relationship with an agency, you need to know what project management processes and systems they have in place. It’s really important that they gel with yours because it’s inevitable that you’ll end up using some of them.

It also needs to be scalable. If they’re a good agency they’ll be very busy, which puts pressure on their workflow.

• What tools do you use for communication and project management?
• How often will we have strategy meetings?
• Can I expect proactive recommendations from your team?

10. Can You Provide Client References?

Speaking with current or past clients can give you a better understanding of the agency’s performance and reliability.

A good agency should be proud of the feedback they get from their clients.

And if they’re a good agency, they’ll have had plenty of good feedback.

The trick is to read between the lines and decide whether that’s what you’re looking for. Just because a marketing agency is well-reviewed, doesn’t mean you’ll like it.

• Can I contact some of your current clients?
• Do you have testimonials or reviews I can read?

Final Thoughts

Asking these questions will help you find a digital marketing agency that aligns with your business goals and expectations. A good agency will provide clear answers, offer transparency, and be genuinely invested in your success.

When you’re picking an agency it’s important to differentiate between those that make you feel good and those that will do good for you.

Do they just nod their heads and do what you ask for, proclaiming you a genius of marketing? Or do they provide advice based on what they think is best for your business?

Yes, you want an agency that’s easy to deal with – but there’s little to be gained from a supplier that just follows your instructions. You want them to disagree with you (if needed) and come up with ideas and campaigns you haven’t requested to get the best result for your business and budget.

Like this? Want to know more? We’re The Marketing Project, a digital marketing agency in Melbourne. Get in touch here.