20 questions to ask a marketing agency before you hire

A pitch tells you how an agency sells. These questions tell you how it works. You do not need to ask all of them, but ask the ones that matter for your situation, and listen for answers that are specific. Vague answers are an answer too.

Who does the work

1. Who will actually work on my account, and what is their experience? Meet them if you can. Some agencies sell with senior people and hand the work to juniors.
2. How many accounts does each person manage? There is no right number, but an overloaded account manager means slow replies and shallow work.
3. Do you use contractors or offshore teams, and if so for what? Many agencies do. It is fine if they say so and explain how quality is checked.
4. Who is my contact when something breaks? Ask how quickly you will hear back.

How results are measured

5. What will you measure, and how do we agree what counts as a lead or a sale?
6. How do you track calls and form submissions? A good answer names the tools and says you will be able to see the data.
7. What results have you got for businesses like mine, and can I speak to one? Ask for a reference, not a testimonial page.
8. What would you expect to see in the first 30, 60 and 90 days? An honest agency gives ranges and says what could go wrong.
9. How do you report, and how often? Ask to see a sample report. Reports that list clicks and impressions but not leads and cost per customer are a warning sign.

What you own

10. Whose name is on the ad accounts, analytics and website? They should be yours. If the agency owns them, leaving means starting over.
11. Do I get admin access to everything from day one?
12. Who owns the creative, the copy and the landing pages?

Money

13. How exactly are you paid, and what is included? See pricing models explained.
14. Is ad spend billed to me directly or through you, and is there a markup?
15. Are there setup fees, minimum terms or auto-renewing contracts?

Strategy and fit

16. What would you do first, and why? Ask for a plan specific to your business. A generic answer means a generic service.
17. What would you advise against? A good agency will sometimes tell you not to spend.
18. Do you work with my competitors? It is not always a problem, but you should know.

Leaving

19. What happens if I want to stop? Ask about notice periods and fees.
20. What do I get when we part? Account access, data, creative files and documentation of what was done.