Choosing a Marketing Agency: The Honest Guide

Here’s something most agency content won’t tell you: many small businesses don’t need an agency.

Before shopping for marketing help, the first question should be: Do you actually need this?

This guide will help you figure that out — and if the answer is yes, how to find a good partner without getting burned.

Do You Actually Need an Agency?

Be honest with yourself:

You probably DON’T need an agency if:

You probably DO need help when:

The ideal scenario: You’ve done enough marketing yourself to know what’s working. Now you need experts to do it better or at scale.

Understanding What Agencies Actually Cost

Let’s get real about UK pricing. According to industry data:

Core service retainers:

By service type:

London pricing runs 15-25% higher. Senior day rates are £750-970 in London versus £600-800 elsewhere.

The total cost reality:

If you hire an agency for, say, social media and paid ads:

Month one: £4,300-4,800 Ongoing: £3,800/month

That’s for modest services. Comprehensive packages easily hit £5,000-10,000/month.

Is that worth it? Depends entirely on what you get back.

The Five Questions That Actually Matter

When evaluating agencies, forget the long questionnaires. These five questions reveal what you need to know:

1. “Can you show results from businesses like mine?”

Not “we worked with Nike.” Results from businesses your size, in your industry, with similar budgets.

What good looks like: Specific case studies with numbers. “We helped a 15-person B2B company increase leads from 40/month to 150/month over 8 months.”

Red flag: Vague claims, big brand logos without context, or “we can’t share due to NDAs” for everything.

2. “Who will actually work on my account?”

The person selling you isn’t usually the person doing the work. You need to know who will.

What good looks like: You meet your account manager or primary contact. They seem competent and available.

Red flag: “Our team will handle it” with no specific names, or the sales person won’t commit to who does the work.

3. “What does month one look like?”

This reveals whether they have a real process or wing it.

What good looks like: Clear onboarding plan, timeline for strategy development, realistic expectations about when results start.

Red flag: “We’ll start running ads immediately” without understanding your business, or no clear plan at all.

4. “What do you need from me?”

Marketing doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Good agencies know they need client involvement.

What good looks like: Clear expectations about your time commitment, approval processes, and access requirements.

Red flag: “Just leave it to us” — either they don’t understand your business matters, or they’re planning to do generic work.

5. “What happens if it’s not working?”

The true test of an agency is how they handle problems.

What good looks like: Honest assessment of typical timelines, process for reviewing underperformance, flexibility in contract.

Red flag: No mention of what “not working” looks like, locked into 12 months regardless of results, or defensive attitude.

Red Flags to Run From

Experience working with many agencies reveals consistent warning signs:

Guaranteed results: “We guarantee first page Google rankings” or “We’ll double your leads.” Nobody can guarantee this. Marketing involves too many variables — if they’re promising specific outcomes, they’re either lying or planning to game metrics.

No access to your accounts: You should own your Google Ads account, your social profiles, your analytics. If an agency builds things in their accounts, you lose everything when you leave.

Long lock-in contracts: 3-month minimums are reasonable (time to see results). 12-month minimum with steep cancellation fees is a red flag. Confident agencies let results speak.

Vague proposals: “We’ll develop a comprehensive digital strategy and execute across multiple channels” tells you nothing. Good proposals specify deliverables, timelines, and who does what.

Can’t explain their process: If they can’t clearly explain how they’ll approach your marketing, they probably don’t have a process. They’re winging it.

Focus on activity over results: Proposals that promise “20 posts per month” or “weekly reports” without connecting to business outcomes are selling activity, not results.

Won’t share pricing until you’re committed: This usually means they’re pricing based on what they think you’ll pay, not the work involved.

What to Look for Instead

Curiosity about your business: Good agencies ask lots of questions before proposing anything. How do your customers buy? What’s worked before? What are your margins? If they pitch without understanding these things, they’re guessing.

Honest about limitations: “SEO isn’t going to work for your timeline” or “Your budget isn’t enough for that scope” — this honesty is rare and valuable.

Clear on what success looks like: They should propose specific metrics and benchmarks. Not “more engagement” but “increase qualified leads from organic by 30% over 6 months.”

Transparent on timing: Results take time. Good agencies set realistic expectations: 2-4 weeks for setup, 2-3 months for optimization, 6+ months for SEO.

References you can call: Ask for client references — and actually call them. Ask what didn’t work as much as what did.

The Three Types of Agency Engagement

Different needs call for different structures:

Project-Based

What it is: Fixed scope, fixed price, fixed timeline

Examples: Website redesign, brand development, campaign launch

Cost: £5,000-50,000+ depending on project

Best when: You have specific, defined needs

Watch out for: Scope creep adding costs, unclear handoff at project end

Retainer

What it is: Ongoing monthly engagement

Examples: Social media management, SEO, PPC management

Cost: £1,000-10,000+/month

Best when: You need consistent, ongoing work

Watch out for: Paying for unused hours, agency becoming complacent

Performance-Based

What it is: Fee tied to results (leads, sales, etc.)

Examples: Lead generation, e-commerce growth

Cost: Fee per lead, percentage of sales, or hybrid

Best when: Clear attribution is possible

Watch out for: Misaligned incentives (agency optimizes for volume over quality), hidden base fees

Many successful relationships start project-based (website or strategy work), then move to retainer once value is proven.

The Evaluation Process

Here’s a practical approach:

Step 1: Get clear on your goals

Before talking to anyone, write down:

Step 2: Create a shortlist of 3-5 agencies

Don’t evaluate 15 agencies. It’s exhausting and counterproductive. Find 3-5 that seem relevant:

Step 3: Have discovery conversations

Not sales calls — conversations. Judge by their questions as much as your questions.

Step 4: Request proposals

Get written proposals from your top 2-3. Compare:

Step 5: Check references

Call at least one reference per finalist. Ask:

Step 6: Start small if possible

If you can start with a smaller project before a major commitment, do it. A paid audit, small campaign, or strategy workshop lets you test the relationship.

The First 90 Days: What to Expect

When you start with a new agency, set expectations:

Month 1: Setup and learning

Don’t expect results yet. This is foundation work.

Month 2: Execution begins

Look for responsiveness and communication quality, not results yet.

Month 3: Early indicators

Now you can start evaluating: Are things moving in the right direction? Do they understand your business? Do they communicate well?

When to Fire Your Agency

Sometimes it doesn’t work out. Signs it’s time:

Consistent misses: Deadlines slip regularly, deliverables don’t match promises

Communication breakdown: You can’t get responses, calls get rescheduled repeatedly

No proactivity: They only do exactly what you ask, never suggest improvements

Results significantly below expectations: After 4-6 months, you’re nowhere near goals and they can’t explain why

Trust erodes: You start feeling like you’re being managed rather than helped

If these sound familiar, have a direct conversation first. Good agencies will adjust. If they can’t or won’t, plan your exit professionally — get access to everything you own, document the transition, and don’t burn bridges.

The Reality Check

Most marketing agency relationships end within 18 months. That’s normal. Sometimes it’s growth — you need capabilities they don’t have. Sometimes it’s misalignment that develops over time. Sometimes it just runs its course.

The goal isn’t to find a lifetime partner. It’s to find someone who can help you with what you need now, and to structure the relationship so both parties benefit.

Do your homework. Start smaller than you think. Measure results honestly. And remember: no agency will care about your business as much as you do. The good ones come close.

Looking for a marketing partner? Our digital marketing services are built for small businesses — flexible engagement, transparent pricing, results focus. Let’s talk about what you need.