10 Things to Look for Before Signing the Contract with a Marketing Agency
A practical checklist for business owners who want more than just good-looking ads and impressive reports.
Hiring a marketing agency is a big decision. You’re trusting someone with your money, your brand, your reputation, and, in many ways, the future growth of your business.
That’s a pretty big deal.
At Myers Marketing Management, we’ve been helping businesses navigate marketing decisions since 2011. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s this:
The best marketing relationships aren’t built on contracts. They’re built on partnerships.
Of course, results matter. Return on investment matters. We love seeing a campaign perform just as much as anyone. But a great marketing partner should be thinking beyond your next ad campaign.
They should understand where your business is today, where you want it to go, and what needs to happen to get you there.
So, before you sign on the dotted line with any advertising agency, marketing firm, or consultant, here are 10 things we believe every business owner should look for.
1. Do They Ask About Your Business Before Talking About Their Services?
This is one of the biggest indicators of whether you’re talking to a strategic marketing partner or someone simply trying to sell you something.
A good agency should be asking questions. Lots of them.
They should want to understand your business model, customers, competitors, challenges, revenue goals, and what you’ve already tried.
If you walk into a meeting and the agency immediately starts selling you social media management, Google Ads, or a new website without first understanding your business, that’s worth questioning.
Questions to ask:
How will you get to know our business before recommending a strategy?
What information do you need from us to make informed recommendations?
How do you determine which marketing services we actually need?
Our perspective: We believe strategy comes before services. Sometimes the best recommendation isn’t to spend more money on advertising. It’s to improve the website, fix a customer experience problem, or strengthen a message that’s not connecting.
Your marketing should solve business problems, not just fill a list of deliverables.
2. Are They Focused on Business Growth or Just Marketing Metrics?
Impressions. Clicks. Reach. Engagement. Leads.
These numbers can all be important, but they don’t tell the whole story.
A campaign generating hundreds of leads doesn’t mean much if none of those leads become customers. And a high-performing advertisement won’t fix a sales process that’s losing opportunities.
Your agency should understand the difference between marketing activity and meaningful business growth.
Questions to ask:
How will you measure whether our marketing is successful?
Will you help us track leads through the sales process?
How do you connect marketing performance to business revenue?
Our perspective: Return on ad spend (ROAS) is important, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. We want to know whether marketing is helping you attract the right customers, build loyalty, increase profitability, and create sustainable growth.
A killer return on ad spend is great. Building a stronger business is better.
3. Will They Tell You What You Need to Hear, Even When It’s Not What You Want to Hear?
This one matters more than people realize.
Marketing requires investment, experimentation, and sometimes making difficult decisions. You need someone in your corner who will be honest with you.
Not someone who agrees with every idea because they’re afraid of losing your business.
If a campaign isn’t working, you deserve to know. If your budget isn’t realistic for your goals, you deserve to know that too.
And if something outside of marketing is preventing your business from growing, your agency should have the confidence to start that conversation.
Questions to ask:
What happens when a campaign isn’t producing the results we expected?
How do you handle disagreements with clients?
Can you share an example of when you recommended a different direction than a client originally wanted?
Our perspective: One of our core values at Myers Marketing Management is being graciously honest.That means we care enough about our clients and their businesses to have real conversations. We’re not interested in telling you everything is wonderful while your marketing dollars disappear.
We want you to succeed, and sometimes that means having the hard conversations.
4. Do They Have a Strategy Beyond the Next 30 Days?
Marketing isn’t a magic button.
Yes, some tactics can generate immediate results. But the strongest businesses build marketing systems that work together over time.
Your advertising, website, search visibility, brand messaging, customer experience, and follow-up processes should all be moving toward the same goals.
If an agency only talks about the next campaign without understanding the bigger picture, you may be missing an opportunity.
Questions to ask:
What does a long-term marketing strategy look like for our business?
How will our strategy evolve as our business grows?
How do you balance immediate lead generation with long-term brand development?
Our perspective: We believe great marketing should build on itself.
The work we’re doing today should make your business stronger tomorrow, next year, and five years from now.
That doesn’t mean every tactic takes years to work. It means your marketing decisions should be intentional rather than reactive.
5. Who Will Actually Be Working on Your Account?
You may love the person who gives the sales presentation, but will that person be involved once you’ve signed?
It’s a fair question, and one you should absolutely ask.
Understanding who is responsible for your strategy, creative work, advertising, reporting, and communication will help you know what to expect.
You should also understand whether the agency handles work internally or uses outside contractors.
Outsourcing isn’t automatically a problem. A lack of transparency is.
Questions to ask:
Who will be our primary point of contact?
Who develops and oversees our marketing strategy?
Will we have opportunities to meet with the people doing the work?
Our perspective: Marketing is a people business.
Relationships matter. Communication matters. And the people responsible for your marketing should understand that they’re representing a business someone has worked incredibly hard to build.
6. Is Their Pricing Clear, and Do You Understand What You’re Paying For?
Marketing agreements can include retainers, project fees, advertising budgets, software expenses, production costs, and additional services.
Before signing, make sure you understand exactly what is included.
You should know how much of your investment goes toward advertising platforms, how much goes toward agency services, and what might cost extra.
The least expensive option isn’t necessarily the best investment, but the most expensive one isn’t automatically the best either.
Questions to ask:
What is included in our monthly agreement?
Is advertising spend separate from your management fee?
What expenses could come up outside of our contract?
How do you determine whether our marketing budget is appropriate?
Our perspective: We want business owners to understand where their money is going and why.
You should feel confident about your investment, not confused by it.
And if your budget doesn’t realistically support your goals, a good agency should help you prioritize rather than promise something it can’t reasonably deliver.
7. How Will They Communicate, Report, and Stay Accountable?
A pretty report is not the same thing as accountability.
You deserve to know what’s happening with your marketing, what’s working, what’s not, and what your agency plans to do next.
That doesn’t mean you need an hour-long meeting every week. It means there should be a clear communication process and a shared understanding of what success looks like.
Questions to ask:
How often will we review marketing performance together?
What metrics will be included in our reports?
How will you communicate changes to our strategy?
What happens if we have concerns or feel something isn’t working?
Our perspective: Reporting should lead to meaningful conversations and better decisions.
We don’t believe in dropping a report into someone’s inbox and assuming our job is done.
Your agency should be able to explain the numbers, connect them to your goals, and tell you what comes next.
8. Do They Understand Your Customers, Not Just Your Advertising Platforms?
Knowing how to run Google Ads or create social media content is a skill.
Understanding why someone chooses your business over a competitor is strategy.
And you need both.
An agency should care about the people you’re trying to reach. What problems are they facing? What motivates them? What builds their trust? What happens after they contact your business?
Sometimes improving the customer journey will have a greater impact than increasing an advertising budget.
Questions to ask
How do you research our target customers?
How will you learn what makes our business different?
Do you consider what happens after a customer clicks an ad or submits a form?
Our perspective: We believe marketing is about people first.
It’s about understanding why someone makes a decision, what they value, and how your business can genuinely serve them.
When you get that right, advertising becomes much more effective.
9. Are the Contract Terms, Ownership, and Expectations Clear?
Before signing any marketing agreement, take the time to understand the details.
Who owns the website? The advertising accounts? The content? The customer data?
What happens if you decide to move in a different direction? What notice is required? Are there automatic renewals or additional fees?
A healthy partnership should have clear expectations from the beginning.
Questions to ask:
Who owns the creative assets, website, advertising accounts, and data?
What happens to our accounts and marketing materials if our agreement ends?
How long is the contract, and what are the cancellation terms?
What responsibilities will our business have during the partnership?
Our perspective: Transparency builds trust.
A contract should protect both parties and create clarity, not leave business owners guessing about what they’re committing to.
And you shouldn’t have to wait until a relationship ends to understand what belongs to your business.
10. Do They Truly Want to Be Your Partner?
This is the big one.
When you’re interviewing marketing agencies, pay attention to how the relationship feels.
Are they curious about your business? Do they listen? Do they challenge you to think differently? Do they seem genuinely invested in your success? Or does every conversation somehow lead back to another service they want to sell?
A great agency should celebrate your wins, help you navigate challenges, and take your business goals seriously.
Questions to ask:
What does a successful client relationship look like to your team?
How do you approach working with business owners and their employees?
How will you help us make better marketing decisions over time?
Our perspective: We don’t want to be just another vendor on your expense report.
We want to be the partner you call when you have a big idea, a tough decision, or a new opportunity.
We want to understand your business well enough to recognize problems before they become expensive and opportunities before they’re missed.
And we believe we should earn your trust through our work, not just ask for it because we have a signed agreement.
YOUR MARKETING AGENCY CHECKLIST: 10 THINGS TO CONFIRM BEFORE YOU SIGN
Before choosing your next marketing partner, make sure you can confidently check these boxes:
☐ They understand our business, challenges, customers, and goals.
☐ They measure success based on business outcomes, not just vanity metrics.
☐ They’re willing to have honest conversations and make difficult recommendations.
☐ They have a long-term strategy, not just a collection of marketing tactics.
☐ We know who will be working on our account.
☐ We understand the pricing, advertising budget, and what’s included.
☐ There’s a clear plan for communication, reporting, and accountability.
☐ They understand our customers and the entire customer experience.
☐ The contract, ownership, and expectations are clearly defined.
☐ We feel like we’re choosing a true business partner, not just hiring another vendor.
The Right Marketing Agency Should Make Your Business Stronger
At Myers Marketing Management, we believe business owners deserve more from their marketing relationships.
You deserve thoughtful strategy. You deserve transparency. You deserve a team that’s willing to roll up its sleeves, ask better questions, and care about the results.
We know that behind every business is a person, a family, a team, and a whole lot of hard work. We don’t take that lightly.
Marketing shouldn’t be about how much money you can spend. It should be about what you’re building with that investment.
And while we’d certainly love the opportunity to earn your business, we hope this checklist helps you make a great decision, whether that’s with us or another agency.
Because good businesses deserve good partners.
Looking for a Marketing Partner Who Thinks Beyond the Campaign?
If you’re evaluating your current marketing, interviewing agencies, or wondering whether there’s a better way to grow your business, we’d love to have a conversation.
No pressure to buy a package. Just a real conversation about your business, your goals, and what might help you get there.
