Questions to Ask When Looking to Hire a Marketing Agency

Whether you're a small business in need of an experienced marketing team or a proven brand that just needs some help expanding, a skilled marketing agency is the key to scaling your business. Now, you may have done some research and picked out a handful of companies that look like they could be a good fit for your company. But how do you narrow it down to the one that’s right for you and your business?

You can start by asking the following 10 essential questions:

1. What is Your Experience in Our Industry?
2. How Do You Tailor Strategies to Our Audience?
3. Can You Share Successful Case Studies?
4. How Do You Measure Campaign Success?
5. What's Your Communication Style?
6. Who Will Be on Our Team?
7. How Do You Structure Pricing and Costs?
8. Can You Provide Client References?
9. What's Your Approach to Handling Challenges?
10. What's in the Contract?

These questions will uncover everything you need to know about the marketing agencies you're examining. If they answer each question well, they may just be the one for you.

Since 2003, Rocket Media has helped businesses all over the country get a steady stream of quality, conversion-ready traffic. From designing and building custom websites to paid search, SEO, and social media marketing, we’ll help you grow your business with a strategic and efficient partnership. Reach out to us today and schedule a free 30-minute consultation. We’d love to speak with you!

A digital marketing agency needs to understand the ins and outs of the companies they work with. After all, how can someone bring you new clients when they don't even understand what your business is or how it operates? One of the reasons you hire a digital market agency is to reach an audience that your brand is not currently reaching or that you wish to expand. Agencies that know how your field operates are more likely to be capable of doing that.

Of course, direct industry experience isn’t an absolute requirement for them to effectively help you. In some cases, unfamiliar agencies can bring fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and a broader skill set to the table. What matters is their ability to understand your business, adapt quickly, demonstrate creativity, and collaborate effectively. By prioritizing these qualities, you can select an agency that can deliver successful marketing strategies regardless of their previous industry exposure.

Beyond knowing your audience, a great digital marketing agency should understand how to create custom strategies to reach your audience.

Here’s why:

In today's highly competitive online landscape, consumers are inundated with a constant stream of content and advertisements. As a result, a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer effective. By customizing strategies to align with the specific preferences, behaviors, and needs of each client's target audience, a digital marketing agency can create more meaningful connections and resonate with potential customers on a deeper level. For you, this translates into better quality leads and, ultimately, sales.

During your consultation, ask the agency about their process because it will likely reveal their strengths– and weaknesses. For example, some companies may only perform content marketing, while others specialize in paid advertising. Depending on what you need to reach your audience (in our experience, probably a mixture of both), you’ll know if their abilities can help you reach the right customers.

Having access to work samples and case studies is a must when hiring a digital marketing agency. Case studies offer insights into how the agency has successfully tackled challenges, formulated tailored solutions, and delivered measurable outcomes for previous clients. By reviewing these case studies, you’ll gain confidence in the agency's capabilities and what you can expect from the process of working with them.

Without a well-defined understanding of what constitutes “success,” you risk confusion and dissatisfaction. That’s why it’s important to establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals from the get-go. This way, you’re on the same page about meaningful metrics and can use data-driven evaluations to assess campaign performance and make informed decisions for ongoing improvements.

By asking this question, you can gauge their responsiveness and willingness to collaborate. There are many agencies keen to win your business, but what happens when you’ve signed a contract and they take weeks to respond to your emails? Clear and consistent communication makes all the difference, but it’s important to discuss this upfront so you’re on the same page about expectations.

Hiring a digital marketing agency means adding new teammates into the mix. But sometimes, the people who facilitate new contracts aren’t the same folks you’ll be working with on a regular basis. Make sure to ask who will be assigned to your account so you can assess whether their personalities are a match for you.

Don’t be shy about discussions of payment– it can save you a lot of stress and headache. Before engaging with a new agency, ask about their pricing structure. Do they charge fixed fees? Hourly rates? Or use a performance-based pricing model? In some cases, it might be all three, but it’s important to ask no matter what.

Also, make sure to inquire about contracts. It’s pretty common for marketing agencies to have a 1-year minimum, so even if you’re unhappy with their services, you’ll still be on the hook for payment.

At Rocket Media, we don’t lock clients into lengthy or strict contracts. We do month-to-month agreements, including monthly review meetings to report on our progress.

One of the best ways to tell if a digital market agency is trustworthy and reliable is to ask for references from current or former clients. Many companies can provide testimonials and case studies, but there is no substitute for talking directly with someone with first-hand experience. If an agency has no references, that could be a red flag.

Problems pop up. This is the universal truth of any business. However, the important thing to ask is how each agency manages challenges. When the going gets tough, will they be able to effectively manage the problem?

You need to know what you're signing– plain and simple. By clearly outlining terms, conditions, pricing structures, and deliverables in contracts, an agency demonstrates its commitment to honesty and accountability. This transparency ensures that both parties have a shared understanding of the project scope, goals, and expectations, mitigating the risk of miscommunication or disputes down the line. Needless to say, any company that tries to hide its contract or downplay its contents is not one that you can trust.

At Rocket Media, we're more than a digital marketing agency – we're your strategic partner for success. Relationships are the core of how we operate, and we value trusting long-term partnerships. Whether you need some help getting more online traffic, converting leads, or managing your PPC budget effectively, our team of marketing specialists is here to help. We have more than 20 years of experience and offer month-to-month agreements for a stress-free experience.

Learn more about how we work, read our case studies, or click below to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.