How to choose a marketing agency

Points to check

• Begin with the customer journey: where people discover you, what persuades them and how an enquiry becomes a sale. This helps decide which channels belong in the scope.
• Identify the named people responsible for strategy, creative, campaign management and reporting. Ask which tasks are subcontracted or billed separately.
• Agree a review rhythm and a decision rule for moving budget between channels. A monthly report should support an action, not just present a dashboard.

Start with the brief

Write down the business outcome you need, the people you want to reach and any practical constraints. This makes it easier to judge whether a suggested service or platform is appropriate.

Decide which outcomes matter and which channels your team can support internally.

Compare the work, not just the headline

Ask providers to describe the deliverables, who will do the work, what they need from you and when the result will be reviewed. A written proposal should distinguish included work from optional extras.

• Channel strategy and content calendar
• Creative production and publishing
• Community handling and performance review

Questions worth asking

• Who supplies the photos and approvals?
• Are ad spend and community replies included?
• How will business outcomes be assessed?

Compare strategy time, delivery ownership, reporting and contract terms.

Make a fair comparison

Use the same brief for each provider, request any missing details in writing, and consider ownership and ongoing support alongside price. You can use the free worksheet to record the answers.