30 Questions to Ask A Marketing Agency Before Hiring Them

Researching a marketing agency partner can be an intimidating task. If your company has never worked with a marketing agency before or if you’re on the hunt for a new firm partner because your previous one underperformed, you may find yourself not knowing how to properly vet potential partners.

Below are the top questions to ask your next potential marketing agency partner in order to find that perfect fit for your company. As a reminder, the most important topics to discuss during the Request For Proposal (RFP) process are those that will matter to your brand’s success.

We hope this list of questions will help you weed out the studs from the duds once you’re ready to screen prospective agencies who are trying to get your business. Not to mention, the right marketing agency will ultimately give you the best return on investment for your allotted marketing budget.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the 30 questions that will help you bring on the ideal marketing agency partner for your brand.

Questions to Ask When Selecting a Marketing Agency:

1. What types of companies do you work with, and in what industries or markets?

2. Have you worked with any other companies like ours? If so, what worked best for them?

3. Who else (if anyone) are you working with within my industry? Also, are there any competitive relationships I should know about?

4. Who is your ideal client, and why?

5. Who isn’t an ideal client fit for your agency?

6. How would you describe your agency’s culture?

7. What are your core values? Moreover, how do they impact your clients?

8. How long have you been in business?

9. Who are some of your most successful clients? What is your best work? In addition, can you please provide examples?

10. What makes your marketing agency unique?

11. Who will I work with and how is that teammate or team picked for my brand?

12. What is the size and scope of a typical marketing or design project?

13. What types of marketing and advertising capabilities do you specialize in? Also, where do you shine?

14. Which marketing software do you specialize in?

15. Will there be any work that will be outsourced? And if so, to whom?

16. How is your pricing structured? How do you bill? Hourly or project-based?

17. What is required from me to help you accurately price and scope the project?

18. What is required for me to start a project? How about throughout the duration of a project?

19. Do you do market research before starting a project or campaign?

20. How would we communicate with your agency? Furthermore, describe the project management process.

21. What project management tools do you use?

22. How frequently will we meet to discuss current and future projects?

23. What does your statement of work (SOW) language include?

24. Did you explain what is included in the monthly retainer?

25. What is your process to address challenges or issues? Additionally, who do I call if I have a problem or question?

26. For creative work, how much can I edit, review, or redirect work? Furthermore, Is there a limit on revisions?

27. How do you measure project or campaign results?

28. What metrics will you monitor and report back on?

29. Do you have a clear cancellation policy?

30. Lastly, what questions do you have for me?

Ultimately the goal is to find the right fit for your brand.

As you conduct your search for a marketing agency, you may tweak the above questions to better suit your specific needs or considerations for your business. Regardless, this list should be a great starting point to get conversations started off on the right foot.

We advise you to use your best judgment to determine what is most appropriate for your business and facilitate the conversation around your needs. If you do that, you should have everything you need to make an informed decision.

Good luck and feel free to reach out if you want to give any of these questions a test drive!