Behind the billboard what no one tells you about hiring a marketing agency

so you finally decided to hiring a marketing agency maybe you got tired of doing everything alone or maybe your sales are flat or maybe you just want someone to take your business to the next level sounds like a good move right but here’s the thing not all marketing agencies are the same and nobody really tells you what it’s like behind the scenes

people only see the billboard or the pretty ads but there’s a lot going on behind that and if you don’t know what to look for you might end up wasting time money and energy

this blog post is gonna tell you the real stuff the things nobody tells you about hiring a full marketing agency so you can make smarter choices and actually get the results you want

why businesses hire a marketing agency

first let’s talk about why people even hire agencies in the first place

• they want more leads
• they want better branding
• they want help with social media
• they want to run paid ads
• they want someone who understands digital marketing

and that all makes sense because marketing today is not easy it’s not just posting on facebook or printing flyers it’s about data strategy design copy content testing and more

a full marketing agency offers all that in one place that’s why more businesses are turning to them

what is a full marketing agency really

so what does full marketing agency mean it means the agency handles all your marketing needs from a to z

they usually offer

• branding and design
• content writing
• seo
• ppc or paid ads
• social media management
• email marketing
• media buying
• website design
• video production

instead of hiring 5 different freelancers or teams you get one agency to do it all this sounds amazing but also comes with its own set of challenges

they don’t all treat your business the same

here’s one big truth some agencies treat every client like a number

they use the same strategy copy and templates for everyone they might change the logo or color but that’s it

you need to be careful here because your business is unique your goals are not the same as another client in a different country or industry

 good full digital marketing agency will actually listen to you learn about your business and build a custom plan that fits your goals

big agencies are not always better

you might think the bigger the agency the better but  that’s not always true sometimes the big fancy agency with hundreds of clients puts you at the bottom of their list if you’re a small account they give you a junior account manager who’s  new and too busy to answer your questions on the other hand a smaller full marketing agency might give you more attention care and faster results so don’t just go for the biggest name go for best fit

they might not tell you about hidden costs

many agencies don’t tell you everything up front they say we charge 1000 per month but then later they add extra costs like

• ad spend not included
• video editing not included
• landing page not include
• reporting tool extra

and suddenly your 1000 becomes 3000 and your budget is gone

so always ask for a clear proposal with everything listed in it the top full marketing agencies will be honest and show you all costs before you start

reporting can be confusing on purpose

some agencies send fancy reports with charts and numbers that look great but don’t really say anything

they want you to think things are working but you have no idea what’s actually going on

you get a 20 page report and still don’t know if your sales went up or down

a good full marketing agency will send clear simple reports showing things like leads sales conversion rate return on ad spend not just impressions and clicks

you may not speak to the people doing the work

this is a big one most agencies have different teams and roles

you speak to a sales person then a project manager then they pass your work to someone else and you never meet the designer or the ad guy or the content writer

this can create miscommunication and mistakes

you might say i want a fun ad and they make something serious

so try to choose a full marketing agency where you can talk to the people who are actually doing your work

creativity can get lost in process

some agencies are so focused on systems processes templates and automation that they forget to be creative

you get ads that feel cold blogs that sound robotic and social media posts that get ignored

yes structure is good but not at the cost of creativity

a strong full marketing agency should mix both they should follow a system but still create fresh content that feels real and grabs attention

one agency can’t be best at everything

even if they say they do it all no agency is perfect at everything

maybe they’re great at social media but weak at seo maybe they rock at branding but don’t know much about email funnels

so always ask for examples of their past work in each area check what they’re best at and see if that matches your needs

don’t be afraid to ask hard questions

the onboarding process shows everything

when you first start working with a full marketing agency pay close attention to the first two weeks

do they ask you good questions do they try to understand your business do they send you a clear timeline and plan

if they seem slow confused or too busy at the start it’s probably gonna get worse not better

onboarding is like a first date if they mess that up you might want to run

don’t expect miracles fast

even the best full marketing agency needs time to get results

seo might take 3 to 6 months content marketing too even ads take time to test optimize and improve

if you expect big results in 2 weeks you’ll be disappointed

be patient ask for progress updates not just final results and let the agency do their work

trust but verify

you should trust your agency yes but you should also double check things

• read the blogs they post
• check your google ads account
• see what comments people leave on social media
• ask to see reports from ad campaigns

you don’t have to be a marketing expert but just stay in the loop so nothing goes wrong behind your back

a good agency will be happy to show you their work and answer your questions

communication is everything

honestly this might be the biggest thing if communication is bad everything else will fall apart

you should know who your point of contact is when they are available and how fast they reply

weekly calls or updates are great even just a message to say we’re working on this helps a lot

top full marketing agencies always keep clients in the loop even when things are not perfect

you might need to provide more than you think

some people think i hire an agency and they do everything but sometimes the agency needs stuff from you like

• photos and videos
• product info
• brand voice and tone
• customer data
• approval for ads

if you’re not ready to give that fast your campaign might slow down

the best agencies will guide you and help you but they still need input from you

alignment is more important than skills

• you can hire the best agency in the world but if they don’t get your style or values it won’t work
• if you’re casual and fun and they’re formal and stiff you’ll clash
• if you want leads and they care more about likes and shares you won’t get what you want
• choose a full marketing agency that matches your vibe and goals not just your budget

some agencies care more about awards than results

• there are agencies that win design awards branding awards social media awards and that’s cool but sometimes those awards don’t mean results
• an award winning logo doesn’t mean more sales a pretty campaign that goes viral may not bring customers
• ask your agency what kind of results they got for their clients not just what awards they won

burnout is real in agency world

• many agencies work with too many client and have overworked teams
• your project might be  done by  tired copywriter or a stressed designer working late at night
• this can affect quality speed and creativity
• try to work with a full marketing agency that values their team has  healthy work culture  and doesn’t rush your work

you still need to be involved

• hiring a full marketing agency doesn’t mean you can disappear
• you still need to give feedback join strategy calls read reports and help make decisions
• this is your business  and no one will care about it as much as you
• the best agency is not a replacement it’s a partner that works with you not for you

what to ask before hiring

here’s a list of smart questions to ask any agency before hiring them

• can you show examples of past work
• how do you measure success
• who will be working on my project
• how often will we  communicate
• what’s included and what’s not
• what happens if we don’t see results
• do you work with business like mine

their answers will help you know if they are the right fit or just pretending

final tips to choose the right agency

okay so here’s what you should do if you want to hire a full marketing agency

• check their reviews and  case study
• ask for a call and meet the team
• see how they  communicate
• look at their own marketing are they doing a good job for themselves
• ask for a proposal with clear timeline budget and goals
• trust your gut if something feels off maybe it is

final words

hiring a full marketing agency can be the best move for your business or the biggest mistake it depends on who you pick and how you work together

don’t fall for pretty websites or big promises do your homework ask the right questions and stay involved

behind the billboard there’s a lot to consider but with the right agency by your side you can build your brand grow your audience and win in the market

choose smart work together and enjoy the results