Category: Marketing

5 Questions You Should Be Asking Your Digital Marketing Agency

Choosing the wrong digital marketing agency can cost you more than wasted budget—it can cost you critical growth momentum. With over 100,000 marketing agencies in the United States, finding the right partner feels overwhelming. Most make impressive promises, showcase beautiful case studies, and speak confidently about driving results.

But how do you separate legitimate expertise from polished sales pitches? These five essential questions cut through marketing speak to reveal whether an agency has the strategic depth, transparency, and alignment to actually move your business forward.

Why Most Businesses Choose the Wrong Agency

Before diving into the questions, understand the common selection mistakes:

• Price-focused decisions: Choosing the cheapest option leads to cheapest results
• Impressed by big-name clients: Large portfolio doesn’t guarantee they’ll serve small clients well
• Dazzled by tactics: Agencies selling specific tactics rather than comprehensive strategy
• Not checking references: Case studies tell one story; actual clients tell another
• Chemistry over competence: Likability matters, but expertise matters more
• Unclear expectations: Not defining success criteria upfront

According to a 2024 survey by Clutch, 46% of businesses report being dissatisfied with their marketing agency, primarily due to misaligned expectations and lack of transparency. These five questions address exactly those issues.

Question 1: What Specific Results Have You Delivered for Businesses Like Mine?

Generic case studies don’t predict your success. You need evidence they’ve solved problems similar to yours.

Why This Question Matters

Agencies often showcase their most impressive work—Fortune 500 brands with unlimited budgets, viral campaigns for consumer products, or successful work in completely different industries. That success may not translate to your situation.

What you need: proof they’ve helped businesses with your size, budget, industry, and market dynamics achieve results.

What to Listen For

Red Flags:

• Can’t provide industry-specific examples
• Only discusses vanity metrics (likes, impressions, traffic) without business outcomes
• Shows case studies from 3+ years ago
• Client examples are all dramatically larger or smaller than you
• Vague about actual ROI or conversion improvements
• Won’t share client references

Green Flags:

• Provides 2-3 detailed case studies from your industry or similar
• Discusses specific business outcomes: revenue growth, cost per acquisition, lifetime value
• Shares the challenges faced and how they overcame them
• Offers to connect you with current clients in similar situations
• Explains what didn’t work and lessons learned
• Shows progression of results over time, not just cherry-picked peaks

Follow-Up Questions to Ask

• “Can you share examples from businesses with similar budget constraints?”
• “What’s the typical timeline to see results in my industry?”
• “Which clients have you had the longest relationships with and why?”
• “Can I speak with 2-3 clients who were in similar situations when they started?”
• “What percentage of your current clients are in my industry or business model?”

How to Evaluate Their Answer

Strong agencies will:

• Provide specific numerical outcomes (percentage increases, dollar amounts, conversion improvements)
• Explain the strategy behind the results, not just the tactics
• Be honest about timeline and investment required
• Discuss both successes and setbacks
• Eagerly connect you with satisfied clients

Example of a Strong Response:

“We worked with a regional B2B software company with $5M annual revenue, similar to your size. They were generating about 30 qualified leads per month primarily through cold outreach. Over 12 months, we implemented a content marketing and SEO strategy, rebuilt their website for conversion, and established thought leadership through strategic partnerships. Their organic traffic grew from 2,000 to 18,000 monthly visitors, qualified inbound leads increased to 120 per month, and sales cycle shortened from 9 months to 5 months. Total revenue grew 41%. We’ve worked with them for 3 years now. I can connect you with their VP of Marketing who can share her perspective.”

Question 2: How Will You Measure Success, and What Reports Will I Receive?

Agencies can easily drown you in data while avoiding accountability. This question establishes clear success criteria and transparency expectations.

Why This Question Matters

Many agency relationships sour because the client and agency define success differently. The agency celebrates increased social media followers while the client expected increased sales. Clear measurement prevents this disconnect.

Additionally, some agencies deliberately keep reporting opaque to mask poor performance. Others generate overwhelming reports full of vanity metrics that look impressive but don’t drive business results.

What to Listen For

Red Flags:

• Focuses exclusively on vanity metrics (impressions, reach, followers)
• Can’t connect metrics to business outcomes
• Vague about reporting frequency or format
• Resists sharing login credentials to analytics platforms
• Proposes only custom dashboards (you can’t verify independently)
• Won’t commit to specific KPIs upfront

Green Flags:

• Asks about your business goals before suggesting metrics
• Proposes mix of leading indicators and lagging outcomes
• Explains how each metric connects to revenue or growth
• Offers transparent access to all analytics platforms
• Provides clear, regular reporting schedule
• Willing to be held accountable to specific targets
• Discusses both quantitative and qualitative measures

Key Metrics They Should Track

The exact KPIs depend on your goals, but expect discussion of:

Traffic Metrics:

• Total website sessions and users
• Organic traffic growth
• Traffic by source/channel
• New vs. returning visitors

Engagement Metrics:

• Average session duration
• Pages per session
• Bounce rate by channel and page
• Scroll depth on key pages

Conversion Metrics:

• Conversion rate (overall and by channel)
• Cost per lead/acquisition
• Lead quality metrics
• Sales qualified leads generated
• Customer acquisition cost

Revenue Metrics:

• Revenue attributed to marketing
• Return on ad spend (ROAS)
• Marketing-influenced pipeline
• Customer lifetime value

SEO Metrics:

• Keyword rankings for target terms
• Organic visibility score
• Backlink growth
• Domain authority progression

Questions About Reporting

• “How often will we review performance together?”
• “What does a typical report include?”
• “Will I have direct access to analytics platforms, or only your reports?”
• “How do you recommend we set benchmarks and targets?”
• “What happens if we’re not hitting our goals? How do you adjust?”
• “Can you show me a sample report from another client?” (names redacted)

How to Evaluate Their Answer

Example of a Strong Response:

“We’d start by understanding your business goals—are you focused on lead generation, e-commerce sales, or brand awareness? For a typical B2B client, we track: monthly qualified leads, cost per lead, organic traffic growth, conversion rate by channel, and ultimately revenue attributed to marketing. You’ll receive monthly detailed reports with analysis and recommendations, plus access to a real-time dashboard. We also provide quarterly business reviews to assess strategic direction. Most importantly, you’ll have full admin access to Google Analytics, Search Console, and any ad platforms—we don’t gate-keep your data. If we’re not hitting targets after 90 days, we’ll present strategic adjustments with clear rationale.”

Question 3: Who Will Actually Be Working on My Account Day-to-Day?

The impressive senior strategist in your sales meetings might not be the person executing your campaigns. This question reveals the reality of who you’ll actually work with.

Why This Question Matters

One of the most common complaints about agencies: “They sold us the A-team and delivered the C-team.” Many agencies use senior talent to close deals, then hand off execution to junior staff or offshore teams.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with different team members handling sales versus execution—but you deserve to know who’s managing your account, their experience level, and how accessible senior expertise will be.

What to Listen For

Red Flags:

• Vague about team structure
• Won’t introduce you to account team before signing
• High account manager turnover
• Significantly less experienced team than sales discussions suggested
• Account manager handles 20+ clients simultaneously
• No clear escalation path for issues

Green Flags:

• Introduces key team members during sales process
• Clear explanation of roles and responsibilities
• Appropriate team experience for your needs
• Reasonable account load per team member
• Defined communication cadence
• Senior oversight structure explained
• Low account team turnover

Follow-Up Questions

• “Can I meet the team who would work on my account before we sign?”
• “What’s the experience level of my account manager?”
• “How many accounts does each team member typically manage?”
• “What’s your average account team tenure?”
• “If my account manager leaves, what’s the transition process?”
• “How often will I interact with senior strategists versus day-to-day team?”
• “What’s the communication structure—email, calls, project management tools?”
• “Do you use offshore or freelance resources? For what?”

Ideal Team Structure

For most small to mid-size accounts, expect:

• Account Strategist: Senior person who develops strategy and oversees execution (may be involved in sale)
• Account Manager: Primary day-to-day contact, manages timeline and communication
• Specialists: Dedicated experts for SEO, paid ads, content, design, development as needed
• Support Team: Analytics, reporting, administrative support

For a $5,000/month retainer, you shouldn’t expect 40 hours of senior strategist time, but you should expect regular oversight and strategic guidance with competent execution by more junior team members.

How to Evaluate Their Answer

Example of a Strong Response:

“Great question. Sarah, who you met today, would be your lead strategist—she has 8 years of B2B marketing experience and oversees all strategic decisions. Your day-to-day account manager would be Mike, who has 4 years with us managing similar accounts. He typically manages 8-10 clients. You’d also work with Jennifer, our SEO specialist (6 years experience), and Tom, who manages paid campaigns (5 years). We’d love to have you meet the full team before you commit. You’ll have weekly check-ins with Mike, monthly strategy reviews with Sarah, and 24-hour email response time. We pride ourselves on low turnover—our average account team tenure is 4.5 years.”

Question 4: What Do You Need From Us to Be Successful?

This question flips the dynamic and reveals whether the agency understands that successful partnerships require mutual commitment.

Why This Question Matters

Marketing results don’t come from agency work alone—they require collaboration, access to information, timely feedback, and internal resources. Agencies that don’t set clear expectations about client responsibilities are setting up both parties for frustration.

This question also reveals the agency’s experience. Inexperienced agencies promise they’ll handle everything with minimal client involvement. Experienced agencies know success requires partnership and aren’t afraid to outline what they need from you.

What to Listen For

Red Flags:

• “We’ll handle everything—you just sit back and watch results”
• No discussion of client responsibilities
• Unwilling to discuss potential roadblocks
• Dismissive about need for internal buy-in
• No mention of information or resource needs

Green Flags:

• Specific list of required resources and information
• Clear timeline expectations for feedback and approvals
• Discussion of internal stakeholder management
• Realistic about time investment required from your team
• Proactive about potential obstacles
• Sets boundaries on scope to manage expectations

What Good Agencies Typically Need

Access and Information:

• Analytics and advertising platform access
• CRM or sales data for lead tracking
• Brand guidelines and assets
• Product/service information and pricing
• Customer insights and feedback
• Competitor information
• Historical marketing performance data

Internal Resources:

• Point person for communication and decisions
• Subject matter experts for content input
• Approval workflow and decision timeline
• Legal/compliance review if required
• IT support for integrations or website access

Time Commitments:

• Weekly or bi-weekly check-in calls
• Timely feedback on deliverables (typically 3-5 business days)
• Monthly performance reviews
• Quarterly strategic planning sessions

Collaboration Expectations:

• Clear stakeholder approval process
• Reasonable revision expectations
• Communication response time
• Commitment to strategic recommendations

Follow-Up Questions

• “What’s the typical weekly time commitment from our team?”
• “What access do you need to our systems and platforms?”
• “What’s the biggest reason clients don’t succeed with you?”
• “How do you handle situations where clients aren’t holding up their end?”
• “What slows down projects most often from the client side?”

How to Evaluate Their Answer

Example of a Strong Response:

“Success requires true partnership. We’ll need a primary point of contact who can commit 3-5 hours weekly for feedback, approvals, and collaboration—usually a marketing manager or director. We’ll need access to Google Analytics, Search Console, your CMS, and any advertising accounts. If you have a CRM, connecting that helps us track lead quality. We ask for 48-hour feedback turnaround on deliverables and for stakeholders to be aligned before we start—projects stall when there are surprise decision-makers. Content creation works best when we can interview your team—about 1-2 hours monthly from subject matter experts. The biggest challenge we see: clients not implementing our recommendations due to internal politics or resource constraints. We’ll be direct about what’s needed to succeed.”

Question 5: How Do You Stay Current With Digital Marketing Changes?

Digital marketing evolves rapidly. This question reveals whether the agency invests in continuous learning or relies on outdated playbooks.

Why This Question Matters

Google algorithm updates, new social media platforms, privacy regulation changes, emerging AI tools—digital marketing transforms constantly. An agency using 2020 tactics in 2025 will waste your budget and miss opportunities.

Top agencies invest heavily in training, testing, certifications, and thought leadership. They don’t just follow trends—they understand which changes matter for their clients.

What to Listen For

Red Flags:

• “We’ve been doing this for 15 years—we know what works”
• No mention of recent training or certifications
• Can’t discuss recent industry changes
• No testing or experimentation process
• Not aware of recent platform updates relevant to your goals
• No thought leadership (blog, speaking, publications)

Green Flags:

• Specific examples of recent platform or strategy changes they’ve adapted to
• Active certifications (Google, Meta, HubSpot, etc.)
• Regular team training programs
• Testing and experimentation culture
• Industry conference participation
• Published content or thought leadership
• Membership in industry organizations

Recent Changes They Should Know About

Test their knowledge with current topics:

• Google: Core Web Vitals updates, Helpful Content system, AI overview in search results
• Privacy: Third-party cookie deprecation, iOS privacy changes, GA4 migration
• AI: ChatGPT and generative AI impact on search and content
• Social: TikTok’s business potential, Instagram Reels strategy, LinkedIn’s algorithm changes
• Platforms: Google Ads automation, Meta’s Advantage+ campaigns

Follow-Up Questions

• “How has your strategy evolved in the past year based on industry changes?”
• “What certifications does your team maintain?”
• “How do you test new tactics before rolling them out to clients?”
• “What industry publications or resources do you follow?”
• “How are you adapting to AI tools in marketing?”
• “What’s the most significant change you’ve made to your approach recently?”

How to Evaluate Their Answer

Example of a Strong Response:

“We invest significantly in staying current. Our team maintains Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Meta Blueprint certifications—we budget for annual recertification and training. We attend 2-3 major industry conferences yearly, and each team member gets $2,000 annual professional development budget. Recently, we’ve completely revamped our content strategy to account for AI-powered search—we’re focusing more on expertise, experience, and unique perspectives that AI can’t replicate. We’re also testing AI tools internally before recommending to clients. We publish weekly blog posts and monthly webinars sharing what we’re learning. Our Slack channel shares industry news daily. We run controlled experiments with new tactics before scaling—for example, we tested Google’s Performance Max campaigns with five clients before broader rollout.”

Bonus Questions Worth Asking

Beyond the top five, these additional questions provide valuable insights:

About Process and Communication

• “What’s your onboarding process and timeline?”
• “How do you handle disagreements about strategy?”
• “What project management tools do you use for transparency?”
• “How often should we expect to meet, and in what format?”

About Business Model

• “Do you work with our competitors? What’s your conflict policy?”
• “What’s your contract length and cancellation policy?”
• “How do you structure pricing—retainer, project, or hybrid?”
• “What’s included in your base service vs. additional fees?”

About Results

• “What’s your client retention rate?”
• “Can you share your average client tenure?”
• “What’s the primary reason clients leave?”
• “How long until we should expect to see results?”

Evaluating Agency Responses: A Scorecard

Rate agencies on these criteria after interviews:

Criteria	Score (1-5)	Notes
Relevant industry experience and case studies
Clear measurement and reporting approach
Appropriate team expertise and availability
Realistic about client responsibilities
Current with industry trends and tools
Cultural fit and communication style
Pricing aligned with value and budget
Client references and testimonials

Red Flags That Should End the Conversation

Some warning signs mean you should walk away:

1. Guarantees specific rankings or results: Legitimate agencies know they can’t control Google or guarantee outcomes
2. Requires long-term contracts before proving value: Best agencies earn long-term relationships through results
3. Won’t provide references: If they have happy clients, they’ll share them
4. Proprietary platforms that lock you in: You should own your data and assets
5. Vague about pricing or hidden fees: Transparent pricing indicates honest partnership
6. Dismissive of your questions or concerns: They should welcome scrutiny
7. High-pressure sales tactics: Good agencies don’t need aggressive closing techniques

Making Your Final Decision

After asking these questions across multiple agencies:

1. Check references thoroughly: Ask past clients about responsiveness, results, challenges, and what surprised them
2. Review proposals carefully: Compare scope, pricing, timeline, and deliverables
3. Trust your instincts: You’ll work closely with this team—chemistry matters
4. Start with a pilot if possible: A 3-month trial project reduces risk
5. Get everything in writing: Verbal promises don’t matter; contract terms do

Partner With an Agency That Welcomes These Questions

At Capetivate, we welcome every question on this list because we’re confident in our answers. We’ve served New England businesses and nonprofits for over a decade, maintaining an average client relationship of 3.8 years.

We provide transparent reporting, direct access to experienced strategists, and proven results in B2B, professional services, nonprofit, and e-commerce sectors.

Explore our digital marketing services or schedule a free consultation where we’ll happily answer these five questions and any others you have.