If you have landed on this article, you are probably either trying to hire a marketing agency and avoid mistakes, or you have already hired one and things have not worked out the way you expected. That is okay. Failure in business is part of the process. But you can still do something to avoid problems or to fix them.
In my experience, agency-client relationships usually break down because of the same common issues, and if you know them in advance, you can avoid them. These are the main ones, from experience.
1. Values: The Hidden Element that Underpins Everything
This one does not get talked about enough. I believe that values sit at the core of everything we do, and business relationships (like hiring a marketing agency), are no different. How do you find one that is aligned with your values?
I don’t have a universal answer here. It’s a gut feeling. It sounds “hippie” I know, but it’s what I believe. I do, however, have a few practical tips to get it right:
- Approach the process with the same mindset you would use to hire a team member. You would not work with someone who feels misaligned with your values from the first meeting, would you? Same concept. Follow your instinct.
- Go with repetition, meaning talk with a few agencies. The more agencies you interview, the better idea you will have of the values they may hold.
- In the first meeting, have a conversation about how they work, their background and ask them about a time a client disagreed with their recommendation. You will understand a lot from their answers.
2. No Clear Strategy, A Common Problem When Working With a Marketing Agency
A marketing strategy is a plan that explains how marketing activities will lead to your business goals. Simple as that. A good agency should be able to explain that in plain language, why they are doing what they are doing and how it connects to the outcomes you want to achieve.
If an agency starts talking about tactics without a 360° overview of how those tactics connect to the overall long-term business outcomes, they are just selling you that: tactics.
If you cannot see the logic connecting activity to outcome, or they are not willing to explain it, that is a red flag.
3. Misaligned Goals and Expectations From the Start
This is something I have seen happen many times in the past. This may sound familiar if you have worked with an agency before: you thought “leads” meant sales-ready enquiries. The agency thought it meant “contact form submissions”. You expected results in three months. They were planning for twelve. In other words, you both started with different expectations.
These gaps are not always obvious upfront, which is exactly why you need to get specific before you start.
Define success in concrete numbers. Agree on a timeline and make sure it is recorded in the strategy and the brief. It sounds obvious, but sometimes business owners skip this step because they are excited to get going, only to experience a lot of frustration later.
4. Poor Accountability and Delayed Communication
In January this year, I subscribed to a new software provider for my business. The support was generally slow, and the software had glitches a few times. When I looked for answers, the team made me wait up to a week for a response, and they kept suggesting that the glitches may have been related to my internet connection. It is not hard to guess how that relationship ended.
I have heard stories from past clients about agencies treating them much like that software company treated me. You should never have to chase your agency for an update. If you do, something has gone wrong.
Good agencies are proactive. They tell you what is happening before you ask. They flag problems early instead of hoping you will not notice. Most importantly, they are accountable. When something does not work, they own it and take responsibility, explain what happened, and proactively propose solutions.
5. Reporting and No Real Results After a Reasonable Time
Often, agencies create reports using terminology that clients do not fully grasp. This is a problem. And if this is your situation, talk to your agency. If you are about to hire one, get clear on what the report will look like in terms of measurement and results.
Set a clear review point, usually quarterly, and evaluate performance against the goals you agreed on at the start. If results are not there, have a direct conversation about what needs to change. Give them a chance to respond. If nothing shifts, it is probably time to move on.
A Final Word
From experience, not every agency problem is the agency’s fault. Sometimes the brief was too vague. Sometimes your approvals took too long. Sometimes the budget was not big enough to do what both sides hoped. Remember, a good agency relationship takes effort from both sides. Is not a set and forget arrangement.
But if you are reading this and nodding along, trust that instinct. A good agency relationship feels like a partnership, an extended part of your team. When they do not, it is worth saying something. I hope this list will give clarity!
