How to Evaluate a Marketing Agency: 9 Must-Check Criteria
46% of companies that come to MarketerHire have tried a marketing agency before. The pattern is consistent: initial promise, then junior staff on your account, opaque reporting, and 6-12 month lock-in contracts. To evaluate a marketing agency properly, check 9 criteria: team structure and seniority, vetting standards, pricing transparency, contract flexibility, accountability metrics, industry experience, communication quality, scope clarity, and trial options. Each criterion exposes whether you'll get the senior expertise you're paying for or become one of many accounts staffed by juniors.
The stakes are high. The wrong agency burns $50-100K and wastes a quarter before you realize the match isn't working.