Welcome to part three of my series about marketing agencies! In the first two articles, I shared insights on when your small business should hire a marketing agency and how to choose the right one. Now, let’s talk about how you can get the most value from your investment—and ensure the agency you chose truly delivers results. 🙂
1. Clearly Define Expectations Early (This is Crucial!)
Maybe this goes without saying, but in my experience, clearly defining expectations at the very start is the single most crucial step in a successful agency relationship. Before the work even begins, you should:
- Clearly communicate measurable business goals (like increasing leads by 20% or improving conversion rates).
- Agree on clear timelines, deadlines, and responsibilities.
- Make sure the agency knows your business well enough to meet your unique needs.
For example, if you hire an agency specifically to boost local visibility for your dental practice, make sure “increasing local search traffic and appointment bookings” that are quantifiably measurable are explicitly outlined and agreed upon.
Remember, the agency works for you, not the other way around. Hold them accountable to your expectations—not theirs.
2. Own Your Data and Analytics (and Yes, Ad Accounts Too!)
This is critical, and I see it overlooked way too often. You must own and have access to all your analytics and advertising accounts:
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Your Google Ads and Facebook Ads accounts
Why? Because owning your data ensures transparency, gives you independence from any single agency, and helps you measure real results. If you need help setting these up, feel free to call me—I’ll guide you through it.
3. Communicate Regularly (and Hold Your Agency Accountable)
Regular check-ins are non-negotiable. My recommendation is:
- Have weekly or biweekly tactical progress calls.
- Schedule a monthly strategy meeting to review actual performance against the expectations you’ve set.
- Always leave meetings with clearly defined next steps and action items.
For instance, if your marketing goal was 20 new patient bookings per month, each monthly review should clearly outline how the agency’s actions contributed to—or didn’t contribute to—achieving that target.
4. Provide Specific, Actionable Feedback
As the business owner, your insights and direction are crucial:
- Clearly state what’s working and what’s not (“The new landing page is great, but we aren’t seeing enough traffic from local searches—can we adjust our SEO strategy?”).
- Don’t be shy about suggesting specific improvements based on your firsthand experience with your business and your customers.
Remember, your agency is your partner, and it’s their job to respond to your feedback constructively.
5. Share Insights and Foster True Collaboration
The best relationships I’ve seen between SMBs and agencies are true partnerships. Treat your agency as part of your team by regularly sharing:
- Customer feedback and patient experiences
- Market trends you notice in your industry
- Competitive insights and changes you’ve observed
- Local trends you’re noticing from your customers
Here’s why this matters: Great marketing often comes from innovative thinking and problem-solving driven by shared knowledge. Even specialized niche agencies learn and improve when their clients openly share insights. Your firsthand experience with your patients or customers is extremely valuable—so share generously.
6. Evaluate and Adapt Together (This is Why You Own Your Data!)
Owning your data isn’t just about transparency; it’s also essential for evaluation and accountability. Regularly review and analyze performance together with your agency:
- Measure actual results against your clearly defined goals (remember section one?).
- Use your own data to determine what’s working, what’s not, and why.
- Make data-driven adjustments promptly rather than guessing or waiting to see if things improve on their own.
For example, if your dental practice aimed for increased appointment bookings via Google Ads but your data shows poor conversion rates, don’t hesitate to dive into the specifics with your agency and discuss changes.
Wrapping Up
Ultimately, getting the most from your marketing agency comes down to clarity, communication, ownership of your own data, and treating the relationship as a genuine partnership. Stay engaged, hold your agency accountable, and don’t be afraid to direct your marketing efforts based on what you know is best for your business.
Thanks for following along—now put these steps into action, and feel free to reach out if you need more guidance!