If you’re hiring a marketing agency or fractional CMO, these 10 questions will help you evaluate their priorities, processes, and how they treat clients before signing any contract.

Recently, I spoke with two small business owners who reminded me why this topic matters. One is locked into a three‑year, $8,000/month SEO contract they barely understand. Another pays $10,000/month for Google Ads but doesn’t even own their ad account. Small businesses deserve better. This post is about helping you take back control of your marketing.

The best marketing agencies for small businesses lead with transparency, strategic thinking, and collaboration—not just tactical deliverables and fancy metrics. If they can’t answer these questions clearly, keep looking.

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10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Marketing Agency

1. Who Owns My Accounts and Data?

   Red flag: If it’s not you, walk away.

   When outsourcing your marketing, your ad accounts, CRM, analytics, and email lists should always remain your intellectual property. If an agency insists on creating everything under their own logins or refuses to give you full access, that’s not a partnership.

   Why it matters: If you ever want to transition providers or bring things in‑house, you shouldn’t have to start from scratch or lose years of data.

   Pro tip: Insist on setting up your own accounts and giving the agency access, not the other way around.

   A good place to start for ensuring account ownership:

   • Google Ads: The advertiser should have admin on the ad account and grant the agency access through a manager (MCC). Ownership access can be revoked by unlinking. Google Help

   • Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram): Your business should own the Meta Business Suite and ad accounts; the agency should be a partner, not the account owner.

   • Analytics: Create the GA4 account under your legal entity. The account owns the data for its properties. Google Help

   • Reporting: Require direct logins and exportable reports. No screenshots only.

   • Contracts: Spell out who owns creative, ad accounts, audiences, and CRM lists.

2. How Do You Define Success, and How Often Do We Review It?

   Red flag: Focusing on clicks, impressions, or follower counts without tying those numbers to business outcomes.

   At Duct Tape Marketing we call these vanity metrics. They make a report look good, but they don’t move the needle for your business.

   A good partner defines success around outcomes that matter to your business: qualified leads, consistent sales, and customer lifetime value. They also review results with you on a regular schedule so you can make smart adjustments together.

   What to track (example):

   • Top of the Marketing Hourglass (Know, Like, Trust): Visibility and awareness. Measure visitor sources, channel‑driven organic growth, and brand presence expansion.

   • Middle of the Hourglass (Try, Buy): Engagement and conversion activity. Track leads, form submissions, and meaningful interactions—not just traffic.

   • Bottom of the Hourglass (Repeat, Refer): Connect marketing activity to sales and retention. Watch metrics like customer acquisition cost, repeat purchases, referrals, and overall profitability.

   When your metrics reflect business goals, you can see what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus next—without needing a PhD to analyze it.

3. How Do You Connect Tactics to Strategy?

   Red flag: Inability to explain how a blog post or ad campaign fits into a broader plan.

   Too many marketers sell tasks—a new website, a funnel, social media management—without a strategy, it’s just noise.

   A strong partner bridges the gap between strategic and tactical marketing, ensuring every tactic supports a defined business goal.

4. What Happens If I Want to End the Contract?

   Red flag: Long lock‑in periods, high cancellation fees, or vague off‑boarding processes.

   Transparency should be the baseline. A confident, experienced marketing partner will make it easy to part ways and won’t hold your business hostage.

   A fair agreement should include:

   • A clear termination clause outlining how and when either party can end the contract.

   • Reasonable notice terms (e.g., 30 days) for a smooth transition.

   • Defined deliverables and ownership rights so you retain access to data, creative assets, and platforms.

   • An off‑boarding process covering handoff of accounts, passwords, and ongoing campaigns.

   • No excessive penalties for ending the relationship before the renewal date.

   The goal is mutual accountability, not restriction. Month‑to‑month or quarterly contracts are often preferable.

5. Who Will I Actually Work With Day to Day?

   Red flag: The senior strategist who sold you on the engagement disappears after the deal is signed.

   You deserve to know who’s executing your marketing and how much experience they have. Request an introduction to your actual account manager or strategist before you commit.

6. Can I See a Sample of Your Reporting?

   Red flag: Avoiding real reports or only offering screenshots.

   You don’t need to be a data analyst, but you need reporting that makes sense to you. If the data is too complex, irrelevant, or unclear, you won’t use it. Clear, actionable performance reporting is non‑negotiable.

7. How Do You Use AI, and What’s Still Human‑Led?

   Red flag: Either extreme—“We use no AI” or “Everything is automated.”

   AI is here to stay, and good marketers use it to amplify strategic thinking, not replace it. Ask directly how agencies use AI in research, content creation, or analysis, and how they maintain human strategic oversight.

8. How Will You Collaborate With My Team?

   Red flag: Operating in a silo or treating your internal team as an afterthought.

   Your partner should integrate with your sales staff, internal designers, customer service reps, etc. Look for someone who values collaboration, communication, and clarity.

9. What’s Your Process for Creating Strategy Before Execution?

   Red flag: Jumping straight into tactics without a clear discovery, positioning, and planning process.

   At Duct Tape Marketing, strategy always comes first. Building a marketing strategy should start with identifying ideal clients, brand messaging, and the customer journey before any tactics begin. If a partner skips this, they’re selling execution without a foundation.

10. Will You Teach Me Along the Way?

    Red flag: No willingness to share knowledge or empower your team.

    A good agency views the relationship as a partnership that includes education. They should be prepared to explain their decisions, train your staff on tools, and help you become more self‑sufficient over time.

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Bottom Line: Use these questions as a checklist during your agency evaluation process. If a prospective partner can’t answer them clearly—or raises red flags—keep looking. The right marketing agency will be transparent, strategic, and collaborative, helping you achieve real business results without locking you into unfavorable terms.