10 Reasons Why You Should Consider Changing Your Small Business Marketing Agency

There might be something about the marketing agency you’re working with that isn’t sitting well with you, and that’s okay. In this article, we explore 10 reasons why you might want to look for a different marketing agency to serve your business.

Introduction 

As a small business owner, you want to know that your digital marketing agency is doing a good job, but what if they aren’t? 

How can you tell? 

And what can you do about it? 

This article explores 10 reasons why you may have to consider changing your small business marketing agency.

The 10 Warning Signs That Your Marketing Agency Isn’t A Good Fit For Your Small Business

In the 2020s, small businesses must use the digital channels available to attract customers and drive sales. For many, partnering with a marketing agency that understands the digital landscape is a great way to cut the learning curve and improve results. However, it isn’t always that straightforward.

Some agencies make all sorts of grand promises about what they can do. Unfortunately, few make good on those promises. So, how can you tell if your small business marketing agency isn’t doing what they said they would do? And what can you do about it? There are reliable ways to find out. 

If you recognize some of the signs listed here, it’s probably time to think about getting your services from a different Marketing Agency. ‍

Click here to learn what you should be thinking about when looking for a new marketing agency.

1. Lack of Transparency?

There is no good reason for a small business marketing agency not to be upfront and clear about their experience, existing customers, and the way they work. 

Any reputable agency should be keen to show you their work and why they’re proud of it. So, if they aren’t open and honest with you right from the beginning, you have to ask yourself - why?

2. No Strategy?

Your marketing agency should provide you with a solid strategy. 

A good marketing strategy underpins any good marketing campaign. It’s your game plan, your roadmap; it gives you something to strive towards. Without one, it’s the equivalent of throwing mud at a wall to see what sticks.

Regardless of whether you’re working with them on your SEO or PPC advertising campaign, the lack of a strategy will always lower the chances of you getting the results you need.

A marketing strategy is something your small business marketing agency should be helping you create. If they’ve never considered a marketing strategy for your small business, you may want to reevaluate your relationship with them and what they’re bringing to the table. 

3. Reporting is Inconsistent and Unclear?

A good marketing agency will provide you with regular, concise, reliable performance reports on how your campaign is performing. You shouldn’t have to ask for these reports - they are integral to the marketing process.

Furthermore, any reputable agency will have the tools required to gather, interpret, and present the data generated from your campaigns. You should be getting updates from your marketing agency at least once a week. If you aren’t, then how do you know that they’re doing a good job?

‍4. Your Goals Aren’t Being Met?

Only you can decide whether or not your marketing goals are being met, but the agency you employ should be providing you with all the evidence you need to make such an assessment. 

Perhaps your expectations were too high? Or maybe the agency wasn’t clear about what could be reasonably expected? In either case, your marketing agency should have taken steps to ensure that goals for your campaign were agreed upon and mutually understood.

‍5. They Don’t Care About Your Feedback?

If the people you’re paying to solve your marketing problems don’t care about what you think of their work then you might run into a variety of problems. Mainly because it suggests your input doesn’t matter.

A good small business marketing agency will ask you for feedback regularly so they can consider your thoughts when implementing your campaign. 

If your current marketing agency doesn’t care about what you have to say, it might be time to look for another service provider.

‍6. Aren’t Open To New Ideas?

The job of a marketing agency is to come up with great ideas that will catch the attention of potential customers and drive your business forward. 

They should also be open to new ideas coming from you because after all, you’re the leader; you make the final decisions on what direction you want your marketing campaigns to go. 

If anything, your digital marketing agency should be approaching you with fresh takes on all aspects of your campaigns and looking to you for input and contributions when possible.

7. Quality of Work Is Unreliable?

None of us are perfect. We all make mistakes.

But if you’re paying for a service that relies so heavily on expertise and quality, you are entitled to expect that specific standards are met and maintained. 

For example, is it okay for ad copy or SEO content to contain spelling and grammar errors? We all have ‘blind spots’, but that’s why good proofreaders are always in demand! 

If your marketing agency consistently tries to cut corners, you could be putting your reputation in jeopardy and letting your customers down.

You need to know you’re working with reliable professionals.

8. Poor Communication?

Not everyone has the same understanding of what ‘good communication’ is. Some customers are content to get updates from their marketing agency once a month or so. Others expect more frequent contact.

A good marketing agency will make its communication guidelines clear from the beginning. Still, if for whatever reason you feel as though you’re being ignored or undervalued, it might be reflective of the work they produce.

9. Making Hollow Promises?

In your own business, whether it’s service, manufacturing or whatever else, you know when someone is unrealistic, or even downright deceptive, right? Sometimes people make promises in good faith, believing that they can deliver. Others know that they can’t deliver but pretend that they can. 

There’s a big difference between being bullish and being untruthful. But the bottom line is that you can’t afford to wait to find out the hard way. You wouldn’t promise something you knew was impossible to deliver, would you? 

So why accept that treatment from people who’re supposed to help drive your business forward?

Honesty is required here - ask yourself: are the people responsible for my digital marketing giving me value for money? Do they have my best interests at heart? 

If the answer is no, it might be time to look elsewhere.

10. Unwilling To Share Their Processes With You? 

The process of creating impactful, memorable advertising, or building a beautiful website, can appear mysterious to many. Just as your small business may appear complicated to anyone who isn’t familiar with it, the whole world of online marketing can seem impossibly complex and inaccessible. 

Some agencies will try to make the processes they use seem so intricate and complex that only their ‘secret method’ can deliver the results you want. When in reality, what they’re doing isn’t rocket science.

The processes involved in online marketing, SEO and so on are relatively straightforward. It’s the application of them that takes experience and skill. So, if you feel like your marketing agency sold you a magic bullet that they aren’t willing to share, you may want to consider if they know anything at all.

Conclusion 

Now that you’ve read the warning signs, you may have noticed a common thread that runs all the way through.

It’s all about trust, isn’t it?

The same principles which you apply to your small business dealings and relationships with customers apply to your connection with your small business marketing agency.

If you have any reason to doubt the sincerity, professionalism, or ethical behavior of the marketing agency you’re with right now, it’s in your interests to do something about it.

If you’d like to learn more about what ProStrategix Consulting can do for your brand, you can contact us directly, or you can email me at Brian@prostrategix.com, and I’d be happy to chat with you.

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