How to hire a marketing agency and get the best out of your partner: A guide for SMEs

How to get the best out of a marketing agency. A guide.

Hiring a marketing agency can be one of the most impactful decisions a business makes - but only if it's approached with clarity and structure. Too often, businesses jump into agency partnerships without being clear on what they want, need, or expect. The result? Misaligned outcomes, wasted budget, and strained relationships.

So, let's explore how you can set yourself, and your agency partner, up for success. From defining your goals to managing the relationship, here’s how to get the most value out of your investment.

1. Know what you want to achieve

Before you even start looking for an agency, get clear on your objectives. Ask yourself:

• What business goals are we trying to support through marketing?

• Are we looking to build brand awareness, generate leads, improve conversion, or something else?

• How will we measure success?

Clarity here ensures you're not led by what agencies offer, but instead by what your business needs.

2. Create a clear, written brief

A good agency brief is a cornerstone of a successful partnership. Yet research from The Drum reveals a major disconnect between clients and agencies when it comes to briefing. So much so that an estimated 33% of marketing budgets are wasted due to poor briefs and misdirected work (The Drum, 2021).

A good brief should clearly state:

• Background and context

• Business and marketing objectives

• Target audience insights

• Specific outputs required (e.g. website redesign, social ad campaign, branding refresh)

• Budget (even if indicative)

• Timelines

• Key decision-makers and stakeholders

A good brief is critical to keep everyone aligned and ensures the agency fully understands your requirements before they start pitching.

3. Brief at least three agencies

Don’t just go with the first agency you find, do some research and brief at least three different agencies to enable you to review and compare.

This lets you:

• Compare creativity, approach, and understanding of your needs

• Benchmark costs and timelines

• Get a feel for different working and communication styles

This stage is as much about assessing fit as it is about finding the best price. Taking your time here pays dividends in the end.

4. Assess proposals against key criteria

When agency pitches come in, evaluate them methodically, for instance using a criteria scorecard.

Your scorecard could include:

• How well they understand your business and goals

• Quality and relevance of previous work

• Proposed approach and timelines

• Team experience, structure and availability

• Budget and transparency on costs

And don’t forget the human side - who will you be working with day-to-day? Do you have rapport? Do they “get” you? Can you envisage a long-term relationship with them?

5. Choose the right fit, not just the lowest cost

Of course budget matters. But choosing the lowest-cost option can be a false economy in the long run, particularly if they don't have the capabilities or experience to deliver what you need.

Things to look out for are:

• Relevant sector or project experience

• The capacity to deliver on time

• Chemistry and communication

• Recent feedback or customer reviews

This should ideally be a long-term relationship, so you want to choose a partner who can grow with you.

6. Set expectations early

Once you’ve chosen your agency, set clear expectations from the start:

• Agree on deliverables, deadlines and formats

• Confirm how communication will work (e.g. weekly calls, monthly reports)

• Identify key sign-off stages and who is responsible for approvals

Avoid the all-too-common disconnect where no one’s sure what’s due next or who needs to respond.

7. Meet regularly and give constructive feedback

Maintain regular check-ins to keep project momentum and clarity.

These meetings should:

• Review progress against plan

• Surface any issues or blockers early

• Provide feedback on what’s working and what’s not

Good agencies want feedback, they can’t improve or adapt if you don’t tell them what you think.

8. Build a relationship, not just a transaction

A strong client-agency relationship is based on mutual trust, respect, and shared ambition.

Treat your agency like a partner, not just a supplier:

• Share relevant internal updates and context

• Involve them in planning sessions if appropriate

• Celebrate wins together

The more you treat them as part of the team, the more invested they’ll be in your success.

As I've learnt over the course of many years, the best agency relationships are built on clarity, communication, and mutual respect. By approaching a new agency relationship or project process with structure - defining clear objectives, providing a good brief, choosing carefully, and nurturing the relationship - you’ll get far more than just a set of deliverables. You’ll gain a trusted partner who helps your business grow.

And if you’re not quite ready for a full agency relationship, or you need help managing one, Your Marketing Partner can step in as your freelance marketing lead, by helping you to define strategy, brief and select the right agency, and to help keep everything on track.

Want support navigating your agency relationships? Get in touch - I’ll make sure you get the best from your investment.