Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Marketing Agency

Ask these 10 questions before you hire a marketing agency, starting with who will own your Google Business Profile, ad accounts and videos, because retainers commonly run $1,000 to $12,000+ a month (WebFX, updated October 2026) and ownership is the hardest thing to fix after you sign.

Ownership and access

Whose name will my Google Business Profile, ad accounts and social pages be in? Yours. Google allows multiple owners but one primary owner (Google); that should be you. Red flag: “We'll set it up under our account.”
Do I own the videos, photos and raw footage? Red flag: the agency licenses your own content back to you.
Is ad spend billed separately from your fee? You should see what Google or Meta charged. Red flag: one bundled number.

The work itself

Can I see live work for businesses like mine? Links, not a sizzle reel. Red flag: nothing public.
Who films, edits and writes captions? Red flag: it's all outsourced or machine-made and nobody can say by whom.
Do I approve content before it posts? Red flag: posts go live without you seeing them.
What will you deliver each month? Number of shoots, videos, posts, platforms. Red flag: vague scope like “ongoing management.”

Results and reporting

What will you report, and how often? Ask for calls, form leads, direction requests and bookings alongside views. Red flag: impressions-only reports.
Do you guarantee rankings or results? The honest answer is no. Google says local results mainly come down to relevance, distance and popularity (Google), and no agency controls all three. Red flag: “Page one guaranteed.”

Leaving

How do I leave, and what do I keep? Notice period, unused content, admin handover. Red flag: a long lock-in with no way out.

How Garnet answers these

Your content is yours and ad accounts stay in your business's name. Every post waits for your OK in Garnet Studio before it goes live. The work is live on public accounts in our portfolio. Engagements start at $1,500 a month, with ad spend paid to the platforms separately. Contract terms: the minimum engagement is six months, because social media takes time and results don't happen overnight. After the six-month minimum, either side can end the engagement with a week or two of notice.

Still comparing? Read how to choose a marketing agency or marketing agency vs freelancer.

Frequently asked questions

What should a marketing agency contract include?

Scope (what's delivered each month), price, who owns accounts and content, how ad spend is billed, reporting, and the notice period to end it.

Is it a red flag if an agency won't share client results?

Not always, since some clients keep numbers private, but the agency should at least be able to link to live work you can see for yourself.