Choosing the right digital marketing vendor can make the difference between steady, compounding growth and months of burned budget with nothing to show for it. As Alex Carter, I want to walk you through how I’d evaluate a partner if I were in your shoes.
Start With Your Goals, Not Their Services
Before you talk to any agency, get specific about what you actually want.
- Define 1–3 primary goals: more leads, more sales, higher-quality traffic, or stronger local visibility.
- Attach numbers and timelines where you can (e.g., “increase qualified leads by 30% in 12 months”).
- Clarify your constraints: budget range, internal bandwidth, tools you already use (CRM, email, analytics).
When you know what success looks like, it becomes much easier to see whether a vendor’s proposal is real strategy or just pretty slides.
Shortlist Vendors Who Actually Fit You
Your goal here is to find a small group (3–5) that could realistically be a long‑term partner.
- Look for industry or adjacent‑industry experience, and ask for case studies that mirror your size and sales cycle.
- Check whether their core strengths match your needs (SEO, paid search, content, email, marketing automation, etc.).
- Review their site for basic transparency: leadership, location, services, real client names, and detailed case studies.
- Read testimonials and third‑party reviews, looking specifically for outcomes like traffic growth, conversion lift, or revenue impact.
A good example: if you’re a regional service business, you want an agency that can show you local SEO, Google Ads, and lead‑gen funnels for similar companies—not just an ecommerce case from five years ago.
Questions to Ask Every Digital Marketing Vendor
Once you’re on a call or demo, treat it like an interview. You’re hiring a growth partner, not ordering a pizza.
Here are key questions (with what you’re listening for):
- “What industries do you have the most experience with, and do you have examples similar to us?” You want concrete stories, not vague “we work with everyone” answers.
- “What are your core specialties, and what do you typically outsource?” This tells you where they’re strong and where you might get a patchwork of freelancers.
- “Walk me through your strategy process for a new client like us.” You should hear about discovery, research, audience work, channel selection, and testing—not “we’ll start posting to social three times a week.”
- “How do you report results, and which metrics will we focus on month to month?” Look for clear KPIs tied to your goals (leads, revenue, ROAS, conversion rate), not just impressions and clicks.
- “What does your onboarding process look like, and how long until we see meaningful data?” A mature vendor will outline steps, timelines, and what they need from you.
- “Who will be on our account and how often will we meet with them?” You want named roles (strategist, account manager, specialists) and a predictable cadence.
If a vendor can’t answer these clearly and confidently, that’s already useful data.
Red Flags That Should Make You Walk Away
The wrong agency doesn’t just waste money; they can damage your brand, your domain, and your ad accounts.
Watch for these warning signs:
- Guaranteed results or “instant rankings” in a fixed timeframe (“We’ll get you to #1 on Google in 30 days”).
- Vague or no reporting, or reluctance to explain where your budget is going.
- Extremely cheap, “too good to be true” pricing with big promises attached.
- No questions about your ideal customer, sales process, or margins—they jump straight to tactics.
- Long, inflexible contracts (12+ months) with no clear performance checkpoints.
- Heavy reliance on tactics that sound shady: buying lists, mass cold email, paid link schemes, AI‑generated content with no editorial control.
A healthy vendor is usually cautious about overpromising and very specific about how they’ll measure progress.
How to Compare Proposals Side by Side
When you have a few proposals, don’t just compare total price. Look at structure, expectations, and alignment with your goals.
Use a simple lens:
- Strategy depth: Is there real research, audience definition, and a roadmap—or just a menu of services?
- Channel mix: Do they explain why they chose each channel (SEO, PPC, email, social) for your situation?
- Resourcing: Do you know who is doing the work, and are they specialists or generalists?
- Measurement: Are they tracking the full funnel (from click to lead to sale) or just top‑of‑funnel metrics?
- Flexibility: Can you adjust scope and spend as you learn what works, or are you locked into a rigid package?
You don’t need the “flashiest” deck; you need the team that understands your business, is honest about the work, and is set up to iterate with you over time.