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Have you ever worked with a marketing agency that just didn’t seem to get it? You know, the kind that promises the world but delivers lacklustre results, or the one that doesn’t communicate effectively and leaves you feeling like you’re in the dark? Well, if you’re nodding your head right now, you’re not alone. It’s frustrating to feel like you’re not getting the support you need – especially when it’s in a field you might not truly understand.
As a business owner, you want to know that you’re working with a marketing agency that truly cares about your success and is invested in your growth. That’s why we’ve put together this blog post to help you identify the signs that your agency may be neglecting you. We’ve worked with countless clients over the years and have seen first-hand the tell-tale signs of a marketing agency that just isn’t cutting it. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let’s dive into the eight signs you’re being neglected by your marketing agency.
In this article, you’re going to learn about the eight signs that your marketing agency is neglecting you, which includes:
- You don’t feel like they’re producing results
- You feel like “just another” one of their clients
- You feel kept in the dark
- You face the brunt of their high turnover
- You’re constantly disappointed with late deadlines
- They never push back
- They don’t care about your entire business
- They don’t want to train you
You don’t feel like they’re producing results
You should be able to see clear positive growth and return on investment
Let’s face it – measurable results are the name of the game when it comes to marketing. After all, what’s the point of investing time and money into a marketing agency if they’re not delivering the desired outcomes?
Here are some signs that indicate your marketing agency is not delivering the desired outcomes:
- Lack of leads or sales: One of the most evident indicators that the marketing campaign is not working is a lack of leads or sales over a sustained period of time. The whole point of marketing is to attract new customers and increase sales. If the marketing agency is not achieving this goal, it might be time to reassess their strategies.
- No increase in website traffic: If your website traffic has remained stagnant, despite the marketing efforts of the agency, it is a red flag. Your marketing agency should have the ability to bring in new website visitors through various tactics, such as SEO, PPC, and social media marketing.
- Delivering wish-wash in meetings: your marketing agency should be comfortable discussing the most important metrics and results with you, whether the results are good or bad. Let’s face it, not every month can be a record month but a tendency to shy away from results means you’re not across what’s working or ‘failing fast’ to make the necessary adjustments.
A good agency should be able to provide measurable results that demonstrate the success of your marketing campaigns, and they should have no problem communicating these wins with you. If your agency is not providing these results, it may be time to look for a new one.
Here’s what you can do:
Ask your marketing agency to share with you how their marketing campaigns are having an impact on your sales and revenue, and how they intend to see that impact increase over time. If they have trouble answering this question, it’s a problem.
You feel like “just another” one of their clients
We all want to feel special, right? We want to know that someone is paying attention to us and our unique needs. If you feel like you’re getting a one-size-fits-all approach from your marketing agency, it might be a sign of neglect. A good agency should take the time to get to know your business, your goals, and your target audience to create a tailored marketing plan that fits your specific needs. You should never feel like “just another” one of their clients.
Without personalisation, you might end up with a marketing strategy that misses the mark, fails to connect with your audience, and ultimately wastes your time and money. Here are some signs that your marketing agency is not tailoring its approach to fit your specific needs:
- They use the same cookie-cutter strategy for every client
- They don’t take the time to learn about your business and target audience
- They don’t ask for your input or feedback on the strategy
- They don’t adjust the strategy based on your results or changing business needs
Here’s what you can do
Remember, your marketing agency should be your partner in achieving your business goals. A personalised approach can make all the difference in achieving measurable results and driving success. Don’t settle for a one-size-fits-all approach – demand a personalised strategy that truly fits your business.
You feel kept in the dark
When you’re working with a marketing agency, it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t have to play detective to figure out what they’re doing on your behalf. It’s your business, after all, and you deserve to know what’s going on behind the scenes.
Being kept in the dark can leave you feeling frustrated, confused, and powerless. So don’t be afraid to demand transparency and open communication from your agency. After all, a good agency should be a partner that works with you, not against you.
When working with a marketing agency, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. Without transparency, it’s hard to know if you’re getting the results you’re paying for or if the agency is acting in your best interest.
One of the most significant signs of a lack of transparency is when the agency is not willing to share their methods and strategies with you. A trustworthy marketing agency will be open about the tactics they’re using to promote your brand and how they’re tracking progress. If an agency is hesitant to share this information, it’s a red flag that they may not be acting in your best interest.
Ultimately, transparency is critical in any business relationship, and especially when it comes to marketing. If your agency is not transparent, it’s time to consider finding a new partner who is open, honest, and committed to your success.
You face the brunt of their high turnover
As a client, you want to work with a marketing agency that can provide you with stability and consistency. Now let’s face it, marketing in general has a higher turnover than some industries such as procurement or ops but still, you shouldn’t be subject to a new face every three months.
Higher than average employee turnover rates within a marketing agency can be a significant red flag, as it indicates there may be deeper issues at play. Consistent turnover can result in inconsistency in the quality of work, communication, and strategic direction. When a new employee comes in, they have to get up to speed with your business and marketing needs, which can delay projects and leave you feeling frustrated.
Signs that a marketing agency has a high turnover rate can include frequent personnel changes on your account, and a lack of long-term relationships with clients. While some turnover is inevitable, consistent and significant changes in personnel can be a sign of a deeper problem.
There is a strong correlation of high turnover with cheaper or lower-than-market-rate agencies. As the saying goes, you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
However high turnover might not have anything to do with pay, the agency may have a terrible internal culture. And because a positive workplace culture is correlated with high performance, it’s your best interest to have an agency that takes care of its people well.
Facing the brunt of an agency’s high turnover rates can be frustrating and detrimental to your business.
How can you make sure you aren’t impacted?
At the beginning of your partnership with an agency, it’s crucial for them to have a plan for any unforeseen circumstances that may arise. One of the ways they should do this is by discussing backup options for their service providers. If they don’t mention this during onboarding, it’s a sign that they may not be fully prepared to handle unexpected events.
After all, employees leave companies for various reasons, and illnesses or other personal circumstances can also impact their availability. It’s important for agencies to have a contingency plan in place to ensure that their clients receive a seamless experience, no matter what happens. As a client, you deserve to feel confident that your agency has your back and is ready to adapt to any situation.
You’re constantly disappointed with late deadlines
Have you ever had an agency promise you the world, only to let you down with missed deadlines all the time? It’s frustrating, to say the least. As a client, you rely on your agency to deliver quality work on time, but when deadlines are missed, it can throw a wrench in your plans and make you question the reliability of the agency.
Here are some red flags to watch out for when it comes to a marketing agency not meeting project deadlines:
- No clear timeline: If your agency has not provided a clear timeline for when you can expect deliverables, it’s likely that they may not meet deadlines.
- Repeated delays: If the agency is repeatedly delaying the delivery of work, it’s a sign that they’re not properly managing their workload or resources.
- Lack of communication: If your agency is not communicating regularly about project progress and potential roadblocks, it’s possible they may miss deadlines.
- Shifting priorities: If your agency keeps changing the project scope or priorities, it can create confusion and delay the completion of the work.
- Excuses: If your agency is always providing excuses for why they haven’t met a deadline, it’s a clear indication that they are not taking their commitments seriously.
- Inability to deliver quality work on time: If the agency is delivering subpar work, and it’s causing the work to take longer to complete, it may be a sign that they’re overextending themselves or not dedicating enough resources to your project.
These are just a few of the red flags to keep an eye out for when it comes to missed deadlines. It’s important to work with an agency that takes deadlines seriously and is proactive in communicating potential delays or roadblocks.
They never push back
When you hire a marketing agency, you’re looking for a team of experts who can take your brand to the next level. But you don’t just want a group of yes-men who nod their heads to everything you say. You need an agency that’s not afraid to push back and challenge your ideas. Why?
Because sometimes, the best marketing strategies come from healthy debates and differing viewpoints…AND because your marketing agency are supposed to be the experts. If your agency agrees with everything you say without offering any new insights or constructive criticism, you might not be getting the most value out of your partnership.
If you find that your marketing agency is always saying yes and never questioning your ideas or strategy, it could be a red flag. This lack of pushback could indicate that the agency is not confident in their expertise or that they are more interested in pleasing you than in delivering effective results. On top of that, if your agency is not offering suggestions or recommendations to improve your marketing efforts, it may be a sign that they are not invested in your success or do not have your best interests at heart.
They don’t care about your entire business or other departments e.g. Sales
Let’s be real, you want an agency that’s invested in your entire business, not just the part they’re responsible for. Even if they’re only handling one aspect of your business, like marketing, they should still have a good understanding of your overall goals and how their work fits into the bigger picture – like the sales department.
If they’re only focused on their own deliverables and not interested in the success of your business as a whole, ironically, they don’t really care (or are aware) about what great marketing truly is and how it’s a part of many areas of the business.
A good agency will take the time to learn about your company’s other departments, such as sales, operations and service. They will ask questions that may seem unrelated to their immediate responsibilities, but are necessary to provide a comprehensive solution. This attention to detail is what sets apart the good agencies from the great ones.
If an agency only focuses on the specific area they are responsible for, without showing interest in the rest of your business, that’s a major red flag. They may not understand how their work impacts other aspects of your business or how it aligns with your overall strategy. This could lead to a disjointed approach that fails to produce the desired results.
If your agency isn’t taking the time to understand your entire business, it may be time to reconsider whether they are the right partner for you.
They don’t want to train you
Here’s an important question: Is your marketing agency willing to make itself redundant? Do they truly have your best interests at heart? Think about it, if an agency is truly invested in your success, they understand that once they take you from A to B, to get to C, you need to take marketing in-house.
When you work with a marketing agency, it’s important to make sure they’re not just doing everything for you, but also teaching you along the way. After all, you’re investing in their expertise, so it’s only fair that you get something in return. That’s why a good agency should be willing to train you on how to improve your own marketing efforts. But what if they don’t want to?
That could be a sign that they’re not as invested in your long-term success as they should be. A marketing agency that doesn’t want to train you may be more interested in keeping you dependent on their services. This can result in a lack of progress and growth for your business, as you’re not equipped with the knowledge and skills to make your own marketing decisions. Look out for agencies that don’t offer training or provide only surface-level education that doesn’t help you truly understand their methods.
At RedPandas we offer coaching so that you don’t have to ever hire an agency again. Some clients will always want an external agency or are too small to build their own teams. And that’s ok. What we would argue however, is that to truly take your results to the next stratosphere of growth, you need to empower and train internal marketing teams in-house.
Want to learn more about how this is different to the typical agency model? Check out our article on Typical Digital Marketing Retainers vs They Ask, You Answer Coaching.
So, what’s next?
If you notice any of the above signs, it may be time to re-evaluate your relationship with your marketing agency. Remember, your business deserves a partner who is invested in your success and willing to work with you to achieve your goals. Don’t settle for less than the best. Take action and find an agency that values your business and is committed to helping you thrive.
