Hiring a marketing agency is a big decision, and let’s be honest—it doesn’t always go well. If you’ve worked with agencies before, you might have run into one (or more) of these issues:
- They overpromise and underdeliver, leaving you with missed expectations.
- They bog you down with strategy calls and presentations but never actually execute.
- They don’t take the time to understand your business, forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.
- You’re three months in, and you’re still wondering, What am I actually getting from this?
These aren’t just frustrations—they’re the reason so many agency-client relationships end prematurely. Research suggests that the average marketing agency contract lasts just three months.
But to see real success, you need a strategy that plays out over a year or more.
So how do you break the cycle? How do you ensure your agency partnership delivers meaningful results instead of becoming just another short-lived engagement? Let’s dive into what makes for a truly successful agency relationship (and how we approach things at RevenueZen).
The Right Agency Fit: What to Look For Before You Sign
If you’ve been burned by agencies before, you know that choosing the right partner isn’t just about flashy case studies or impressive sales pitches. It’s about finding an agency that fits your needs, understands your market, and operates with a methodology that aligns with your business goals. SEO matters. A lot. 89% of B2B buyers use the internet to gather information about potential purchases.
Questions to Ask When Evaluating an Agency:
- Do they specialize in what I need? Some agencies focus on SEO, others on paid ads, social media, or branding. Make sure their core expertise aligns with your business needs.
- What’s their approach to strategy and execution? Do they just provide recommendations, or do they execute and iterate?
- What’s their onboarding process like? Are they taking the time to understand your business, audience, and competitors before making recommendations?
- How do they measure success? Are they focused on vanity metrics (traffic, rankings) or business outcomes (leads, revenue, market positioning)?
- Do they prioritize long-term results over quick wins? A sustainable strategy takes time—be wary of agencies promising immediate results.
- What do other clients say about their experience? Testimonials and case studies can provide insight, but real client conversations will reveal how they work day-to-day.
On the Topic of Onboarding: It Matters A Lot
Most agencies do a quick kickoff call and dive into work immediately. We don’t. Instead, we take a meticulous approach to onboarding, ensuring that every step is intentional and aligned with long-term success.
Our process begins with a deep dive into analytics, competitive analysis, and content audits to establish a strong foundation. We take the time to understand your business inside and out—your competitors, your unique value proposition, and how your buyers think.
This means our onboarding typically lasts a month or more, giving us the insights we need to craft a strategy that drives sustainable growth. We’re not in a rush to push out quick fixes; we’re here to create an SEO and content strategy that actually moves the needle over time.
Our onboarding process is deep and thorough—it’s the foundation for success. This is what it looks like at a minimum:
- Analytics & tracking setup—Ensuring Google Analytics, Search Console, and other tracking tools are properly configured.
- Competitor research—Understanding how you compare and where we can gain an edge.
- Content audit & keyword research—Finding hidden opportunities for ranking and traffic growth.
- Customer research deep dives—Talking to your sales and success teams to understand what actually drives conversions.
- Core pages built first—We start with bottom-of-funnel, high-converting pages to generate early wins
We’re not just here to make your KPIs look good—we’re here to drive real business impact. SEO and content marketing aren’t just levers to pull; they’re long-term investments that should meaningfully move the needle for your business. That’s why we start by making sure our north star is dialed in. Before we create a single piece of content or optimize a single page, we take the time to align on strategy—so that every effort is pushing toward real growth, not just vanity metrics.
Your involvement in onboarding is a huge part of that!
We bring expertise in organic growth, but no one knows your business better than you. The more we understand your market, messaging, and sales motion, the better we can tailor our approach to drive the right kind of traffic—the kind that actually converts.
That’s why we guide you through a structured onboarding process, ensuring we capture the insights we need to build a strategy that fits your business, not just best practices.
That being said, we’re not here to slow things down. We believe in momentum, and our onboarding process is designed to move fast—typically wrapping up in 30-45 days. That way, we can get into execution mode quickly and start making an impact as soon as possible.
How to Set Your Agency Up for Success
Once you’ve chosen an agency, the next step is making sure you get the most out of the partnership. A successful engagement is a two-way street—working with a marketing agency can only be as effective as the level of collaboration and trust you build together.
What You Can Do to Make the Relationship Work:
- Be clear on your goals. Your agency needs to understand what success looks like for you. Define your key business objectives up front.
- Trust their expertise. If you’ve chosen a strong partner, lean into their recommendations rather than micromanaging every step.
- Commit to the process. Long-term strategies like SEO and content marketing require time—don’t expect overnight success.
- Limit decision-by-committee. Too many stakeholders reviewing every deliverable can slow down progress and water down impact.
- Ensure leadership buy-in. If your executives don’t support content marketing, SEO, or demand generation, the efforts will stall.
- Give timely feedback. If something isn’t working, communicate it early so adjustments can be made.
What to Expect From a Strong Agency Partner:
- They take the time to understand your business. A good agency doesn’t jump straight into execution—they onboard thoroughly and develop a deep understanding of your company.
- They set realistic expectations. Beware of agencies promising rapid results—sustainable growth takes time and effort.
- They operate transparently. They should provide clear deliverables, regular updates, and honest insights into performance.
- They focus on impact, not just activity. Reporting should tie directly to business outcomes, not just keyword rankings or pageviews.
- They proactively adjust strategy. A strong agency stays ahead of trends, adapts to changes, and refines the strategy to maximize results.
What Matters During Ongoing Growth?
A Deliverable-Based Approach
We believe that marketing needs to actually happen—not just be planned. That’s why our work is centered on deliverables:
- Content creation (blogs, white papers, guides, case studies)
- SEO optimizations (technical fixes, keyword targeting, metadata updates)
- Link building and authority-building efforts
Transparency in Performance Measurement
SEO and content marketing aren’t about ranking for random keywords just to look good in a report. Every action should be tied to a business goal, whether it works the first time or requires iterations.
Whether it’s increasing qualified leads, improving conversion rates, or expanding market share, it’s important to have clear KPIs and track against them. For us, we like to measure impact in a way that actually matters:
- Are we increasing qualified traffic?
- Are we generating more leads and revenue?
- Are we building long-term organic growth that compounds over time?
How to Prioritize SEO & Content Strategy
- SEO is about capturing new qualified leads—not just keywords or clicks.
- SEO is an ongoing process—not a one-and-done effort.
- Quality beats quantity—A few high-quality inbound leads are more valuable than large numbers of unqualified leads.
- Right to Own—Focus on topics where you have the best chance of ranking and converting.
- BOFU & MOFU Focus—Prioritize bottom- and middle-of-funnel content to generate leads faster.
- Building Topical Authority—Ranking well for competitive terms requires covering foundational and adjacent topics to establish credibility.
- Publishing consistency matters—You should aim to reach 100 high-quality content pieces as quickly as possible.
What’s Ongoing Work Like?
Once onboarding is complete, it’s important to transition into a phase of ongoing execution and optimization, ensuring that the strategies are consistently aligned with business growth. This stage is important to refine the approach, doubling down on what’s working and pivoting when needed to maximize impact.
( If you work with us, you’ll probably hear a little bit less from us during this phase, but we’re working diligently behind the scenes to execute on your strategy.)
- Monthly meetings—Deep dives into performance, strategy adjustments, and planning. Every month, we review your pipeline to make sure we’re driving the right kind of traffic—the kind that actually turns into revenue.
- Slack access—An agency should be available for quick questions, discussions, and insights whenever you need us.
- Content production—From blog posts to high-value resources, we create and optimize content that ranks. And because good marketing doesn’t happen in a vacuum, we use data (and a hefty dose of experience) to make smart recommendations across your other channels, too.
- SEO advisory—Algorithm changes? New trends? We keep you ahead of the curve.
- Link building—Building authority the right way with ethical, high-quality backlinks.
- Quarterly strategy reviews—Big-picture check-ins to ensure alignment with your business initiatives. Your business isn’t static, and neither is our strategy. If priorities shift, we pivot to keep everything aligned with your goals.
Is an Agency the Right Move for You?
Not every company is a good fit for an agency partnership. Before you commit, ask yourself:
- Do we have the internal resources to execute marketing ourselves, or do we need outside expertise?
- Are we looking for a long-term partner, or just a short-term fix?
- Are we willing to trust the agency’s process and expertise, or do we need full control over every step?
- Do we have the patience and budget for a long-term investment, or are we looking for immediate results?
If you’re ready to invest in a sustainable marketing strategy and work collaboratively with an expert team, the right agency partnership can be a game-changer for your business.
Final Thoughts on Working With a Marketing Agency
Agency relationships don’t have to be frustrating, inefficient, or short-lived. By selecting the right partner, setting clear expectations, and committing to a long-term strategy, you can build a successful agency partnership that drives real business impact.
If you’re at the stage where you’re considering agency support, take the time to vet potential partners carefully. The right fit can help you unlock new levels of growth—without the cycle of wasted time and frustration.
