What to Ask Your Marketing Agency (If You Actually Want the Truth)

If you’ve ever read a marketing report and thought,

“Looks fancy… but is it actually doing anything?”
You’re not alone.

A lot of successful business owners—people who know their product inside and out—feel totally in the dark when it comes to marketing. Not because they’re not smart, but because the industry is really good at looking impressive while avoiding direct answers.

And that’s a problem. Because when you’re spending hundreds or thousands a month on ads, content, or SEO, you deserve to know what’s actually happening with your money.

So if you’re working with a marketing agency or freelancer, it’s time to stop nodding at vague metrics and start asking better questions.

Here are 7 simple, powerful questions that cut through the fluff and help you hold your team accountable—without being a jerk or needing a marketing degree.

1. “What was the goal of this campaign?”

This seems basic, but you’d be surprised how many campaigns run without a clear objective.

Are we trying to get leads?
Are we trying to build awareness?
Are we driving actual sales?

If your agency can’t answer this in a sentence or two, that’s a red flag. Because if they don’t know the goal, how can you measure success?

2. “How are we tracking results?”

This one tells you if they’re guessing or measuring.

Every campaign should have clear tracking in place—whether it’s through:

• Google Analytics
• UTM links
• CRM data
• Facebook Pixel or Conversion API
• Lead forms tied to a CRM

If the answer sounds like, “We’re seeing good engagement,” push further. Engagement is nice. Results are better.

3. “What’s our cost per result?”

This is the money question (literally).

Whether it’s cost per lead, cost per sale, or cost per booked call, this metric tells you exactly how much it takes to get a real business outcome from your marketing.

Example:
If you spent $1,000 and got 20 leads, your cost per lead is $50.
Now you can ask: Was that worth it for us?

4. “What’s working—and what’s not?”

This is where honesty matters.

A great marketing partner doesn’t just tell you what’s going well. They say:

“This ad tanked.”
“Our email open rates dropped.”
“The last blog post didn’t drive any traffic.”

Why is this important? Because failure is part of the process. The real value comes from testing, learning, and improving. If everything always looks perfect, it probably isn’t.

5. “What are we doing differently this month based on last month’s results?”

This is how you tell if your marketing is evolving—or stuck on autopilot.

Good marketing is dynamic. It adapts. It tests new messaging. It changes direction if something’s not working.

You don’t need them to reinvent the wheel every 30 days—but you do want to know they’re paying attention and improving over time.

6. “How does this campaign tie into our business goals?”

Sometimes agencies get so focused on marketing goals (clicks, impressions, reach) that they forget the bigger picture: your actual business goals.

Are we trying to book more appointments?
Sell out an event?
Grow monthly subscribers?
Boost Q4 revenue?

Ask how the marketing strategy ladders up to those bigger outcomes. It’ll force alignment—and better communication.

7. “Can you show me a simple summary—on one page?”

If your agency sends you 12-slide decks every month, ask for a one-page summary instead.

On that page, you should see:

• Goal
• Spend
• Key results (leads/sales)
• Cost per result
• Key insight or recommendation

You’re the business owner. You don’t need every detail—but you deserve a clear view of what’s going on.

🎯Final Thought

You don’t need to become a marketing expert to be a great business owner. But you do need to understand just enough to ask smart questions and make good decisions.

These 7 questions aren’t confrontational—they’re just common sense. And any agency worth working with will appreciate them.

So the next time you get a shiny report filled with likes, impressions, and “positive trends,” pause and ask:

“Cool… but what did we actually get from it?”

That one question could save you thousands—and help your business grow smarter, not just louder.

Need Help Holding Your Team Accountable?

If you’re unsure what your agency is really doing—or you just want a second opinion—I offer one-time audits that break down your strategy in plain English.

📅 [Book a No-Fluff Marketing Review Call]
Let’s make sure your money is working as hard as you are.