What to Know Before Working with a Marketing Agency

Not to state the obvious, but running a business is hard. And when you’re a solo business owner (or one with a small team), doing every single job to the highest standard may seem impossible. Spoiler alert: it is. 
 Running a business isn’t just about showing up and planting a sign in the ground. You’re expected to build a brand, maintain an online presence, and somehow find time to actually do the work that keeps your doors open. Managing everything from social posts to paid ads to making sure your website doesn’t look like it was built in 2008? That’s a full-time job in itself.  
 
Stressed just thinking about doing all that alone? That’s where a marketing agency comes in. We move those mountains so you can focus on running your business. So, what is a marketing agency? And what do you need to know before working with one? Read on.

What is a Marketing Agency?

Without using more metaphorical mountain-moving language, a marketing agency is a group of people you can hire to manage everything related to spreading the word about your business. This involves advertising, branding, content creation, search engine optimization, and much more. However, a marketing agency is more than just a group of people with Adobe apps and Google Ads access.  
 
Think of a marketing agency as a mad scientist, detective, artist, and analyst—all in one. They act as your business’s strategic partner, helping you understand your audience, craft your message, and deliver it to the right people at the right time. Whether it’s building a cohesive brand from the ground up or super-charging your existing efforts, agencies are built to bring structure, strategy, and creativity to your marketing goals. 
 
Some agencies specialize in one or two areas, like digital advertising or web design, while others (like us—hello) offer a full-service experience that spans everything from digital marketing and graphic design to web development and analytics. It all depends on your needs, your goals, and your budget. 
 
Now that you have a better understanding of what a marketing agency is, here’s what to know before working with one.

What to Know Before Working with a Marketing Agency

1) Your goals, values, and ideas will be the first building block.

You might not have a grandiose 5-year plan laid out for your business. You might not even have a mission statement. But what you do need to have before working with an agency is an idea of what’s important to you and where you want to go with your business. Simply telling an agency what you do or what you sell isn’t enough. Agencies need to know the motivation that lies at the core of your business. What are you providing? What problems are you hoping to solve through your products or services? Who are you trying to target? In what areas do you want your business to grow? These are just a few questions to consider before meeting with an agency. And it’s likely that they’ll ask you even more, so be prepared to share.

2) These people are professionals.

While there are always a few outliers in any industry, most marketing professionals are in this field because they’re passionate, creative, and seriously good at what they do. Many have formal training, real-world experience, or both—and they’ve spent a lot of time staying current on marketing trends so you don’t have to. 
  
When you work with an agency, you're not handing over control—you’re gaining a partner. Your voice and vision still matter (a lot), but trusting the agency’s recommendations means you’re open to letting their expertise guide the strategy. Behind every idea is research, data, and experience—not a wild guess. 
  
And here’s a gentle reminder: if you’ve hired an agency, it’s probably because marketing isn’t your favorite task or your top priority, and that’s okay! Lean into the reason you reached out in the first place: so someone else can take the reins and help your business grow while you focus on what you do best.

3) It's an investment.

If you're looking for someone to whip up a logo overnight or build a “quick” website, a full-service agency might not be the right fit for your business. Agencies aren’t really in the business of one-and-done tasks—they’re built for strategy, collaboration, and long-term growth. That means offering thoughtful marketing plans, cohesive branding packages, fully developed websites, ongoing content strategies, and everything in between (depending on what you’re paying for). 
  
When you work with an agency, you’re typically choosing a package of services tailored to your goals. Whether that’s just social media or the full marketing mix, you’re investing in a team of experts working together to make your business shine. 
  
That said, if your project is smaller in scale or you just need a little creative assistance, hiring a freelancer could be a better (and more budget-friendly) option. No shade—it all depends on what you need and what you’re ready to invest in. Just know that with an agency, you're not just buying a deliverable. You're investing in a partnership that brings strategy, experience, and results to the table.

4) You’re not handing it off—you’re teaming up.

Hiring a marketing agency doesn’t mean you disappear into the ether while they transform your brand behind the curtain. Yes, an agency can handle the heavy lifting, but they’ll need your input along the way to keep things moving in the right direction. 
  
That means carving out time to review deliverables, share your thoughts, hop on a few calls, and provide guidance on what feels aligned (and what doesn’t). Agencies thrive on collaboration—it’s how they ensure their work actually reflects your business, your voice, and your goals. 
  
Being responsive and engaged helps you get the most out of your investment. If communication stalls, things can easily veer off course—or worse, stall out completely. So, stay present. Ask questions. Speak up. At the end of the day, everyone on the agency side is working toward the same thing: helping your business grow, thrive, and reach the right people.

5) Results take time and testing.

Though agencies may seem like magicians at times, not everything can be done with the wave of a magic wand. And when you have big ideas and an eagerness to see them come to life, we understand that waiting can feel like torture. But, as the wise old poets say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Hard pill to swallow? We get it. But think about it like a garden: you can’t plant a seed and sow the crop the next morning. Good things take time, and working with an agency follows the same principle. 
 
Successful campaigns are built on strategy, experimentation, and refinement. Agencies test what works, gather real-time data, and optimize accordingly. So, if you don’t see a flood of leads after the first week, don’t panic. 
  
Trust the process. Consistent communication and strategic adjustments are part of the game plan. With time, you’ll begin to see how thoughtful marketing builds momentum—and drives lasting results.

The Agile Agency Approach

In addition to being a full-service marketing agency and your one-stop shop for all things brand-building, we also like to think of Palo Creative as an agile agency. This means we’re constantly evolving our strategies and adapting to change. When the industry throws us a “sink or swim” moment, we don’t just swim—we freestyle. 
 
These days, businesses want to hit the ground running. We know the feeling—sometimes you don’t have six months to hunker down in planning mode before making your first move. That’s where our agile, growth-driven approach comes in. Agility is about how quickly we start, not how instantly results happen. Remember what we said about Rome not being built in a day? Patience is about understanding that impactful results take time, even when momentum builds quickly. 
 
We’re not promising overnight wins. But we are promising that you don’t have to wait forever to get things moving. Instead of locking every client into a massive, fixed-scope project from day one, we often start with a first-phase plan—something that gets results in motion right away. Then, we build from there. Want to layer on email campaigns, paid ads, or video down the road? Perfect. Need to pause and double down on branding or SEO for a quarter? We can do that, too. Flexibility is the name of the game, and our model is designed to pivot and grow as your business does. 
  
So, if you value adaptability, collaboration, and a team that keeps up with the pace of your industry, let’s talk. But if you’re looking for slow-moving processes, outdated strategies, and rigid roadmaps... well, just know your competition probably isn’t.