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6 Signs It’s Time Your Business Should Partner With a Digital Marketing Agency
While in-house marketing has its benefits, an agency may be better suited to your company's evolving needs.
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Many small business owners handle marketing internally, wary of the expense of outsourcing to a digital marketing expert or agency. While this approach may work for a while, you’ll need to up your marketing game eventually. As your business grows, new marketing strategies and opportunities can help generate more sales leads and boost brand awareness.
Knowing when it’s time to bring in outside expertise to help with your marketing plan can be challenging. Below, we’ll outline six signs you may be ready to partner with a digital marketing agency, explore the benefits of working with professionals and share tips for finding the right fit.
Signs you should use a digital marketing agency
Examine the following six signs to determine whether it’s time to bring in expert marketing assistance.
1. Your current marketing strategy isn’t drawing quality leads.
If your business isn’t amassing new leads and customers, the most likely reason is that they haven’t heard of you. People unfamiliar with your products and services are unlikely to stumble upon your business, even if your offerings would be a great fit for their needs.
Generating quality sales leads is crucial for a business’s survival. If your influx of prospects and new customers is slow or nonexistent, your marketing and advertising strategies could probably use help.
Your current ads may be unenticing, or you may not be running ads at all. Maybe you’re not taking advantage of social media marketing strategies that would place your business in front of its target audience. And this struggle is common. According to a 2025 B2B lead generation trends analysis by Reach Marketing, 58 percent of marketers say generating high-quality leads is their biggest challenge.
Whatever the reason for your stagnant customer growth, a marketing agency or expert can help you reach the people most likely to buy your products and services, boosting lead generation and, ultimately, increasing sales.
2. You don’t know much about marketing.
You’re a business owner with unique talents and strengths. If marketing isn’t one of them, that’s OK. It’s standard for businesses to outsource human resources, shipping, customer service and more to free up internal resources. Outsourcing marketing to an expert is a smart strategy when your attention is spent better on other aspects of your business.
Many highly qualified marketing agencies and experts can assist your business with the following strategies:
- Creating a market research plan
- Targeting demographics
- Developing brand awareness campaigns
- Strengthening your company’s reputation
- Using social media marketing
Your professional marketing partners will create strategies to help your business face whatever issues it’s up against. Their insights are invaluable, and you’ll be free to focus on running your company.
3. You’re struggling to define your brand.
Branding matters more than many business owners realize. Think about your shoes, clothing, smartphone or computer. Many everyday purchases are influenced by how clearly a brand communicates what it stands for.
Can you clearly define your business’s brand? If nothing comes to mind immediately, your brand may not be as strong or consistent as it should be. Branding isn’t just about logos or taglines; it plays a central role in whether customers see your business as credible and trustworthy.
According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust is considered established only when a brand scores 60 percent or higher on Edelman’s trust scale — a threshold that’s difficult to reach without a clear, consistent brand identity.
Brand-building marketing agencies, particularly digital marketing specialists, help businesses sharpen and communicate their identity. They work with you to clarify your messaging, strengthen visibility and ensure your brand shows up consistently across channels, making it easier for potential customers to recognize, trust and choose your business.
4. Your marketing budget is lower than you’d like.
A small marketing budget can signal a few things: Marketing may not be a priority, or profits may limit how much you can realistically invest. In either case, a marketing agency can help you make the most of what you have.
Products and services don’t sell themselves. They need visibility, consistent messaging and targeted strategies to reach the right audience. According to the 2025 CMO Spend Survey by Gartner, companies allocate an average of 7.7 percent of their total revenue to marketing, offering a useful benchmark for businesses evaluating whether their current spend is keeping pace.
Marketing agencies can work within budget constraints to stretch marketing dollars further. They often have access to advanced options, including artificial intelligence marketing tools, analytics and platforms that small teams may not be able to support internally. The result is more efficient campaigns, better audience insights and stronger returns without losing sight of compliance or best practices.
Without a clear marketing strategy, growth can stall. Partnering with experienced marketing professionals can help you invest more strategically and improve your chances of long-term success.
5. Your marketing efforts are scattered and disjointed.
Are your social media marketing efforts scattered haphazardly across various platforms? Is your social media presence at odds with how your website portrays your business? If so, your marketing process is badly in need of unification, and a digital marketing agency can quickly get you aligned and focused.
While your business likely needs multiple social media accounts, you probably don’t need to be everywhere. A digital marketing agency can help you focus on the best social platforms for attracting your target audience. For example, if you’re targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha, focusing on TikTok and Instagram — instead of randomly running Facebook Ads and LinkedIn efforts — can help you maximize your marketing spend.
An agency can also ensure your online presence is cohesive across social channels and aligned with your website design and brand messaging. That consistency matters and can have a measurable impact on growth. In Marq’s often-cited State of Brand Consistency research, nearly seven in 10 organizations reported that consistent branding contributed to 10 to 20 percent of their revenue growth. Fragmented branding makes it harder to realize those benefits.
Agencies bring the experience and perspective needed to create a unified marketing strategy based on industry, brand and audience. They can also help refresh your approach if you’re stuck in a creative rut, introducing new ideas while keeping your messaging consistent across channels.
6. You’re having trouble focusing on your business goals.
Even if you have excellent marketing instincts, you’re a business owner who must maintain processes, create new products and services and expand your audience. Implementing and managing a marketing strategy takes valuable personal resources, including time and energy, which may be better served elsewhere. A digital marketing agency can take your ideas and goals and launch them on a path to completion and success — while you focus on running your business and meeting your business goals.
The benefits of partnering with a digital marketing agency
Business owners will find many genuine benefits when working with a digital marketing agency, including the following:
- A marketing agency understands the latest trends: Professional marketers are current on the latest traditional and digital marketing trends. Thanks to frequent algorithm changes, social media platforms and search engines constantly evolve, so digital marketing strategies must also change to stay effective. Your digital marketing agency’s job is to keep abreast of new trends to get you the best results. The agency will understand things like Instagram best practices, running promoted posts on X, holding Facebook Live Q&As and much more.
- A marketing agency brings you a reliable team accountable for your success: A good digital marketer will answer any questions and concerns about your marketing campaign. You may wonder about success metrics and key performance indicators or worry about how to craft campaign messaging. Your marketer will listen to and address your concerns. Additionally, they’ll send detailed reports on each campaign’s success and effectiveness. You can measure your digital marketing ROI to best direct your marketing funds.
- A marketing agency lets you focus on growth: When you hire a digital marketing agency, you can focus on what you do best — growing the company. You’ll free up time and energy to focus on other business areas. Most companies using a digital marketing agency need that extra time to deliver their products and services to a whole batch of new customers generated from new campaigns.
- A marketing agency helps you gain objectivity: A third party will see your business with fresh eyes, bringing objectivity to your marketing plans. Seeing how an outsider views your company’s products or services may be eye-opening. This insight can trickle into other business areas as you develop new products or services that meet consumers’ needs.
- A marketing agency has all the latest tools: Marketing agencies rely on a wide range of professional software and technology to plan, execute and optimize campaigns. They can also select the right tools for your specific goals instead of relying on trial and error. According to Gartner’s 2025 marketing spend research, digital channels now account for 61.1 percent of total marketing spend, highlighting just how technology-driven modern marketing has become. By working with an agency, businesses gain access to these tools and expertise without taking on the added costs of software subscriptions, ongoing updates or staff training.
- A marketing agency will handle staffing: Your agency is in charge of appointing team members to work on your account and can upscale or downscale the team depending on your needs. You won’t have to deal with the ebb and flow of marketing staff.
- A marketing agency works for you: You are ultimately in charge of your marketing, while the agency is responsible for making your vision a reality. Even if you aren’t excellent at marketing strategies, the best digital marketing teams will work with you to generate and execute great ideas.
How to find the right digital marketing agency
Choosing the right outsourcing partner can feel overwhelming. However, following specific steps can ensure you find a trustworthy agency to help you achieve your marketing goals.
Step 1: Create a shortlist of potential digital marketing agencies.
Research top digital marketing agencies online and get recommendations from businesses in your industry. You may prefer a local agency you can meet with in person; however, the nature of digital marketing agencies means you can likely work with one anywhere.
Step 2: Ask detailed questions.
Narrow your candidate list by asking essential questions. Your specific business and industry will generate unique questions, but the following will apply to most businesses:
- How long have you been in business?
- What is unique about your company?
- Have you worked with any clients in my industry?
- Do you currently work with any of my competitors?
- What types of marketing do you specialize in?
- Do you have enough resources to meet our needs?
- How long is onboarding?
- What tools do you use?
- How do you choose who we work with?
- Do you outsource any work, and to whom?
- What content will I be responsible for?
- How frequently do we meet?
- What can I expect to receive each month?
- Do you have a limit on revisions?
- How do you measure ROI?
- How can I contact you, and what is the average response time?
- How do I cancel service with you?
- Do you bill by the hour or by project?
- Can you be put on a monthly retainer, or will you have varying costs?
Step 3: Get and check the top agencies’ references.
Some agencies will emerge as stellar candidates. However, even if you like all their answers, they must provide references to businesses they’ve worked with and projects they’ve completed. Checking their references will help you better understand the marketing agency’s professionalism, values and response time in a crisis.
Ask references the following questions:
- Does the marketing agency consistently communicate campaign ideas?
- Does it convey campaign results promptly?
- Does it share campaign metrics and help clients evaluate the success of its marketing efforts?
- How does the agency handle revisions?
- Are its team members professional and creative?
Additionally, examine campaign examples, such as social media, email and ads, to get a feel for the agency’s work.
Step 4: Finalize your budget.
Hiring a marketing agency can save you significant time and internal resources, but you’ll still need to set clear budget expectations. Monthly retainers for digital marketing agencies commonly range from about $2,500 to $15,000 for small to midsize businesses, depending on the scope of services, industry and agency expertise.
Determine what you’re comfortable investing and whether that aligns with the services your top choice offers. If it doesn’t, you may need to adjust the scope of work or compare pricing from additional agencies.
Step 5: Choose an agency and invest in the relationship.
Choose the digital marketing agency that best aligns with your goals and budget. You should feel positive about the relationship and look forward to working with your outsourced team.
Hiring a marketing agency isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it endeavor. While different business owners will have varying preferences for involvement levels, communication is critical. You must carve out time for consistent communication so you clearly convey your goals and work together to maximize your ROI.
To ensure you maintain a good relationship, consider the following best practices:
- Provide the agency with any requested information or resources, such as logos, branding guidelines and copy, promptly.
- Pay your bills on time.
- Take an active interest in the agency’s work and your marketing endeavors.
- Provide the agency with feedback — both positive and constructive — to ensure your marketing campaigns live up to your expectations.
Build your business with a marketing partner
There’s no guarantee of success in any business. However, improving your marketing and advertising strategies can get your products and services in front of more potential customers, boost sales and increase your chances of success. If marketing isn’t your area of expertise, consult with professionals to create a plan that meets your goals.
Kimberlee Leonard contributed to this article.
