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So, you’re feeling like your marketing agency doesn’t have your best interest at heart, but you’re just not completely sure? In this article, you’ll learn about the signs that it may be time to fire your marketing agency and if it is time, you’ll learn just how you can do that. Obviously, we’re a marketing agency ourselves, so it might sound weird for us to write an article like this, but we’re going to do it anyways because we’re just that confident in ourselves. By the end of this article, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and tools you need to make an informed decision about whether it’s time to move on from your current marketing agency.
- Sign #1: Your culture and values doesn’t line up with theirs
- Sign #2: They keep missing deadlines
- Sign #3: You haven’t seen sales in 6 months
- Sign #4: The content produced doesn’t sound like your brand
- Sign #5: Your agency team has high turnover
- How do you fire your agency?
- After the breakup, should you outsource marketing again?
Sign #1: Incompatible culture and values
You know when everything’s going right, but it just doesn’t feel right to you? Sometimes you might find that your agency does great work, and yet, there can be a major disconnect between the culture and values of the agency and your business. This ultimately leads to tension and conflict, creating challenges in achieving marketing success and impacting the working relationship between yourself and your agency.
Imagine if your agency is focused on using edgy or controversial marketing tactics, while you value a more conservative approach. Or if your agency prioritises quick wins and short-term gains, while you’re in it for the long haul.
In some cases, these cultural differences can be bridged through a psychologically safe conversation and a willingness to compromise. However, if the tension and conflict persist and are hindering the success of the marketing and sales efforts, it may be time for you to consider parting ways with your agency.
Sign #2: They keep missing deadlines
You’re paying for a team to focus on doing everything they can to help your business grow. So, when they miss deadlines and can’t seem to communicate to you openly and honestly, it just makes you feel like you aren’t their priority.
A good agency (and one that cares about you) should be able to plan, execute, and deliver campaigns on time, consistently. And, if they do have a hiccup (which happens from time to time, since we’re all human), they’re able to communicate this to you openly, honestly and put in parameters to avoid it happening again.
However, if your agency has a history of missed deadlines, it can create a ripple effect that can cause a cascade of problems for your business. The issue of missed deadlines can range from a simple delay in the submission of an article to missing the launch date of an entire marketing campaign.
At the end of the day, you should want to work with an agency that cares about you, and if they’re consistently missing deadlines or miscommunicating with you, then it’s probably time to let them go.
Sign #3: You Haven’t Seen Sales in 6 Months
f you’ve hired a marketing agency, then that means you want to make more money. It’s as simple as that. So, if your agency isn’t making you more money, when should you worry?
The answer is if you haven’t seen an increase in sales in 6 months, then it’s probably time to let go of your marketing agency.
Your marketing agency might assure you that it’s going to take more time to get results and they might point out some of the positive increase in numbers in your business (such as traffic and leads), but let’s be clear, even if other numbers are climbing, if sales aren’t increasing, then something is afoot.
Sign #4: The content produced doesn’t sound like your brand
Have you ever read content produced by your marketing agency and thought to yourself, “This doesn’t sound like us at all”? Trust me, I understand – nothing is more frustrating than when the content doesn’t represent your brand or resonate with your target audience.
One of the keys to effective content marketing is creating content that speaks to your audience and accurately represents your brand. A good agency should take the time to understand your brand’s values, voice, and personality, and ensure that all content produced aligns with those elements.
However, if you find that the content being produced doesn’t match your brand or is not resonating with your target audience, it may be a sign that your agency is not a good fit. You need an agency that understands your brand and can create content that represents your business. Don’t be afraid to provide feedback and collaborate with your agency to ensure that your content aligns with your brand’s values and voice. If your agency can’t get it right, it may be time to start looking for a new partner.
Sign #5: Your agency has high turnover
A high turnover rate at your agency is not a good sign. You don’t want to work with an agency where the talent on your project is constantly changing. If your account is regularly changing hands it’s likely the agency is not as stable as you would like, and you’re probably not getting the best result you could get.
Imagine if you started renovating your home, and every month, you switched to a new part in your home. You wouldn’t have the time to get truly acquainted with getting the first part right, and you’d never get anything done. If your agency has high turnover rates, this means that they never have a chance to get a key team members acquainted with your business, so the work will never be as high quality as it could be.
But how do you tell if your agency has high turnover rates? Well, if you find yourself or your team working with different team members from your agency every couple of months, then they probably have a high turnover rate.
How do you fire your agency?
Now that you’ve decided it’s time to part ways with your marketing agency, the question is: how do you do it? It can be tough to navigate, especially if you’ve had a long-standing relationship with your agency. But the reality is, if you’re not seeing the results you need, and you’ve had open conversations with them, then it’s time to cut ties and move on. Here’s how you can do just that.
1. Review your current contract and follow its conditions
It’s important to know the terms of your separation, how much notice you need to provide, and the rest of the conditions you’ve agreed to.
2. Have your decision makers make the announcement
It’s important to be direct and honest about why you’re ending the relationship. You should make sure that your decision makers are clear on what exactly to say to your agency. Sure, it didn’t work out, but you should have the mutual respect to be honest with your agency when firing them.
3. Plan when and how to end current projects
Make sure you have a plan in place for the transition, so that your marketing efforts don’t suffer in the interim. You’ll want to plan when and how to end current projects, and how the handover from your agency to your own team will work. Who is going to be doing the work now? How long will it take to get the next person working on this? Who will do the work while you get the next person or team ready to take over? These are all important questions that you should answer before you fire your agency.
4. Get all files and processes
Get your agency to gather and send any files and processes they used during your time together. If you have access to a tool, like OneDrive or Google Docs, make sure you ask how long you’ll have access to this so you know how long you have to take all of your files off the system.
5. Get admin access to all company accounts and remove agency from all accounts
Make sure you get admin access to all of your accounts before your agency leaves. Too often than not, I’ve seen businesses leave their agency and then have trouble accessing what they need to because they weren’t given the correct access before the breakup. Make sure you get admin access to everything before they leave, and once they do leave, remove them from all of your accounts.
Remember, firing your agency can be tough, but it’s important to prioritise your business goals and find an agency that can help you achieve them.
After the breakup, should you outsource your marketing again?
Breaking up with your marketing agency is not an easy decision, but sometimes it’s necessary. Once you’ve decided to end the relationship, you might be wondering what to do next. Should you outsource your marketing again?
The answer depends on your unique situation. Take some time to evaluate your experience with your previous agency and identify what went wrong. Was it a matter of incompatible culture and values? Did they consistently miss deadlines and communicate poorly? Did you fail to see the results you were hoping for? Did their content not align with your brand? Were they experiencing high turnover rates?
Once you’ve identified the issue, you can determine if outsourcing your marketing again is the right choice. If the issue was specific to the previous agency, such as poor communication or missed deadlines, it might be worth considering outsourcing to a different agency. However, if the issue was more systemic, such as a lack of results, it might be worth reconsidering your marketing strategy altogether.
One alternative to outsourcing your marketing is building an internal marketing team. This allows you to have more control over the process and align your marketing efforts more closely with your business objectives. At RedPandas, we’ve found that clients who insource their marketing can have far better results than those that outsource. However, building an internal team can be costly and time-consuming, and may not be feasible for all businesses. If you want to know the differences between building an internal team vs outsourcing, check out this article.
Ultimately, the decision to outsource your marketing again or build an internal team depends on your business goals and resources. Take some time to reflect on your experience with your previous agency and evaluate your options moving forward. Remember, the most important thing is to choose a strategy that will help you achieve your business goals and build a strong, sustainable brand.
I want to build an internal marketing team
If you want to insource your marketing, then you might want to consider ‘They Ask, You Answer’ (TAYA) Coaching. At RedPandas, we coach businesses on how to implement the TAYA system to generate more traffic, leads and sales, and we help them build their own internal team so that they never need a marketing agency again. If you’re interested in building your own internal team and implementing TAYA to increase your revenue, read these three articles, and then get in contact with us below:
- Who is TAYA Right for?
- The Cost of a TAYA Partner
- What Can You Expect in a TAYA Coaching Program?
- Get in Contact With Us
I want to outsource my marketing
If you want to outsource and are interested in working with us, check out some of the services we offer below:
