Avoid runarounds, bait and switch, working with “green” contractors who have never run their own businesses… you’re not a big corporation… get an agency that *fits* you as you grow! Here’s what happens a LOT with marketing agencies out there.
Section 1: The Bait & Switch Red Flags
❌ “You’ll meet the senior person once, then never see them again”
- Big agencies: VP sells you, junior account manager delivers
- ✅ What to look for: “Will I work directly with the person I’m meeting today?”
❌ “Your strategist has never run a business”
- Most agency folks are career marketers, not operators
- ✅ What to look for: “Have you personally built, owned, or scaled a business?” (They’ll understand revenue pressure, cash flow, real ROI)
❌ “Your work gets outsourced overseas”
- Cheaper labor = lower quality, communication gaps, timezone hell
- ✅ What to look for: “Is all work done in-house by your core team?”
❌ “They’re phoning it in for the retainer”
- You’re client #47. They don’t lose sleep over your growth.
- ✅ What to look for: Passion signals — do they get excited about YOUR business, or just recite generic strategies?
❌ “Cookie-cutter proposals with your logo slapped on”
- Same strategy for a SaaS company and a plumber
- ✅ What to look for: “Can you show me custom strategies you’ve built for businesses like mine?”
Section 2: The Make-or-Break Questions
Q1: “Who will actually do the work?”
- Get names, learn about their expertise, research them online
Q2: “Have you run a business yourself?”
- Operators understand urgency, trade-offs, and what “ROI” really means
Q3: “Where is your team located?”
- Remote is fine. Offshore execution factories? Red flag.
Q4: “How do you optimize and improve campaigns over time?“
- They should have a clear process for ongoing optimization, not just “set it and forget it”
Q5: “Will you own my data and accounts?”
- Nope. You should own your ad accounts, analytics, CRM data, etc. Many agencies keep your ads data and pay the bill themselves for the credit card points and then take it all when you leave them. With us, you own and are the primary owner of ALL of your accounts.
Section 3: What You Should Actually Pay
Realistic Pricing (2026 benchmarks):
- Big Agency: $5K-15K/mo (overhead, layers, prestige tax)
- Boutique Agency (like Faceted): $3K-8K/mo (lean, expert-led)
- Freelancer: $1K-4K/mo (great for single-channel, risky for scale)
Watch out for:
- Setup fees that should be included
- “Strategy fees” that are just onboarding
- Per-platform upcharges (if they claim to be full-service)
Retainer vs. Project:
- Retainer = ongoing optimization (best for paid ads, SEO, content)
- Project = one-time buildout (website, brand refresh, funnel setup)
Section 4: The Decision Framework
Score potential agencies on this:
Table
| Criteria | Big Agency | Boutique (You?) | Freelancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work with senior people | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Operator experience | ❌ | ✅ | 🟡 |
| In-house team (US/local) | 🟡 | ✅ | ✅ |
| Actually care about results | 🟡 | ✅ | ✅ |
| Custom strategies | 🟡 | ✅ | ✅ |
| Scalable systems | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Best for: | Enterprise | Growth-stage | Single-channel |
When to choose what:
- DIY: You’re pre-revenue, under $10K/mo, or just testing
- Freelancer: You need one thing done well (ads OR content OR SEO) (check out our a la carte shop!)
- Fractional CMO/Boutique agency: You want strategic growth without big agency BS (book a consult with Faceted Media here)
- Big agency: You’re at $5M+ revenue and need a full department (ask us for a referral!)