WMG – Professional Blog

Businesses in modern markets are expected to maintain a robust marketing and advertising strategy to develop new business and build on their existing customer base. These expectations come from increased competitive pressures, since the digital age has enabled the broader reach of traditionally local or regional businesses. Potential customers and clients head to the internet to begin their search when a need arises, and a strong digital presence is necessary for customer acquisition.

Building and maintaining a digital presence in today’s world requires that businesses understand search engine optimization (SEO), website building and hosting, maintenance, digital advertising, social media strategy, content creation, and online lead generation or funnel building. Besides a digital presence, which is essential, in-person marketing efforts are also necessary. In-person marketing efforts can include flyer and door hanger printing, business cards, t-shirts, other promotional merchandise, newspaper and magazine advertisements, or running a booth at a tradeshow on the weekends. This multi-channel approach for getting in front of prospective customers and increasing brand penetration with target markets requires time and expertise.

Whether an entrepreneur begins their business with marketing experience or not, the time required to execute a well-designed marketing strategy is a significant constraint. An entrepreneur cannot dedicate all their time to marketing because they must also focus on operations, production, cash flow management, accounting, and the numerous other aspects of running a business. In fact, nearly half of American small business owners run marketing entirely on their own and often spend less than two hours a week on it. At the same time, those with dedicated marketing staff frequently have small, overburdened teams doing the work of far more people. Therefore, a prudent choice for a small business owner is to outsource marketing to a professional firm (Dishman, 2025).

A professional marketing firm has the expertise and bandwidth to build and execute a comprehensive marketing strategy. They also know what does not work in various industries and markets, so the expensive mistakes that may come from inexperience are less likely to be made. Agencies have built deep expertise in their teams, across industries and marketing channels, understanding what works, what does not, and how to optimize campaigns. That expertise helps businesses avoid costly mistakes. Businesses that use professional marketing firms can also gain professional expertise for their organization without employing a full-time employee or staff. With hiring comes the cost of benefits, salaries, overhead, and training. It is also difficult to find one person who possesses all the skills required to execute a comprehensive marketing strategy, which would likely require that person to outsource some tasks anyway. Onboarding with a marketing firm may provide a high degree of service for a lower cost than trying to do everything in-house (Fresh Success Marketing Group, 2025; Intouch Marketing, 2024).

When choosing a professional marketing agency, an entrepreneur must understand what success looks like to them and what problem needs to be solved through contracting with a firm. Before contacting any agency, a clear definition of the business problem being solved and what a successful outcome looks like is essential. Success should be defined with measurable criteria, such as a revenue target or market penetration goal, which can guide the entire selection process. It may be helpful to develop quantifiable goals for the dollar value of leads generated, revenue generated, the number of digital or social impressions, or the rate of market penetration. Going to an agency with a list of targets for achievement will help the marketing firm understand the areas in which it can help an entrepreneur. It is also worthwhile to align any internal stakeholders on the decision before beginning the search. Management, finance, and any existing vendors or partners should understand the scope of what is being outsourced and the roles they will play going forward, since failure to align internal partners is cited as the single biggest cause of the selection process breaking down (TrinityP3, 2026).

Building a shortlist of three to five agencies is a reasonable starting point for the search. Professional organizations like the Small Business Administration and SCORE are great sources for referrals, and entrepreneurs should not limit their search geographically, given how common remote agency work has become. Verified review platforms like Clutch or G2 are also helpful for finding credible candidates. Vetting marketing agencies through their digital presence will also help. Looking at examples of their work, the typical industries and types of businesses they service, and any reviews or online recommendations can help validate and vet firms before an entrepreneur reaches out to them (Dishman, 2025).

To decide on which marketing firm to partner with, an entrepreneur should focus on the results an agency has delivered for its clients. Criteria to evaluate include real documented results, specialization in the services needed, and transparent pricing tied to outcomes. How quickly and clearly an agency responds during the sales process is also a reliable preview of what working together will feel like. If the company responds slowly and with vague answers, then that may be indicative of how the professional relationship will unfold. Fee structures should be reviewed carefully as well. A good proposal from a reputable marketing firm should have clear pricing so a business can budget for the expense. Besides the precursors detailed above, once in conversation with a marketing firm, an entrepreneur should ensure that the agency’s communication style and the firm’s culture align with their core values. By exercising due diligence and proactivity, an entrepreneur can find a marketing firm that will be a great partner for their business (Innis Maggiore, 2025; MTHD Marketing, 2026; NoGood, 2025).

Typical expected outcomes from working with a marketing agency include measurable lead generation that contributes to revenue growth. Research has shown that outsourcing marketing to a professional agency can result in more leads generated and a higher lead conversion rate than businesses that manage all marketing efforts in-house. A marketing strategy and paying a marketing firm to execute it are only worth it if the business improves or value increases; if the agency’s work is not contributing to the bottom line, something needs to change. For professional services businesses, a reasonable target return on marketing investment typically falls between three-to-one and five-to-one, though this varies by channel and industry. It is reasonable to expect increased social presence and impressions, better brand cohesiveness and messaging, more professional posts, ads, websites, and flyers. However, setting expectations up front with the marketing firm about when targets will be achieved, or when it is reasonable for the investment to start paying off, can help guide an entrepreneur in evaluating the partnership and whether it is bearing fruit. When signing up to work with a professional marketing firm, another outcome may be a partnership or a shared vision for short-, medium-, and long-term advertising strategies. (Bowlby, 2025; Fresh Success Marketing Group, 2025; Intouch Marketing, 2024).

For entrepreneurs building a business, the time required to execute a marketing strategy effectively is more than they typically have. It is a smart business decision to outsource marketing and advertising execution to a professional services firm. Finding a marketing partner who will take an entrepreneur’s vision and build on it, enabling long-term success, will make business owners’ lives easier while increasing the value of their company.

References:

Bowlby, Z. (2025, July 31). Marketing agency ROI: Master 2025 success. ROI Amplified. https://roiamplified.com/insights/marketing-agency-roi/

Dishman, L. (2025, August 29). When and why should I hire a marketing agency for my small business? Entrepreneur. https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/when-and-why-should-i-hire-a-marketing-agency-for-my-small/439703

Fresh Success Marketing Group. (2025, December 26). Why hire a marketing agency? 5 benefits for growing brands. https://freshsuccessmarketinggroup.com/all/why-hire-a-marketing-agency-5-benefits-for-growing-brands/

Innis Maggiore. (2025, March 4). Checklist for choosing a marketing agency. https://innismaggiore.com/news/blog/checklist

Intouch Marketing. (2024, March 18). Why should I hire a marketing agency for my small business? https://www.intouch-marketing.com/blog/why-should-i-hire-a-marketing-agency-for-my-small-business/

MTHD Marketing. (2026, February 12). How to choose a marketing agency. https://mthdmarketing.com/blog-posts/how-to-choose-marketing-agency

NoGood. (2025, January 8). How to evaluate a digital marketing agency in 2025. https://nogood.io/blog/how-to-evaluate-a-digital-marketing-agency/

TrinityP3. (2026, February 5). How to choose a marketing agency in 7 steps (+ checklist). https://www.trinityp3.com/agency-selection/how-to-choose-marketing-agency