Don’t Hire a Creative Agency Without Doing This First

By Kelsey Young

Working with a creative team shouldn’t feel like herding cats. But if your internal house is in chaos, even the best agency work will stall, dilute or get lost in the inbox abyss.

Before you bring in an outside team (ours or anyone else’s), make sure these five foundations are in place. And if you’re not there yet, no shame. We can help with that too.

1. Know Your Business Like a CEO (Or Be Honest That You Don’t)

You don’t need to have it all figured out, but you do need to know where you’re headed. Before an agency can build a strategy, you have to share what’s working, what’s not and what “better” looks like.

Start here:

• Where are we losing leads, time, or energy?

• What problems are we actually trying to solve?

• What does success look and feel like?

  
  

Not sure how to answer that? Totally fine. We’re really good at being your sounding board - but we do need to know what kind of room we’re walking into.

2. Clean Up the Back End

Marketing only works if your operations can support it. You can have the best funnel in the world, but if it's emptying into a bucket full of holes…you get the idea. 

Start with the basics:

• Centralize your assets (logos, files, brand guidelines, etc…).

• Know who’s doing what internally - and note where there are gaps.

• Get clear on where systems need structure or cleanup.

If your back end is a mess, safe space. We shine here. Just let us know what we’re stepping into so we can get you on a firm foundation before a big build out. 

3. Own Your Follow-Up Flow

Marketing gets people to the door. What happens next is on you.So many businesses spend big on awareness, then ghost or drop the lead. Don’t do that.

Ask yourself:

• Who’s responsible for follow-up? Do they have what they need?

• Is the process manual or automated? If it’s manual, what can be automated? 

• How are you tracking leads and conversions?

An agency can bring the traffic, in theory. It’s your job to catch it - and keep it.Shameless plug. If your follow up team doesn’t have what they need (sales kit, case studies, meaty blog content, etc…) to keep a lead on the line then tap us in on that too. 

4. Appoint a Decision-Maker (And Back Them Up)

We love collaboration, but decision-by-committee is a momentum death sentence. Assign one person who can confidently review, approve and move projects forward.

This person doesn’t need to have all the answers - but they do need authority.

And if you’re a founder who’s hesitant to hand over the reins, we get it. We can build a review process that keeps you in the know on that higher risk content without pulling you into every post and pixel. All about that compromise. 

5. Ask Questions + Know Your Involvement Style

You’re not just hiring freelancers - you’re choosing partners. We don’t expect you to come to us with answers - we want you to come curious.

Ask us:

• What’s the typical turnaround time?

• What happens if we need something off-scope?

• How will you communicate with us - and how should we communicate with you?

Also ask yourself:

• Do I want to be part of the process or just sign off when it’s ready to roll?

There’s no right answer. Some clients want to collaborate and co-create. Others say, “just call me when it’s done.” We work both ways. But we can’t meet your expectations if we don’t know them.

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TL;DR

If you're thinking about hiring a creative or marketing agency, don't skip the prep work. A strong partnership starts with clarity - on your goals, your processes, and how you like to work. Checking these five boxes will help you get your house in order and avoid wasted time, money or widgets.

And if you're not there yet? No worries. We’re great at stepping in early to help you sort the chaos, set priorities and get ready for your next. Wherever you are, we’ll meet you there.