Hold Your Marketing Agency Accountable: 5 Steps to Protect Your Budget
As a local service business owner, your marketing budget is precious. You hire agencies and specialists to generate leads and handle the technical details, but how do you know if they’re actually moving the needle? In this guide—based on a conversation between Dennis Yu and agency founder Marko Sipilä—we share five steps to hold your marketing partners accountable and protect your budget.
1. Get Access to All of Your Assets
Before you can fix anything, you need to know what you actually own. Make sure you have administrator access to your website, ad accounts, Google Business Profile, Facebook Business Manager, domain registrar—everywhere your business has a presence. Third-party dashboards are not enough; if you don’t have the keys, you don’t own your marketing.
2. Do a Preliminary Audit
Log into your accounts and review ad spend versus results over the last 30‑90 days. Look at the change history to see what your agency has actually done. Consistent tweaks and testing indicate active management; silence is a red flag. Even at large budgets, performance can plummet when no one is watching.
3. Demand MAA Performance Reporting
Canned reports full of vanity metrics won’t cut it. Ask your agency to provide MAA reporting—Metrics, Analysis, Action. You need hard data (calls, leads, revenue), insight into why certain campaigns perform better, and a clear list of changes made in response. Without all three, you can’t make informed decisions.
4. Establish Clear SOPs
Great marketing isn’t based on heroics; it’s built on systems. Use checklists and documented processes (we call it the Content Factory) to ensure everyone knows who does what and when. This covers content creation, ads management, website updates, SEO, and more. Consistency beats occasional bursts of effort.
5. Staff Up Smartly
Once your processes are clear, build a small execution team that fits your budget. Start with a virtual assistant to handle page updates, video editing, or social posting. Add a part‑time specialist for Google Ads or LSA setup. Bring in a coach or strategist to review performance monthly. Agencies can add value once you cross the $1 million revenue mark, but you should always retain control of strategy and assets.
Here’s our full discussion with Dennis Yu and Marko Sipilä on holding agencies accountable:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytdz1rXkzP8
Ready to take control of your marketing? Our AI Apprentice Program trains young adults to run the same systems we use for Fortune 500 campaigns. It’s perfect for local business owners who want their kids to take over marketing. Learn more about the AI Apprentice Program.