Questions to Ask a Marketing Company Before Hiring One

By Blackbird Marketing

Choosing a marketing company is not just about finding someone who can build a website or run adverts. For a plumber, electrician or other trade business, the important question is whether the work is likely to support the enquiries you actually want, in the areas you serve, at a cost you can justify.

In short: ask what the company will do, how it will measure useful enquiries, what you will own, what it costs and what happens if the arrangement ends. A clear answer to each question is more valuable than impressive promises.

1. Have you worked with trade businesses like mine?

Ask whether the company understands how trade customers make decisions. Marketing for a plumber, electrician or builder is different from marketing a business with a long online buying process: people may need help quickly, compare a small number of local options and judge credibility from reviews, service information and how easy it is to make contact.

You do not necessarily need an agency that only works with your exact trade. You do need one that can explain how it would approach local searches, service pages, phone enquiries, quote requests and the difference between a genuine lead and a low-value click.

Useful follow-up questions

• Which types of trade businesses do you currently work with?

• How would your approach differ for a plumber, electrician or general contractor?

• How will you understand the jobs and locations I actually want?

• What information do you need from me before making recommendations?

2. What exactly will you do each month?

Ask for the work to be explained in plain English. “SEO”, “digital marketing” or “online growth” can cover very different activities, so you should know what will be delivered and how often.

Depending on your situation, the work might involve technical website changes, improving service pages, local SEO, managing paid search, reviewing search terms or helping improve the route from an advert to a completed enquiry. The right mix depends on your current website, competition, budget and capacity to answer new leads.

Ask for a clear list of deliverables

• Which pages, campaigns or accounts will be worked on?

• Who writes, approves and publishes changes?

• Will you receive a monthly task list or activity summary?

• What is excluded from the monthly fee?

• Will work require access to your website, Google Business Profile, analytics or advertising accounts?

If the company cannot describe the first stages of work without hiding behind broad terminology, it will be difficult to judge whether you are receiving useful service.

3. How will you measure success?

Do not accept rankings or website traffic as the only definition of success. They can be useful indicators, but a trade business normally needs relevant calls, quote requests, booked work and a sensible return on marketing spend.

Ask how the company will separate useful enquiries from irrelevant ones. For example, a campaign might generate many contacts but still perform poorly if they are outside your service area, looking for work you do not provide or only asking for the cheapest possible price.

Questions worth asking

• Which measurements will you report every month?

• Can you track phone calls, forms and other enquiry routes?

• How will we identify enquiries that became worthwhile jobs?

• What information do you need from us to judge lead quality?

• How often will the plan change if the data shows a problem?

4. What is the difference between SEO and PPC for my business?

A marketing company should be able to explain the trade-off between organic search and paid advertising rather than presenting one channel as suitable for everyone.

SEO can involve improving the website and its visibility over time, while PPC can put adverts in front of selected searches as soon as campaigns are running. PPC requires an ongoing advertising budget and careful control of search terms, locations and landing pages. SEO may take longer to build and still requires regular, relevant work.

The best choice depends on factors such as how quickly you need enquiries, how competitive your services are, your available budget and whether your website gives visitors a clear reason to contact you. Blackbird Marketing records services including SEO for plumbers, SEO for electricians, local SEO for trades and PPC for trades, so it is reasonable to ask how those options would apply to your particular situation. You can review the SEO and marketing services available for trade businesses before discussing the most suitable route.

5. Who owns the website, accounts and marketing data?

This is one of the most important questions to ask before signing. Your website domain, Google Business Profile, advertising accounts, analytics data and business listings should not become inaccessible simply because you change supplier.

Ask whether accounts will be created in your business name, who will have administrator access and what happens to the work and data if the contract ends. Also check whether website content, landing pages and campaign information can be retained or transferred.

Check these points in writing

• Who owns the domain and website hosting?

• Who controls Google, advertising and analytics accounts?

• Will you receive login access and administrator rights?

• What happens to content and campaign data when the agreement ends?

• Are there separate fees for transferring or removing work?

6. What will it cost, and what is not included?

Ask for the full financial picture rather than only the monthly management fee. With PPC, the advertising budget is normally separate from the fee for managing the campaigns. Website changes, copywriting, tracking work, hosting or one-off technical work may also be charged separately.

You do not need a fixed price before the company understands your objectives and starting point. You do need to know what the proposed fee covers, what could increase it and whether there is a minimum term or notice period.

Ask about

• Monthly management fees

• Advertising spend and who pays it

• One-off setup or website costs

• Minimum contract length and notice arrangements

• VAT, if applicable

• Extra work that requires separate approval

7. How long should the work take to show useful information?

A responsible company should avoid guaranteeing a particular ranking, number of leads or date for success. It should, however, explain what can be checked early and what usually requires more time to assess.

Initial checks might include the condition of the website, tracking, service coverage, local visibility, existing search demand and the quality of current enquiries. Ask what will happen if the early evidence does not support the original plan. A willingness to review the approach is more useful than a fixed promise that results are certain.

8. Who will manage the work and communicate with me?

Find out whether you will deal with one named contact, a wider team or an account system. You should know how to raise an urgent issue, approve website changes and provide information about new services, pricing or areas you no longer cover.

Ask how often you will receive updates and whether meetings are included. A report full of figures is not enough if nobody explains what changed, what matters and what needs your decision.

9. What do you need from us?

Marketing cannot be separated completely from the way a trade business handles enquiries. Ask what the company needs from you and how much time you should allow for approvals, photos, service details, access and feedback on lead quality.

You should also agree who will answer calls and forms, what counts as a suitable enquiry and how quickly important changes will be passed on. If the business cannot respond to leads or approve essential information, that may affect the value of any campaign.

10. Can I read the agreement before deciding?

Ask to see the contract, terms and cancellation arrangements before work begins. Check that the document matches the verbal proposal, including the services, fees, ownership of accounts, reporting, notice period and treatment of unfinished work.

Be cautious if you are pressured to sign immediately, asked to pay without a clear scope or given guarantees that are not reflected in the written agreement. A suitable marketing partner should be willing to let you check what you are committing to.

What should a good first meeting leave you with?

By the end of the discussion, you should understand the problem the company thinks it can address, the work it recommends, the decisions it needs from you and the evidence it will use to review progress.

You should also be able to explain the arrangement to someone else in your business without repeating vague phrases. If the plan is clear enough to question, compare and approve, it is much easier to make a sensible appointment.

Ready to discuss the right starting point? If you want to compare SEO, local SEO, PPC or broader digital marketing for a trade business, review the available trade marketing services and take the next step from there.

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