Working with an advertising agency should feel like an extension of your internal marketing team—not a tug-of-war. But often, the gap between expectations and execution boils down to one thing: communication. Whether you’re aiming to generate more leads, build brand awareness, or launch a new product, how you communicate with your agency determines how fast and how well you’ll get there.
Here’s how to build a healthy, productive relationship with your agency—one grounded in clarity, accountability, and results.
Decide: Do You Want a Vendor or a Strategic Partner?
A vendor executes tasks. A strategic partner challenges assumptions, offers ideas, and shares accountability.
Vendor Relationship:
“Just launch this campaign by Friday.”
“Stick to the brief.”
Partner Relationship:
“Let’s review performance and adjust tactics together.”
“Can you recommend a better way?”
Tip: If you want strategic guidance, be prepared to listen—and sometimes be challenged.
Ensure Contract Knowledge Is Transferred During Handoffs
Often, the person who negotiated the contract isn’t the person executing day-to-day tasks. Make sure internal knowledge transfer happens.
Does your new point of contact know what’s in the contract?
Are they aware of deliverables, service levels, and pricing terms?
Checklist:
Review scope of work together during onboarding
Share all relevant contract documents with new stakeholders
Define a Clear Objective and a Measurable Goal
One objective. One goal. That’s it.
Your agency should know exactly what success looks like. And more importantly, how to measure it.
Objective: Increase lead volume.
Goal: Increase marketing-qualified leads by 26% year-over-year.
Avoid vague goals like “more visibility” or “better awareness.” If you’re not sure which KPI matters most, invite your agency into the strategic discussion. A good partner will help you define the right success metric based on your business model and budget.
Template:
Objective: [State your primary marketing objective]
Goal: [Define the measurable outcome tied to that objective]
Educate Your Agency on the Sales Process
Leads aren’t the finish line—they’re just the beginning. Agencies perform best when they understand what happens to leads once they’re handed off.
How are leads assigned?
Who contacts them?
What’s the typical sales script or email flow?
How quickly are they followed up with?
Tip: Share screenshots, workflows, and sample sales calls with your agency. The more visibility they have, the better they can align their efforts with the outcomes that matter.
Clarify What Qualifies as a Lead (and What Doesn’t)
There’s nothing more frustrating than arguing over lead quality after campaigns have launched. Sales, marketing, and your agency must align on what a qualified lead is.
Qualified Lead: Meets your ICP (ideal customer profile) and engages in a meaningful way (e.g., filled out a form, answered a call).
Unqualified Lead: Outside your target region, doesn’t match buyer persona, or uses fake info.
Bogus Lead: “Mickey Mouse” with a burner phone number.
Benchmark Example: If you know that 20% of your leads are typically bogus, set expectations with your agency upfront so nobody panics when those start coming in.
Tip: Use a shared lead scoring framework or CRM tagging convention so there’s no ambiguity.
Agencies can optimize campaigns significantly faster when they understand the full sales funnel—not just top-of-funnel performance.
For Lead-Driven Businesses:
How many leads are needed to hit monthly revenue goals?
What’s your sales team’s close rate?
Where do most leads drop off in your sales process?
Tip: If possible, integrate your CRM data with your ad platform data so the agency can optimize campaigns based on pipeline performance, not just clicks or CPL.
For eCommerce Brands:
Even though there’s no traditional sales pipeline, eCommerce businesses still have a conversion funnel—and it’s just as important to share it with your agency.
What’s your average order value (AOV)?
What is your cart abandonment rate?
What’s the percentage of new vs. returning customers?
How many touches does it typically take before someone buys?
Are there subscription/retention metrics worth tracking (e.g., churn, LTV)?
Pro Tip: Share your product margins with your agency (or at least the target CPA/CPO range you need to be profitable). If your breakeven CPA is $35 and your agency is running at $42, that gap needs to be part of the conversation.
Establish a Communication Cadence and Chain of Command
Your agency should never be left guessing:
Who has final approval?
Who communicates decisions?
How often are check-ins expected?
Examples:
Weekly check-ins on Tuesdays.
Monthly strategy reviews on the 1st.
Final decisions approved by [Name, Title].
Stick to the Strategy (Don’t Pivot Every Week)
Agencies build campaigns based on data and hypotheses that take time to test. If you’re constantly shifting direction, you’re resetting the experiment every time.
Ask Yourself:
Are we patient with performance, or do we expect instant wins?
Are we emotionally reactive or strategically grounded?
Tip: Agree on a test period upfront—e.g., “Let’s commit to this strategy for 45 days, then assess.”
Clarify Creative Direction and the Approval Process
Do you want an agency that follows exact instructions, or one that pushes back creatively?
Subjective changes: “Make the logo 4 pixels bigger.”
Objective changes: “Include legal disclaimer to remain compliant.”
Subjective edits often create bottlenecks and confusion—especially when feedback comes from multiple internal voices.
Best Practice: Appoint a single creative approver. Have them deliver consolidated feedback. If multiple stakeholders are involved, make sure their roles are clearly defined.
Bonus Section 1: Align on What “Transparency” Means
Does your agency have access to your CRM? Do you have access to their media buying dashboards? Transparency is subjective unless clearly defined.
Tip: Use a shared analytics dashboard that connects campaign metrics to actual business outcomes—like pipeline value, lead quality, or revenue contribution.
Bonus Section 2: Define “What Success Looks Like” Across Departments
Sales, marketing, leadership—they all define success differently. One sees leads. Another sees meetings booked. Another sees revenue.
Example: Sales sees quality lead scores increase by 25%, Marketing sees unqualified leads decrease by 15%, Leadership sees deal close rates increase by 15%.
Final Thoughts
The best agency relationships aren’t built on better campaigns—they’re built on better communication. Set expectations early. Share your data. Stick to the plan. And above all, decide whether you’re looking for someone to take orders—or someone to help you win.
Want to build a better relationship with your agency? Start by asking yourself this:
“If I worked inside this agency, what would I need to know to do my job right?”
Then share it.