How to Hire a Digital Marketing Agency: A 5-Step Guide

Hiring a digital marketing agency can make or break your growth trajectory. Head of Account Management at Aimers, Kseniya Leuko, breaks down the exact process for choosing a marketing agency and building a partnership that actually delivers results.

Whether you're a SaaS company, tech startup, or any business looking to scale through digital channels, this digital marketing agency hiring guide will walk you through everything from setting your goals to scaling your partnership.

Traditional marketing agencies can be effective for brand awareness and long-term loyalty, but growth-focused digital marketing agencies operate differently. They're highly dynamic and focus on data-driven strategies to deliver scalable, measurable growth with advanced analytics, A/B testing, and flexible, agile approaches—perfect for businesses in competitive and fast-moving markets.

Why hire a marketing agency? Because they give you immediate access to senior-level expertise across multiple channels, proven processes, and collective knowledge from working with dozens of clients—without the overhead of building an entire in-house team.

‍

Step 1: Get Crystal Clear on Your Goals and Current Data

Before you start looking for marketing agency options, you need to know what success looks like.

The worst thing you can do when approaching an agency is being vague about your objectives. Agencies thrive on specificity—and so will your results.

Define Specific, Measurable Goals

Start by outlining concrete business outcomes:

• Increasing user acquisition from paid channels
• Improving conversion rates across your funnel
• Reducing customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Enhancing customer retention and lifetime value (LTV)
• Expanding into new markets or geographies
• Testing new product offerings or pricing tiers

Identify Your Key Metrics

Single out the metrics connected to these goals. For SaaS and tech companies, check out our comprehensive guide on B2B SaaS marketing metrics you need to track:

• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
• Lifetime Value (LTV)
• Monthly/Annual Recurring Revenue (MRR/ARR)
• Lead-to-customer conversion rate
• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
• Cost per qualified lead

According to HubSpot's Marketing Statistics, companies with clearly defined metrics are 376% more likely to report success with their marketing efforts.

Pull Together Your Current Data

Don't worry if your data is messy. Gather what you can from:

• CRM reports (HubSpot, Salesforce)
• Product analytics (Mixpanel, Amplitude)
• Current advertising platform data
• Website analytics (GA4)
• RevOps or growth team reports

Example: Instead of "we want more leads," say: "We want to increase qualified demo bookings from mid-market companies in the US by 40% in Q2, keeping CAC under $500."

Clear objectives and baseline data help you communicate expectations and assess agency capabilities. A good agency will help fine-tune these objectives during negotiations.

Step 2: Determine Your Budget and Ideal Marketing Channels

Evaluate Your Budget Realistically

When hiring a marketing company, your budget should align with your growth objectives, balancing financial constraints with potential ROI.

Truth: sometimes "cheap becomes expensive." An experienced agency might cost more upfront but saves you tens of thousands in wasted ad spend and opportunity cost. To understand budget expectations better, read our breakdown of online advertising costs.

Consider Which Channels Make Sense

For B2B SaaS and Tech:

• Google Ads for demand capture (explore best Google Ads agencies)
• LinkedIn Ads for targeting decision-makers (see SaaS LinkedIn Ads agencies)
• Meta for top-of-funnel awareness (check best Facebook Ads agencies)
• YouTube for thought leadership
• Reddit for niche communities

For B2C or ecommerce:

• Google Ads (Shopping, Performance Max)
• Meta for direct response
• TikTok for younger demographics
• Pinterest for lifestyle products

The right agency will help validate or refine your channel strategy—but coming in with a hypothesis shows you've done your homework.

Step 3: Research, Evaluate, and Shortlist Agency Options

Now comes the critical part of how to choose a digital marketing agency. Here's the best way to hire a marketing agency without wasting weeks on mismatched calls.

Where to Find a Marketing Agency

• Online marketplaces like Clutch and G2
• Direct referrals from your network
• LinkedIn searches for agencies in your industry
• Google searches for niche-specific agencies
• Industry-specific lists like our top SaaS marketing agencies guide

What to Look for in a Digital Marketing Agency

1. Relevant Industry Experience

Look for agencies with clients in your space or similar business models. If you're in SaaS, consider specialized SaaS digital marketing agency like Aimers that understands the unique challenges of subscription-based businesses.

Ask for:

• Case studies from your industry
• Specific funnel metrics they've impacted
• Familiarity with your MarTech stack

2. Track Record and Client Testimonials

Evaluate based on:

• Portfolio and case studies
• Client reviews (look for specifics, not generic praise)
• Client tenure—do people stick around for years?

3. Communication Style and Workflow Fit

Before hiring a digital marketing agency, ask critical questions to ask your PPC agency:

• Do they run weekly syncs or async reporting?
• Will you have a dedicated strategist?
• Who will you actually talk to regularly?
• How do they report beyond vanity metrics?

Red flags:

• "We guarantee X leads" without explaining costs or quality
• Vague answers about strategy
• No testing or experimentation plan
• One-size-fits-all packages

Make Your Shortlist

Narrow down to 3–5 agencies. Schedule discovery calls to discuss objectives, budget, and expectations.

Compare:

• Pricing models (retainer, percentage of ad spend, hybrid)
• Service offerings
• Responsiveness and customization ability
• Cultural fit

Pro tip: Test the first call—are they asking good questions about your business, or just selling?

Step 4: Set Up Your Partnership for Success

When you hire a marketing agency, remember you'll work with them as an extension of your team, not as an outsourced vendor you forget about.

You'll communicate regularly, onboard them on your product, and ensure alignment with your goals.

A. Align on Goals and Budget

Bring your Step 1 goals to your agency. Communicate what success looks like. Outline a realistic budget balancing financial capacity with growth targets.

B. Immerse Your Agency Into Your Business

After signing NDAs, share:

• Overall business goals and vision
• Detailed customer journey
• Ideal customer profile (ICP)
• Your pain points
• Previous agency experiences (to avoid past pitfalls)
• Brand guidelines and messaging

C. Finalize Concrete KPIs

Discuss and fine-tune your KPIs. Agree on what your agency will deliver:

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Lifetime value (LTV)
• Conversion rates by funnel stage
• Return on ad spend (ROAS)
• Pipeline contribution and revenue impact

Important: If they don't ask about sales cycle or revenue impact—that's a red flag.

D. Establish Clear Reporting Structure

Ensure the agency provides:

• Regular updates (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly)
• Performance reviews and analysis
• Transparent dashboard access
• Clear accountability

Check flexibility in reporting format and frequency.

E. Develop a Growth Plan Together

Your agency should provide a clear roadmap:

• Timelines and milestones
• Testing and optimization strategy
• Budget allocation across channels
• Contingency plans

You need clear structures for evaluating performance and tracking progress.

F. Pay Attention to Agency Culture

During evaluation, notice:

• Communication style and responsiveness
• How they handle requests
• Team expertise and dynamics
• Problem-solving approach

Ask yourself: are you ready to trust them as an extension of your team?

Step 5: Scale Your Agency Partnership Over Time

As your business grows, increase your agency's scope to tackle more ambitious targets.

The Advantages of Scaling With an Agency

Scale your marketing capacity without additional hires. Access collective knowledge and experience of all agency professionals.

Example: Instead of hiring three specialists (Google Ads, LinkedIn, CRO), you get all that expertise through your agency.

Understand the Realities

Accept certain realities:

• They might ask more questions about things you consider "obvious"
• Time zone differences may affect response times
• They balance multiple clients

These aren't dealbreakers—just realities managed through clear communication.

Review and Optimize Regularly

Review performance to understand when and how to scale:

• Are they hitting KPIs consistently?
• What's working to double down on?
• What needs adjustment?
• Are there new channels worth testing?

Healthy cooperation with a good digital marketing agency ensures sustained growth while you adapt to new opportunities and challenges.

Takeaways

Understanding how to hire a digital marketing agency comes down to these key steps:

• Clearly outline objectives and goals before approaching agencies—specificity is everything
• Evaluate budget realistically and consider which channels align with your business
• Research agencies with relevant industry experience and strong track records
• Set up partnerships properly with clear KPIs, reporting, and cultural alignment
• Scale involvement as you grow, regularly reviewing performance

Choosing a digital marketing agency can shorten ramp time, reduce CAC, and bring structure to your growth. Treat selection like building a long-term partnership—not just a vendor contract.

Work with Aimers

Want Aimers to help you grow your SaaS or Tech business through performance marketing?

We work as an extension of your team with data-driven strategy across Google, LinkedIn, Meta, and more. We've helped B2B SaaS brands reduce CAC, scale into new regions, and increase qualified pipeline by 3–5x.

We manage over $30M in annual ad spend with Google Premier Partner status, working with clients like Mixpanel, ShipBob, and Originality.AI.

👉 Drop a line to our team, and we'll get back to you shortly.

‍