Marketing agency — find the right partner for growth
A good agency asks about your business goals before your campaign goals. Expect £75–£150/hr, or retainers from £1,000 a month for a small local business up to £4,000–6,000 for active multi-channel work.
Ask for reporting tied to revenue rather than impressions, and never sign more than a 90-day initial term. Agencies confident in their results don't need to lock you in. Check for a Google Partner or Meta Business Partner badge — both are verifiable and require real spend and certification. Fees are normally quoted plus VAT, so check whether the retainer you're comparing includes it.
On Marketit you'll find marketing agencies that are manually vetted. Describe what your company does and what you want to achieve, and you'll get proposals to compare approach and references.
Price level
Hourly SEK 850–1,500 excl. VAT. Retainers SEK 12,000–80,000/month. One-off assignments (campaign, strategy) SEK 25,000–150,000.
When should you hire a marketing agency?
Once you have an offer that sells and a site that converts reasonably, but you need more of the right customers. Or when your current agency reports on impressions and activity rather than leads and revenue. Not before you know who the customer is — and remember any claims in the advertising have to stand up to the CAP Code and the ASA.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Signing a twelve-month contract with an agency you've never worked with. Give them a quarter to prove it.
- Letting the agency create ad and analytics accounts in its own name. Leave, and the history goes with them.
- Measuring reach and impressions. Those are activity, not results — ask for conversions or revenue.
- Comparing an ex-VAT retainer with an inc-VAT one and picking the wrong agency on price.
- Running email marketing without checking PECR and UK GDPR consent rules for your list.
Checklist before you hire
- Ask for results references from a similar sector and company size — not a wall of logos
- Confirm you own the ad accounts: Google Ads, Meta Business Manager, GA4, everything
- Agree reporting that ties to leads and revenue, not clicks
- Avoid an initial term longer than 90 days, and check the notice period
- Confirm whether quoted fees include VAT and whether ad spend is billed separately
- Settle what happens to copy, creative and campaigns if you part ways
Frequently asked questions
What should a marketing agency cost?
For a credible agency with specialists: £75–£150/hr, or retainers from roughly £1,000 a month, normally plus VAT. Below about £40 an hour you're usually buying a freelancer — often excellent — or an agency handing the work to junior staff. Ask who will actually run the account day to day.
Who should own the ad accounts?
You, always. Google Ads, Meta Business Manager, GA4 and every other ad or analytics property belongs in your company's name, with the agency added as an administrator. Otherwise you lose history, conversion tracking and bidding data the day the relationship ends. An agency that resists this isn't one to hire.
How long a contract term is reasonable?
Ninety days to start, with a 30-day rolling notice after that. Once six to twelve months have gone well, a longer term in exchange for a better rate can make sense. An agency demanding a year from day one usually struggles to keep clients on merit.
Agency or freelancer?
An agency brings several specialists — strategy, copy, design, paid media — who cover for each other. A freelancer is one person, often deeply expert in one channel, cheaper and quicker to reach but exposed to illness and holidays. For a small business, a strong freelancer frequently outperforms a mid-tier agency.
Companies in marketing agency
No registered marketing agency yet — we search the whole web for you
Marketit is still ramping up. Start a job request and our AI will find suitable marketing agency in your area right away.