Mitch vs hiring a marketing agency

A rep from an agency rings, says your Google presence is "leaving money on the table" and offers a call with a strategist. Before you take it, you need two numbers: what the retainer is, and what you would still have to do yourself.

What a UK retainer looks like

Small local businesses are typically quoted around £500 to £1,500 a month, often on a 6 or 12 month contract. That is a rough range, not a rate card from any one firm, and plenty quote differently. When you get a quote, ask:

• Is VAT on top? If you are under the registration threshold and not registered, it is a straight cost.
• Is SEO in the fee or a separate line?
• Is ad spend included or extra?
• What is the notice period, and is there an exit fee?

On a year at £800 a month, the contract is £9,600 before VAT, so read the exit clause as if it matters.

What you still end up doing

Most agencies need photos from you, a sign-off on drafts and someone to chase customers for reviews. A lot of what looks like outsourcing ends up as a monthly email asking for pictures of the job you did three weeks ago.

Side by side

A made-up case

A heating engineer in Harrogate has a patchy Facebook page, 11 Google reviews and a website from 2017. An agency would probably suggest a new site and a content plan. That is a fair thing to buy if she has the budget. If her actual gap is that nobody posts or asks for reviews after boiler jobs, a £149 plan on a monthly basis covers it, and she can ask an agency about the site separately.

When an agency is the right call

• You are launching a brand or have more than one trading name to sort out.
• Your website needs rebuilding, not tidying.
• You want paid search or social ads run by someone who does it daily.
• You employ a crew and want a single team handling several services at once.
• You would rather brief one person monthly than use any app.

Questions to put in writing

1. What is in the fee, and what is extra?
2. How long is the term, and what does leaving early cost?
3. Who registers the domain and the Google profile?
4. What exactly changes on my site and profile each month?
5. Who writes the posts, and can I see an example for a trade like mine?
6. What do you report, and does it include calls and jobs or only impressions?

A vague answer on ownership or term tells you plenty.

Using both

It works to have an agency build the site and run ads while Mitch looks after the regular posting and reviews. Agree who posts where so you do not get two voices on the same page.