What does a marketing agency actually do for a small business?
A marketing agency does outside work meant to bring a business more customers: its website, being found on Google and in AI answers, ads, social media, the handling of new inquiries, or several of these at once. What matters to an owner is what it hands over: a plan in plain words, a dated record of the work, accounts kept in the business's name, and a monthly count of inquiries by source. Choose the kind by the problem you have.
The common kinds, and what each should hand you
| Kind of agency | What you should be able to see |
|---|---|
| Website | Owner logins to the site and hosting, and a list of every page and change |
| Search and AI answers (SEO, GEO) | Inquiries from search and from AI answers, each tagged as its own channel, and a dated change list |
| Paid ads | The ad account in your name, what was spent and the inquiries the ads brought in |
| Social media | What was posted, and the messages and inquiries that came from it |
| Lead handling | Every inquiry recorded with its source and followed to won, lost or still open |
| Full-service | All of the above in one report, with one person accountable |
Choose by the problem, not the label
Too few people getting in touch usually points to search, AI answers, the website or ads; inquiries that arrive and then go cold usually point to lead handling, and more visibility rarely fixes that. The related answer on who can help improve your online presence has three quick questions that show which problem you have.
What any agency should hand over
- A plan in plain words: what will be done this month, and what will be measured.
- A dated record of what was changed or published in your name.
- Every account held in the business's name, with the agency added as a user.
- A monthly report that starts with inquiries and customers by source, not traffic.
- A straight answer to what happens to your accounts and records if you stop.
Where an agency fits
An agency is one option among several. The related answer on hiring a marketing employee or an agency compares it with hiring, the related answer on what a marketing retainer is explains how monthly agreements usually work, and the related answer on what a GEO agency does covers the AI-answer kind in detail.
Once you have chosen, the related answer on what to tell a marketing agency before it starts covers the handover, and the related answer on how to tell if your SEO agency is working covers the months after. Ascent Vision offers websites, search and AI-answer work, and lead handling, mostly by video call; it does not publish prices, and every engagement is scoped on a call.
Related answers
- Who can help me improve my online presence and attract more clients?
- Should you hire a marketing employee, a fractional marketing lead or an agency?
- What is a marketing retainer, and how should one work?
- What does a GEO agency actually do for a business?
- What should you tell a marketing agency before it starts?
- How can you tell whether your SEO agency is actually doing anything?
SEO for service businesses
Get found on Google by the people already looking for what you sell, in the places you serve, and see which searches turned into inquiries.