If you've searched for this, you've probably already been through at least one agency that didn't work out — or you've sat through enough pitches to notice they all start to sound the same. "Data-driven." "Results-focused." "We become an extension of your team." Every agency says it. Almost none of them can back it up when you push.

This isn't another generic checklist. It's the specific questions that actually separate a real growth partner from a well-rehearsed pitch — along with what a strong answer looks like next to a red-flag one, using real examples rather than hypotheticals.

If you haven't already, it's worth reading https://drewmarketingsolutions.com/insights/why-isnt-your-marketing-working-nairobi-smes/ before you start vetting anyone new — because the wrong agency almost always fails for the same reason your last effort did: activity without alignment.

Start With Proof, Not Promises

Ask: "Can you show me specific results for a business similar to mine — not just a portfolio, but the actual problem, approach, and outcome?"

Weak answer: A slide of logos, or vague language like "we've helped many businesses grow their brand."

Strong answer: A named client, a specific problem, and a specific number. For example — when a solar energy company came to us with long sales cycles and low market trust, we didn't just run ads. We built an education-first system across expos, community partnerships, and structured lead capture, which produced 150+ qualified leads and 3 confirmed installations. That's the level of specificity to expect. If an agency can't get that concrete about their own case studies, be cautious.

Ask How They'd Actually Approach Your Problem — Not Their Process

Ask: "Walk me through what the first 30 days would look like for my business specifically."

Weak answer: A generic onboarding deck that could apply to any client — "week 1: kickoff call, week 2: strategy," with no reference to your actual market or audience.

Strong answer: Something that shows they've already started thinking about your problem — questions about your customer's decision-making process, your current positioning gaps, your sales cycle. An agency that leads with research before recommending a channel is doing the "Understand" step properly; one that jumps straight to "we'll run Meta ads and post 3x a week" hasn't done the thinking yet.

Find Out Who Actually Does the Work

Ask: "Who is on my account day-to-day, and can I meet them before I sign?"

Weak answer: Vague reassurance that "our senior team oversees everything" — without naming who actually executes.

Strong answer: A clear answer naming the strategist, the specific people responsible for content/execution, and how often you'll interact with them versus the person who ran the pitch. The person who sells you is often not the person who serves you — ask directly.

Ask How They Measure Success — And Push Past the First Answer

Ask: "How will we know this is working, three months in?"

Weak answer: Vanity metrics only — likes, followers, impressions, "engagement."

Strong answer: Metrics tied to actual business outcomes — qualified leads, conversion rate, cost per acquisition, retail listings gained, patient visits increased — whatever maps to your real goals. A strong agency will also be upfront about which metrics they can influence directly and which depend on your product, pricing, or sales team. If they claim ownership of your revenue outright, that's a red flag, not a strength.

Understand What You're Actually Paying For

Ask: "What's included in this fee, and what would trigger an additional charge?"

Weak answer: A single lump number with no breakdown, or reluctance to separate management fees from ad spend and production costs.

Strong answer: A clear breakdown — strategy and management fee, ad spend (which should sit in accounts you own), content production, and any one-time setup costs. Pricing in Kenya varies widely depending on scope; you can see how that typically breaks down in https://drewmarketingsolutions.com/insights/how-much-does-a-marketing-agency-cost-in-kenya-2026/, but the key question here isn't the number — it's whether the agency can explain it clearly without hedging.

Check Who Owns the Assets

Ask: "If we ever part ways, do I keep everything — the website, the ad accounts, the analytics, the creative files?"

Weak answer: Hesitation, or a setup where accounts are created under the agency's own logins rather than yours.

Strong answer: Full ownership by default. Your ad accounts, analytics, domain, and creative assets should always be yours — the agency should request access to work within them, not the other way around. This is one of the simplest, most objective ways to separate a real partner from one that's quietly building lock-in.

Ask What Happens When Something Isn't Working

Ask: "If we're three months in and results aren't where we expected, what happens next?"

Weak answer: Defensiveness, or "these things just take time" with no specifics.

Strong answer: A clear process — what gets reviewed, what gets adjusted, and at what point a strategy gets revisited rather than just extended. Growth work is iterative by nature; a confident agency will tell you exactly how they course-correct, because they've had to do it before.

The Real Test

Here's the pattern across all seven questions above: a real answer is specific, a weak answer is generic. Any agency can say "we're data-driven" or "results matter to us" — that costs nothing to say. What's harder to fake is a named client, a specific number, a named person on your account, and a clear answer about what happens when things don't go to plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if a marketing agency in Kenya is legitimate?
Ask for verifiable case studies with named clients where possible, check for a physical office and consistent digital presence (a real agency should be easy to find and easy to verify), and ask direct questions about account ownership and reporting — legitimate agencies answer these without hesitation.

Is it better to hire a big agency or a small one in Kenya?
It depends on your stage. Larger agencies often have more resources but less flexibility and higher minimums; smaller, focused agencies can offer closer attention and faster iteration, but check their capacity honestly — ask how many other accounts your team would be managing alongside yours.

How long should I commit to a marketing agency before expecting results?
Most meaningful strategic shifts take 3-6 months to show clearly in the numbers, though some tactical wins (like a single campaign) can show faster. Be wary of agencies promising major results in under a month, and equally wary of contracts that lock you in for a year with no review point.

What's the difference between hiring an agency and hiring a freelancer in Kenya?
Agencies typically cost more but provide a full team (strategist, content, ads, analytics) with continuity if one person leaves, plus established process and reporting. Freelancers can be more cost-effective for narrow, single-channel work. The right choice depends on whether your need is a full growth system or a specific tactical task.

Before You Sign Anything

The questions above aren't designed to catch an agency out — they're designed to reveal whether an agency actually thinks the way it claims to. A partner that's genuinely built around strategy first will welcome every one of these questions, because they're the same questions we ask ourselves before recommending anything to a client.

Book a Strategy Session → https://drewmarketingsolutions.com/book-strategy/