The 5 Golden Rules of Being a Great Client
As a content marketing consultant, I’ve worn both hats—the agency side and the client side. Over the past six months, I’ve seen one major pattern: many client-agency relationships struggle, not because the agency lacks skills, but because clients don’t set up the engagement for success. I understand its colloquial nature but then as they say, “it takes two to quarrel.”
One recent case stood out. A client of mine was frustrated with her new agency. She felt their work wasn’t effective. But after digging deeper, I found out she wasn’t communicating her expectations. No defined goals, no target audience insights, and no structured feedback. Above all, she didn’t give the agency’s team the download about her business; and then she was cribbing about the poor quality of the post. An agency’s output would be as good as the information we share with them, this holds at least for the first quarter. After one guided discussion, she reworked her communication approach with the agency—and today, seven months in, she’s getting great results.
How to get best results from your digital marketing agency?
So, if you’re working with a marketing agency (or plan to), here’s how to be the kind of client that agencies love—and deliver the best work for.
Be Clear About Your Goals and Expectations
One of the biggest frustrations agencies face? Vague, undefined goals.
🚫 “I just want more engagement.” 🚫 “We need to grow.”
These statements don’t give agencies enough direction to succeed.
Instead, set specific goals like:
- Increase website traffic by 30% in six months.
- Generate 500 qualified leads from Instagram ads.
In one of the research, I came across a fact that shares, “Companies with clearly defined marketing goals see a 376% higher success rate than those with vague expectations.
In our first month with any new client that we onboard for turnkey marketing solutions or website development, our first steps include:
- Setting up an ideal customer profile
- Categorising different customer segments
- Defining each product/service, across What?, How?, trigger points, and benefits.
- Identifying the key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Setting clear budget and expectations
Trust the Process—Marketing Takes Time
🚫 “It’s been a month, and I don’t see results!”
🚫 “Why isn’t my Instagram growing faster?”
Marketing is not a magic wand—it’s a strategic, long-term game.
SEO takes 4-12 months to show real traction.
Social media ads require testing before optimizing for conversions.
Brand awareness campaigns can take 3-6 months to start influencing sales.
📊 Stat: A study by SEMrush found that organic growth takes an average of 6 months to show sustainable results.
If your target is short-term wins, focus on paid ads(still give it a minimum of 3 months with continuous feedback to the team). But for lasting growth, patience is key.
Communication is a Two-Way Street
Agencies can’t read your mind. If you don’t provide feedback, they’ll assume everything is fine. Timely feedback, not only saves time but allows you to evolve faster in your marketing efforts. As a bonus, you achieve your business goals faster.
- Set up regular check-ins—weekly or biweekly status calls help keep everyone aligned. Have at least one feedback call in a fortnight.
- Give timely, constructive feedback. Instead of “I don’t like this”, say “Can we explore a version that aligns more with our brand voice?”
- Be available. If your agency is waiting weeks for approvals, campaigns stall. The world is evolving faster than we can envisage, and trends are changing faster than that as well.
📊 Stat: Companies that communicate regularly with their agency see 25% higher ROI on campaigns. The best results are achieved, when agencies work with you, not just for you.
Be Open to Strategy Adjustments
🚫 “I like this ad creative. Why change it?”
🚫 “We’ve always done things this way.”
Sometimes, the best-performing strategies aren’t what you initially expected.
- Be flexible: if a campaign isn’t converting, your agency may suggest a pivot.
- Data > personal preference: if data says an ad isn’t working, trust the numbers, not just your gut.
- Test, iterate, refine: Marketing is an evolving process. There is no one pill-fits-all formula available.
📊 Stat: Companies that adapt marketing strategies based on data see 1.5x faster growth than those that stick rigidly to one plan.
Respect Timelines and Budgets
🚫 “We need this ad live tomorrow.”
🚫 “Can you just add this extra campaign for free?”
Rushed work rarely delivers the best outcomes.
- Set realistic deadlines—good marketing requires strategy, research, and execution.
- Respect budgets—asking for extra work beyond scope without additional budget leads to frustration.
- Treat your agency as a partner, not just a service provider.
📊 Stat: 65% of agencies drop clients due to poor collaboration, unrealistic expectations, or late payments.
If you want great work, treat your agency as an extension of your team, not an outsourced vendor. We recently nearly lost a client due to a misalignment in expectations; while the scope of work and deliverables were clearly defined in the agreement, the client made the advance payment along with approval, without reading the contract. Though we were able to iron out the differences in some time, it’s imperative to communicate the expectations immaculately.
Final Thoughts: The Key to Long-Term Success
Want to be a client that gets exceptional results from your agency?
- Define your goals and KPIs.
- Trust the process and allow time for long-term success.
- Communicate openly—marketing works best when it’s a collaboration.
- Stay data-driven and flexible with strategy shifts.
- Respect timelines and budgets for smooth execution.
The best agency-client relationships aren’t transactional. They’re partnerships. And when you work with your agency—not just expect miracles—that’s when the magic happens.
Why don’t you share about your client/agency struggles?
-if you’d like to connect over a call and discuss your marketing goals, schedule a call today.
