The buyer's guide
Guides for hiring a marketing agency
Everything a local business owner should know before, during and after hiring a marketing agency.
Industry Guides
What to Look for in a Marketing Agency for Life Insurance Agents
Most life insurance agencies still buy aged data and cold call. Here's what a marketing agency built around opt-in leads and compliant advertising actually needs to get right.
What to Look for in a Plumbing Marketing Agency
In plumbing, a missed call is usually a lost job within the hour. Here's what a plumbing marketing agency needs to get right about response time before anything else.
What to Look for in a Roofing Marketing Agency
Roofing has two very different buyers — storm-driven and cosmetic — and one of the highest job values in home services. Here's what a roofing marketing agency needs to get right.
What to Look for in a Water Treatment Marketing Agency
Water treatment marketing has to create demand a buyer doesn't know they have yet. Here's what separates an agency that understands this from one running generic home service ads.
What to Look for in an HVAC Marketing Agency
HVAC marketing runs on speed and emergency urgency more than any other trade. Here's what separates an agency that understands that from one that's just running generic ads.
What to Look for in a Home Service Marketing Agency
Hiring a home service marketing agency? Learn what makes contractor marketing different, what to demand, and the questions to ask before you sign.
Hiring an Agency
Do You Need a Marketing Agency Near You? Local vs Remote Agencies Compared
Searching for a marketing agency near me? Compare local vs national and remote agencies, and learn when being nearby really matters for your business.
How to Choose a Local Marketing Agency: 15 Questions to Ask Before You Sign
How to choose a marketing agency for your local business: 15 questions to ask before you sign, plus what good and bad answers sound like from each agency.
Marketing Agency Contracts: Terms to Check Before You Sign
What to look for in a marketing agency contract: who owns your ad accounts and site, cancellation terms, fees vs ad spend, and data access. Full checklist.
Red Flags When Hiring a Marketing Agency
Marketing agency red flags every local owner should know: 11 signs of a bad marketing agency, from owning your ad account to vanity reports, and fixes.
What Does a Marketing Agency Actually Do for a Local Business?
What does a marketing agency do for a small business? A plain breakdown of ads, creative, landing pages, CRM, SEO, reporting, and what to keep in-house.
Channels
Facebook Ads vs Google Ads for Local Businesses: Which One Should You Use?
Facebook ads vs Google ads for local business: how demand capture and demand creation differ, lead quality, costs, and when to run one or both.
Local SEO vs Paid Ads: Where Should a Local Business Start?
Local SEO vs paid ads: compare timelines, costs, Google Business Profile, and reviews, and learn the sequence most small businesses should follow.
Cost & Results
How Much Does a Marketing Agency Cost for a Local Business in 2026?
How much does a marketing agency cost for a local business? Typical retainers by service, setup fees, ad spend vs. management fees, and what drives price.
How Much Should a Local Business Spend on Marketing?
How much should a small business spend on marketing? Work backward from customer value and close rate, see a worked example, and set a real test budget.
How to Tell If Your Marketing Agency Is Working
How to measure marketing agency performance with 6 numbers: cost per lead, booking rate, show rate, close rate, cost per customer, and return on ad spend.
Pay-Per-Lead vs Retainer vs Performance Pricing: Which Agency Model Fits Your Business?
Pay per lead vs retainer vs performance based marketing agency pricing: how each model works, the pros, cons, and incentive traps, and which one fits you.
What Is a Good Cost Per Lead for a Local Business?
What is a good cost per lead for a local business? Real numbers from home-service ad accounts, why CPL alone misleads, and how to find cost per customer.
Lead Generation
Marketing to Spanish-Speaking Customers: A Guide for Local Businesses
Marketing to Hispanic customers? Learn why native Spanish ads beat translations, how costs differ by language, and the team you need to close the leads.
Why Your Leads Don't Turn Into Customers (and How to Fix It)
Leads not converting into customers? Find the real cause: slow follow-up, weak form questions, no-shows, sales gaps, or a language mismatch.
Not sure what kind of agency you need?
Answer four quick questions about your business. We'll tell you honestly whether we're a fit, and if we're not, what kind of agency to look for instead.