Introduction

A marketing agency should never make hiring itself a drain on your bank account. For some reason, businesses appear to be willing to spend average amounts and get nothing in return. Should you be doubting the worth of your agency, then allow yourself to worry. Here are some signs that if your marketing agency was running a scam, it may very easily have gotten away with it—and how you can save yourself from becoming a victim of such a charade.

1.You’re Paying for Vanity Metrics, Not Business Growth

Any respected marketers working for you minor social media impressions, likes or engagements on their marketing ads while forgetting to correlate each overhyped number with its relevancy to revenue. If your agency equally fails to associate their spends and efforts to real value, you could very well be a victim potential positive impact voodoo economics. In simpler words, you could be paying for french toast. 

Solution: Ask your agency to track key performance indicators (KPIs) like lead generation, conversion rates, customer acquisition costs, and return on investment (ROI).

2.High Retainer Fees With No Justification 

If you have employed an agency that makes a whopping profit without needing to even slightly justify their claims and provide accurate explanations of their spent fees, then there clearly must be something ominous at play.

Solution: Ask for a detailed list of services and costs. A reputable agency will explain how your budget

3. Cookie-Cutter Strategies That Don’t Fit Your Business

If your agency employs strategies that do not suit your brand, audience, or industry, they are probably overcharging you. It is more convenient for them to sell to you generic strategies instead of fully utilizing the custom strategies that take considerable work to formulate.

Solution: Ensure your agency provides a tailored marketing plan that aligns with your specific goals and market niche.

4. Extra Fees for Every Little Service

Some agencies have what appears to be a reasonable base package only to allocate reporting, minor design changes, and even strategy modifications as extra services. Your budget slowly begins to be depleted without you realizing it.

Solution: Double check your contract and outline what is included in the base fee and what is considered a reportable service.

5. No Transparency in Ad Spend and ROI

Your agency has a problem if after spending money on paid ad publications, they fail to account for every cent spent on advertisement purchase. Some agencies have hidden charges where they mark up the costs to increase their profit as opposed to fulfilling your budget cap.

Solution: Demand full transparency on your ad spend and performance. Ensure you have direct access to your ad accounts and reports.

Work With a Marketing Agency That Puts You First

At IRIS Development Studios, we believe in results-driven marketing with full transparency. We provide tailored strategies, clear reporting, and no hidden fees—ensuring that every shilling you spend delivers real business growth.

🚀 Let’s talk about how we can help your business thrive.

📞 Book a Free Consultation Today!
📧 info@iris-studios.co.ke | 🌐 www.iris-studios.co.ke