1. Experience and expertise

The first thing you should consider when choosing a performance marketing agency or consultant is their experience and expertise. Look for partners with a proven track record of delivering results for clients similar to your brand. This may mean looking at case studies, client testimonials, or even asking for references. Ensure the agency or consultant has experience with the specific channels and tactics you want to use, whether it’s paid search, social, display, email marketing, or something else.

2. Communication and transparency

Another crucial factor to consider when choosing a performance marketing agency or consultant is their communication style and level of transparency. A good agency or consultant should be willing to explain strategies and tactics in a way that’s easy to understand and be open and transparent about performance metrics, reporting, and billing. Make sure you’re comfortable with the level of communication and transparency the agency or consultant offers before hiring them. For example, some consultants dictate the communication channels or have strict timeframes for when they are available. Although there is nothing wrong with providing some guardrails, I prefer to align with the client on their preferred communication channels (Slack, email, phone) and provide availability windows that fit their needs.

3. Alignment with your goals and values

The best performance marketing agencies or consultants will work with you to align their strategies and tactics with your brand’s overall goals and values. Make sure you choose an agency or consultant that understands your business objectives, target audience, and brand identity — and that they can develop a performance marketing strategy tailored to your specific needs. Look for agencies or consultants willing to work collaboratively with your team and be committed to helping you achieve your goals. Ultimately, their incentives should align with yours.

4. Technical expertise and tools

Performance marketing requires technical expertise and access to specialized tools and platforms. When choosing a performance marketing agency or consultant, make sure they have the technical skills and tools necessary to execute your campaigns effectively. This could mean having pre-existing tools built for your use or the willingness to tailor custom products to your needs. For example, before starting my consulting practice, I worked at a large social media company that needed help with ad fraud. FeedMob created customized fraud tools to fit our specific needs, as they had the expertise and engineering support that we lacked internally.