By the Bear & Shark team · Updated October 2026
Short answer
Choose an agency that has results in your industry, tracks leads and sales (not just clicks), works in ad accounts you own, prices clearly, and can tell you exactly what happens in the first 90 days. Judge it on cost per lead and revenue after 3 months.
Agency vs in-house vs freelancer
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing agency | Several channels at once, fast start, a full team and tools | Junior staff on your account, unclear pricing |
| In-house marketer | Brand knowledge and daily availability | One person rarely covers ads, creative, SEO and analytics |
| Freelancer | One channel on a smaller budget | No backup, limited capacity |
10 questions to ask before you sign
- Who exactly will work on my account, and how much experience do they have?
- Which results have you achieved for businesses like mine?
- How will you track leads, calls and sales?
- Who owns the ad accounts, pixels and data?
- How do you price, and is the ad budget separate?
- What happens in the first 30, 60 and 90 days?
- How often will we talk, and what does a report look like?
- How do you produce and test new creative?
- What are the contract length and exit terms?
- What do you need from my team to succeed?
Red flags
- Guaranteed rankings or guaranteed numbers of leads before they know your business.
- Reports full of impressions and clicks but no leads or sales.
- The agency refuses to give you ownership of accounts.
- Long lock-in contracts with no exit if results are poor.
Why businesses choose Bear & Shark
Bear & Shark is a performance marketing agency headquartered in Toronto, working with clients in Canada, the USA and the UAE. We focus on healthcare clinics, real estate, e-commerce and local service businesses, run Google Ads, Meta Ads, SEO, social media and AI advertising, and start every engagement with a free strategy call.
Frequently asked questions
When should a business hire a marketing agency?
When you have a proven offer, can handle more customers, and either lack the time to run marketing yourself or are spending on ads without clear results. An agency also makes sense when you need several skills at once: ads, creative, SEO and tracking.
Is it better to hire an agency or an in-house marketer?
One in-house marketer is usually cheaper than a full agency team but rarely covers ads, creative, SEO and analytics at expert level. An agency gives you a team and tools from day one. Many companies use an agency first and hire in-house once channels are proven.
Agency or freelancer?
A freelancer is cheaper and fine for one channel. An agency is better when you need several channels, backup when someone is away, and accountability for results.
What questions should I ask a marketing agency?
Ask who will work on your account, which results they achieved for businesses like yours, how they track leads and sales, who owns the ad accounts, how they price, what the contract terms are, and what happens in the first 90 days.
How do I know if my marketing agency is doing a good job?
Look at cost per lead, cost per sale and revenue against ad spend, not clicks or impressions. A good agency explains what changed each month and what it will test next.