Most businesses choose a marketing agency on two signals: the portfolio and the price. Both are weak predictors. A portfolio shows what a team produced with a particular client’s budget and cooperation, and the price tells you the size of the package, not the quality of the thinking. Here is a filter that works better.
Published: August 2026. Written by Khaled Samy, Founder & CEO of Aelaany, written from the agency side of the table in Egypt — worth knowing before you weigh the advice.
Start by defining what you are actually buying
“Marketing” is not a purchase. Before speaking to anyone, write one sentence describing the outcome you need — more qualified enquiries, more store visits, a higher order value, a launch that does not disappear. Agencies respond to the brief they are given. A vague brief produces vague proposals, and then you are comparing them on price because there is nothing else to compare.
Turning this into a repeatable publishing rhythm is the whole point of our content marketing service.
The four questions that reveal capability
Ask every candidate the same four, and compare the answers rather than the decks:
- “What would you do in the first ninety days?” A capable answer names specific actions in order. A weak answer describes services.
- “How will we know it worked?” Look for a metric tied to your business, not to their activity. “Enquiries per month” is an answer; “engagement” is not.
- “What would make you tell us to stop?” An agency that has never advised a client to cut something is either very lucky or not paying attention.
- “Who is actually doing the work?” The person in the pitch is often not the person on the account. Ask directly, and ask how much of their week you get.
Things that sound impressive and are not
- A long client list. Volume of logos says nothing about results, retention, or whether those clients were happy.
- Awards. Most are entered and paid for. They measure submissions, not outcomes.
- Big follower counts on their own channels. An agency’s audience is not evidence they can build yours.
- A very large team. Relevant only if the relevant people work on you.
Answers that should end the conversation
- “We guarantee first page on Google.” Nobody controls search results. This is either a lie or a promise about terms nobody searches for.
- “We’ll get you 10,000 followers.” Followers can be purchased. Purchased followers reduce your reach because they never engage.
- Refusing to give you account ownership. Your website, ad accounts, analytics and business profiles must be in your name. An agency holding them hostage is planning for a bad ending.
- A price with no discovery. Quoting before understanding the situation is guessing, and you will pay for the padding.
- Vagueness about who writes the Arabic. If nobody can answer this clearly, it will be machine-translated, and your customers will notice.
What must be written down
Egyptian marketing relationships fail more often over unclear scope than over bad work. Before starting, get these in writing:
- Exactly what is delivered each month, in countable units.
- Who owns the accounts, the content and the design files — including source files.
- What reporting you receive and when.
- Notice period and what happens on exit: are your assets handed over, and in what format?
- Whether ad budget is separate from fees. It should be, and you should pay platforms directly.
The reference check almost nobody does
Ask for a client who left. The reaction tells you more than any reference call. Agencies with healthy practices can describe a departure calmly — the scope changed, the client took it in-house, it ran its course. Agencies that become defensive at the question are telling you how your own exit will feel.
A reasonable way to start
Where possible, begin with a defined first project rather than an open-ended monthly commitment: an audit, a single campaign, one landing page and its tracking. You learn how they communicate, how they handle disagreement, and whether they deliver on time — for a fraction of the cost of finding out over six months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the portfolio and the price weak ways to choose an agency?
A portfolio shows what a team produced with a particular client’s budget and cooperation, and the price tells you the size of the package, not the quality of the thinking. Start instead by writing one sentence describing the outcome you need, then ask every candidate the same questions and compare the answers rather than the decks.
Which four questions reveal whether an agency is capable?
What would you do in the first ninety days, how will we know it worked, what would make you tell us to stop, and who is actually doing the work. A capable answer to the first names specific actions in order. The second should produce a metric tied to your business rather than to their activity, and the last matters because the person in the pitch is often not the person on the account.
Which agency claims should end the conversation?
A guarantee of first page on Google, a promise of ten thousand followers, refusing to give you account ownership, a price quoted with no discovery, and vagueness about who writes the Arabic. Nobody controls search results, followers can be purchased and purchased followers reduce your reach, and if nobody can answer the Arabic question clearly it will be machine-translated.
What must be agreed in writing before starting?
Exactly what is delivered each month in countable units, who owns the accounts, content and design files including source files, what reporting you receive and when, the notice period and what happens to your assets on exit, and whether ad budget is separate from fees. Egyptian marketing relationships fail more often over unclear scope than over bad work.
What is the reference check almost nobody does?
Ask for a client who left. Agencies with healthy practices can describe a departure calmly, because the scope changed, the client took it in-house, or it ran its course. Agencies that become defensive at the question are telling you how your own exit will feel.
How should the relationship start?
Where possible, begin with a defined first project rather than an open-ended monthly commitment: an audit, a single campaign, one landing page and its tracking. You learn how they communicate, how they handle disagreement, and whether they deliver on time, for a fraction of the cost of finding out over six months.
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