Why the last agency didn't work out

Navigating a negative experience 

Burning money for a long time and not seeing a result is frustrating. Especially if you’re not familiar with the tool and cannot tell what exactly is going wrong. Is this the wrong tool? Wrong strategy? Wrong execution? 

Businesses hire agencies to rely on their expertise and trust their judgment. And when trust is broken, it is hard to start again without questioning every step.

This does not necessarily mean that the agencies were bad at their job. It often comes down to the expectation mismatch. And the real agency fault is not clearly explaining what is realistic and what’s not.

The most common examples I’ve seen: 

Paid Ads (Facebook, Instagram, Google, LinkedIn)

Wrong Expectation: Immediate Results

The initial period is a time for trial and error, and it takes time to figure out all the moving parts in the campaign. If someone guarantees quick results from an ad campaign that is just starting, that is a red flag. 

Reality: Test period for 3 months

This is how long it may realistically take to figure out a winning strategy. This initial phase is tough and requires patience. And no one can predict exactly how it will go. But this is necessary to go through this rough period to finally start seeing a return.

It doesn’t necessarily mean loss for 3 months straight - you should either see improvement with time or the test shows that ad is not the right tool for your business.

But: Test ≠ No results at all

I’ve heard a story of a 6-month-long campaign that not only didn’t improve but also never brought a single sale. This is too much for a test, and this is not how the ad campaign should be. My team would stop after 3 months unless there are serious reasons to continue, and there are strong and promising hypotheses.

Corporate Social Media

Wrong Expectation: Source of Leads

Those who treat social media as a lead-generating channel get very disappointed because this is not how it works. I’m not saying you can’t get clients from social media, but this is not the purpose.

Reality: Authority Building

The real purpose of social media accounts is to build authority and demonstrate your expertise. This is where you can share content at a faster pace and actually build a human connection with the audience if done right. It can supplement other channels like paid ads and cold outreach, but won’t make clients actively reach out to you.

But: Not everything posted is of the same value

The quality and value of organic content are not straightforward to measure, but if you see that it is generic and that any other firm (or AI) could easily produce it, this is not the way to go. If it brings zero value but only takes time and energy, this is a reason to rethink the strategy.

Marketing Automation

Wrong Expectation: AI (or software) will save us time

It is tempting to think that a magic app or agent exists that can do your work faster, with the same or higher quality. And now, with the rise of AI agents, more businesses are trying to implement them. It becomes obvious to them that it’s not that easy to actually find or build something useful. It might well be the opposite when the team spends significant time on something that doesn’t deliver after all.

Reality: Process first, automation second

No agent or piece of software solves the problem by itself. You need an optimal, proven, and documented process first before “optimizing” it with other tools. When the process is established and working, it is much easier to find the right automation solution.

But: Processes also need an update

Just because a process is established doesn't mean it's optimal. It is important to be on the lookout for new solutions on the market, as they may well save time and require no multi-step process.

What I've been laughing at lately

I recently came back from San Francisco and shared a few examples of the software billboards, which are confusing and ridiculous. On one hand, it's absurd. On the other, I wish those companies were my clients – I would do a much better job 😀

Check the ads

Self-promotion doesn’t come easy to me

When I tell professional services businesses to share their expertise and show the real people on the team, I realize I also have to take my own advice and actually show myself. And that wasn’t easy because I’m naturally shy and don’t like to post myself on social media.

There is a proverb “The shoemaker's children go barefoot” (in the Russian version, the shoemaker himself has no boots), and it exists for a reason. In moments like this, I notice how much mental effort it takes to actually do marketing for myself.

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