Article summary · 30 s
Choose a marketing agency that measures enquiries and sales, not clicks; that leaves you the owner of your accounts and data; whose people doing the work you know; and that clearly separates its fees from the advertising budget. Ask for named case studies in your sector, and be wary of guaranteed results.
- 1
The first criterion is measurement: an agency must link each enquiry to its source.
- 2
Advertising accounts, the website and the data must be in your name.
- 3
Fees, advertising spend and tools must appear on three separate lines.
- 4
References count if they are named, dated and close to your situation.
- 5
A promise of guaranteed results is a warning sign, not a selling point.
Want to go further? Ask:
An SME in French-speaking Switzerland looking for a marketing agency quickly finds dozens of similar websites: the same promises, the same platform logos, the same words. The choice is often made on gut feeling, during a first meeting. The seven criteria below let you compare on facts, and ask the questions that really make the difference.
1. What the marketing agency measures
Ask which figure the agency will show you each month. If the answer is “impressions”, “clicks” or “reach”, it measures its own activity, not your results. The right answer talks about enquiries, appointments and sales, linked to their source: this campaign, this keyword, this page. That requires tracking connected to your CRM, or at least to your inbox.
2. Who will do the work
The sales meeting is often with a partner; the work, with someone else, sometimes subcontracted. Ask for the names of the people who will run your campaigns and build your pages, and whether you can talk to them directly. A small team without intermediaries is often worth more than a large organisation where your file changes hands.
3. Who owns the accounts and the data
The Google Ads and Meta accounts, Google Analytics, the website and its hosting should be opened in your name, with the agency given delegated access. Otherwise, the day you change provider, you lose the campaign history, the audiences and sometimes the website. Ask the question before signing and have it written into the contract.
4. How the price is built
A clear proposal separates three lines: the agency's fees, the advertising spend paid directly to the platforms, and any tools. Be wary of a single package that mixes all three: you no longer know how much actually goes into advertising. Be wary too of fees calculated as a percentage of ad spend, which encourages spending more rather than spending better.
At Contrast, the proposal always separates these three lines. The amount of the fees depends on the levers actually activated, and is set after the first conversation.
5. Verifiable references
A useful case study names the client, describes the starting point, states the period and gives a result you could check by calling that client. Logos alone prove nothing. Look for cases close to yours: same sector, same size, same type of sale.
6. Knowledge of the French-speaking Swiss market
The French-speaking Swiss market is small, bilingual at its borders, with its own search habits and property portals. An agency that works in it knows the real cost of local keywords, the portals your buyers use and what a client in Vaud or Jura expects. It also writes in Swiss French, which people notice.
7. Length of commitment
Serious marketing needs a few months to produce stable results: campaigns learn, pages improve. An initial commitment is therefore normal. A twenty-four-month commitment with no exit clause is not. Ask what happens if the results are not there, and what you keep if you stop.
Marketing agency, freelancer or in-house team?
| Marketing agency | Freelancer | In-house hire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skills covered | Several (campaigns, website, tracking, creative) | One or two, in depth | Those of the person hired |
| Start-up time | A few weeks | Fast | Several months (hiring, training) |
| Continuity | Ensured by the team | Depends on one person | Depends on one person |
| Knowledge of the business | Built over time | Built over time | The strongest, eventually |
| Suitable when… | Several levers must be connected | A precise, bounded need | The volume justifies a full-time role |
Warning signs
A guaranteed result (“first page of Google in 30 days”, “50 enquiries a month”). Nobody controls the auctions or the algorithms.
Figures without a client or a period. “+300%” means nothing without a starting point.
Accounts in the agency's name. You are renting your own history.
A monthly report without enquiries or sales. The agency reports on its activity, not on your results.
No questions about your sales follow-up. An agency that does not ask what happens to enquiries cannot improve them.
Key points
Key takeaways
- 01
Compare agencies on what they measure: enquiries and sales, not clicks.
- 02
Require accounts, a website and data in your name.
- 03
Have fees, advertising spend and tools separated.
- 04
Ask for named, dated cases close to your situation.
- 05
Rule out any promise of guaranteed results.
Frequently asked questions
01How much does a marketing agency cost in French-speaking Switzerland?
Fees vary with the levers activated, the workload and the size of the agency. At Contrast, they are set after a first 30-minute conversation, and the advertising budget stays separate, paid directly to the platforms. Always ask for a proposal that separates fees, advertising and tools.
02Should you choose an agency in your own canton?
It is not essential: most of the work is done remotely. Proximity makes on-site meetings easier, and knowledge of the French-speaking Swiss market matters more than the agency's exact address.
03Which marketing agency for a real estate development?
One that knows the Swiss property portals, can generate qualified brochure requests and follow them through to reservation. Contrast specialises in marketing new-build developments of 8 to 40 units in French-speaking Switzerland.
04How long before you can evaluate an agency?
The first signals come within a few weeks. To judge on stable results, allow about three months after the campaigns launch, provided measurement is in place from the start.
