An Introduction
Who Manages Agencies in an SME?
The Hidden Cost of “Agency Sprawl”
Many SMEs work with:
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A digital agency
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A paid media specialist
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A PR firm
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A web partner
Each performing their role — but no one owning the whole.
What Happens Without an Agency Owner (SME)
What Happens Without an Agency Owner?
Without a single owner:
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Agencies operate in silos
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Messaging becomes inconsistent
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Spend overlaps or duplicates
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No one challenges performance
The business manages suppliers — but no one manages outcomes.senior marketing leadership
Agency activity without commercial accountability
What You See in Practice
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Tactics change frequently (new channels, campaigns, tools)
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No one owns revenue or pipeline outcomes
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Decisions pushed back to the SME
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“Everything everywhere” approach
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Limited understanding of margins, LTV, sales cycles
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Reporting focuses on outputs (clicks, impressions)
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Busy roadmaps, low-impact work lack of senior ownership
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Spend creeps up without clear justification
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Marketing and sales operate separately
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Proven approaches avoided, experimentation unmanaged
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Symptoms treated, not root causes
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Founders feel uneasy but unsure why
When Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) rises and pipeline stalls
Why This Is a Leadership Problem
Founders, sales leaders, or ops teams often “coordinate” agencies — but coordination isn’t leadership.
Without senior marketing ownership:
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Agencies self-direct
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Priorities conflict
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Performance can’t be compared objectively
Rising Cost of Customer Acquisition (CAC) in SMEs
Here are the warning signs;-
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Responsibility is shared or unclear
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Reports focus on clicks, reach, engagement
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Explanations are vague or channel-specific
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Strategy resets every few months
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Everything stays “in scope”
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Spend continues “as planned”
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Sales issues blamed on follow-up
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Personas exist but aren’t used
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Risks and downsides avoided
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Each channel optimised separately
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Margins, LTV, sales cycle rarely mentioned
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Same actions repeated each month
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“Something feels off” but hard to name
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Accountability defaults to the SME
If you have these then think hard.
SME Diagnostic Checklist: Spotting the Problem Early
SME Diagnostic Checklist: Spotting the Problem Early
How Marketing Leadership Fixes Agency Chaos
Senior marketing leadership:
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Sets a single strategy all agencies align to
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Defines roles, responsibilities, and KPIs
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Reviews performance across suppliers
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Removes or replaces underperformers
Multiple agencies can work — but only with one owner.
Marketing leadership vs agency delivery
Next Step
If you manage agencies but not outcomes, leadership is missing.
A Free Marketing Health Check will give you simply:
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Where you are now?
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Where competitors are?
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What the opportunity is?
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What the resource options are to tap into the opportunity?
Who Manages Agencies in an SME FAQs?
Who typically manages agencies in an SME?
In most SMEs, agencies are managed by the founder, managing director, or a senior marketing manager—often alongside other responsibilities. Rarely is there a dedicated owner solely accountable for agency performance and commercial outcomes.
Why is agency management a problem in many SMEs?
Because agency management is usually added on top of someone’s existing role, not owned outright. This leads to:
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Tactical oversight instead of strategic leadership
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Limited time to challenge performance
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Agencies being managed on activity, not outcomes
Should a founder manage marketing agencies?
Founders often start as the agency manager, but this becomes unsustainable as the business grows. Founders are close to revenue but lack the time to:
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Translate strategy into execution detail
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Review performance deeply
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Coordinate multiple agencies
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Can a marketing manager manage agencies effectively?
Yes—but only if they:
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Have commercial authority
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Are accountable for pipeline or revenue, not just delivery
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Can prioritise across channels and say no
Without this, marketing managers often become project coordinators, not commercial owners.
What happens when no one truly manages the agency?
When no one owns agency performance end-to-end:
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Agencies default to delivering what’s asked
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Reporting focuses on outputs (clicks, impressions)
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Poor results are explained away, not fixed
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CAC rises while pipeline stalls
Isn’t the agency supposed to manage itself?
Agencies manage delivery, not your business outcomes. Without SME-side leadership:
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Agencies optimise their own channels
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Strategy fragments across specialists
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No one is accountable for total commercial impact
How many agencies is too many for an SME to manage?
More than one agency often creates problems if there is no single internal owner coordinating:
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Strategy
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Budget allocation
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Performance priorities
Multiple agencies without leadership increase complexity, cost, and risk.
What does good agency management look like in an SME?
Effective agency management includes:
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One clear commercial owner
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Outcomes tied to pipeline and revenue
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Regular prioritisation and de-prioritisation
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Budget moved based on performance
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Sales and marketing alignment
Is agency management the same as marketing leadership?
No. Agency management is about oversight and coordination.
Marketing leadership is about:
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Setting direction
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Making trade-offs
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Owning commercial results
Many SMEs have agencies but no marketing leadership.
When should an SME add dedicated marketing leadership?
Typically when:
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CAC starts rising
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Pipeline growth slows
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Multiple agencies are involved
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Founders feel unsure despite high activity
This is often the point where agency performance plateaus.
What’s the risk of leaving agency management “as is”?
The biggest risks are:
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Increasing spend without clarity
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Blame shifting between sales and marketing
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Loss of confidence in growth strategy
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Delayed corrective action
By the time issues are obvious, costs are already sunk.