Bringing a digital marketing agency on board is a big, exciting step! But it’s also a significant investment, which is why understanding the first 90 days digital marketing agency relationship is so critical. Think of this phase as your launchpad: it sets the tone and defines the path for everything that follows.
When you know exactly what to expect in these foundational three months, you can participate actively, hold your new partners accountable, and feel confident that the engagement is moving in the right direction. Consequently, this guide breaks down the essential monthly deliverables, the key actions the agency needs to take, and the ideal meeting cadence for each phase of your new partnership.
Phase 1: The First 30 Days (Discovery & Strategy Foundations)
Your first month is all about diving deep, gathering the necessary intel, and getting everything ready for takeoff. To begin, this discovery phase is totally collaborative, and your input is essential, even if it feels intensive.
First 90 Days Digital Marketing Agency: Audits and Discovery
The first official step is comprehensive onboarding. This means giving the agency the necessary keys (access to Google Analytics, Search Console, CRM, Ad Accounts, etc.) and introducing your core team.
The agency should focus heavily during these first 30 days on executing critical audits across all your channels. Specifically, you should expect the agency to be deep in the weeds reviewing:
- SEO Audit: A technical health check (site speed, structure, indexation), a look at your current content performance, and a deep competitive analysis.
- PPC/Paid Media Audit: A review of your existing campaign setup, current budget efficiency, ad creative performance, and, most importantly, ensuring that conversion tracking works flawlessly.
- Content & Social Audit: An assessment of content gaps, what your audience is actually engaging with, and the overall quality of your existing social media presence.
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Audit: An initial look at your landing pages, user experience (UX), and where people might be dropping off in your conversion funnel.
By the time this period wraps up, the agency should present its key findings and clearly articulate your current state—the baseline. Furthermore, they should solidify the high-level goals and the primary KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that will measure success, such as Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), or qualified lead volume.
Key Deliverables by Day 30:
- Audit Reports: Detailed documents summarizing your current performance and identifying the major opportunities.
- Initial Goal Alignment: A documented agreement on your primary business and marketing objectives.
- Access Checklist: Confirmation that all necessary platforms are accessed and correctly configured.
Phase 2: The Second 30 Days (Planning & Quick Wins)
With the research done, the second month is where the rubber meets the road. However, it shifts from analysis into creating a clear, actionable roadmap.
First 90 Days Digital Marketing Agency: Strategy and Implementation Plan
The agency finalizes the strategy—this is the single most important deliverable of the second 30 days. This document should blend the audit findings with your business goals, detailing the proposed campaigns, content pillars, channel prioritization, and how budget will be allocated. Ultimately, it answers the question, “Okay, now what are we actually going to do?”
After you approve the strategy, the agency will draft the detailed implementation plan. This project charter outlines specific tasks, identifies the team members responsible, sets expected timelines, and defines the measurable outputs for the next several months. Importantly, it must clearly separate the long-term, foundational work (like major website architecture changes) from immediate, high-value actions.
This month is also crucial for identifying and executing quick wins. These are low-hanging fruit identified during the audits (e.g., pausing an underperforming ad set, fixing a critical error, or optimizing a high-traffic title tag). While they won’t define your long-term future, they build early confidence and show the agency can move fast.
The ideal meeting cadence during the first 60 days should include a weekly check-in (30 minutes) focused on task progress, access issues, and rapid data reviews. Therefore, a major, dedicated strategy presentation meeting (60–90 minutes) should take place mid-month.
Key Deliverables by Day 60:
- Finalized Strategy Document: The comprehensive playbook for the next 6–12 months.
- Implementation Plan: A task-level roadmap ready for immediate execution.
- Initial Quick Wins Execution: A report showing the immediate results of these early, high-impact changes.
Phase 3: The Third 30 Days (Execution & Reporting Launch)
Finally, the first 90 days digital marketing agency engagement culminates in the final 30 days of action. You should see the first elements of the implementation plan taking shape, with the agency launching new ad creatives and rolling out initial content drafts.
First 90 Days Digital Marketing Agency: Execution and Reporting
The agency now operationalizes the strategy—they create campaigns, launch new content, and begin the continuous work of testing and optimization.
A key deliverable of this final month is the setup and presentation of formal reporting. You should have access to a live dashboard or a comprehensive monthly report template that clearly tracks the agreed-upon KPIs. The report must prioritize outcomes, not just activities. In plain English, it should focus on business results (leads, revenue, cost efficiency) rather than on “we posted 15 times” or other vanity metrics.
At the close of this period, you’ll receive your first formal monthly deliverables report. This reviews the full 60–90 days, analyzes performance against KPIs, and makes adjustments to the strategy based on early market data. If the agency secured quick wins, this report should quantify their impact, while simultaneously setting realistic expectations for the longer-term results derived from the deeper strategy.
Key Deliverables by Day 90:
- First Formal Performance Report: A comprehensive review of the 60–90 day progress against goals and baseline data.
- Updated Strategy Adjustment: Small, data-driven tweaks to the plan moving into the next quarter.
- Ongoing Execution: Clear evidence that campaigns, content, and technical changes are actively being deployed.
Navigating the First 90 Days Digital Marketing Agency: Red Flags to Watch For
No relationship is perfect, but there are a few critical red flags that signal your partnership might be headed for trouble. In summary, trust your gut—if you see these consistently after the 30-day mark, it’s time to speak up. (You may want to review resources on managing agency red flags for additional guidance.)
- Lack of Proactivity: You’re constantly chasing the agency for updates, deliverables, or access. They should be leading the charge.
- Vague Reporting: Reports focus solely on high-level or vanity metrics without clear ties to your business KPIs (e.g., “We got many impressions!” but zero mention of lead volume or CPA).
- Missed Deliverables: Failure to complete the core agreed-upon audits or deliver the strategy document on time.
- Poor Communication: Unanswered emails, unclear explanations, or constantly shifting your primary point of contact without notification.
- Ignoring Feedback: The agency pushes their own agenda without effectively integrating your industry knowledge or feedback into the implementation plan.
Ultimately, the first 90 days digital marketing agency partnership sets the tone for everything that follows. By ensuring the agency completes thorough audits, presents a clear strategy and implementation plan, and commits to transparent reporting focused on real KPIs, you establish a partnership built on accountability and mutual success.
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