It Feels Like My Marketing Company Only Does Tasks—How Do I Align Them with My Business Goals?

I recently had a conversation with a small business owner who was expressing his frustrations about his current marketing company.

“It feels like my current marketing company doesn’t care about setting goals—they just do tasks. I’m not seeing any real progress or strategic alignment with my business goals.”

To be completely honest, I get the frustration. I see this a lot before clients start with us. Many business owners experience this frustration when their marketing agency is more focused on checking off tasks than delivering results that actually impact business growth. The reality is, marketing should always start with your business goals, not just a laundry list of activities.

If you’re stuck in this situation, here’s how you can course-correct and ensure your marketing strategy is truly aligned with your goals:

1. Start the Conversation

Set up a meeting with your marketing company to discuss your broader business objectives. Ask yourself: what are your top priorities? Are you looking to increase revenue by a specific percentage? Break into a new market? Build stronger customer retention?

Your marketing strategy should reflect these goals from the very beginning. If your agency isn’t asking about your business goals, it’s a red flag. Open the conversation and ensure their tasks are tied to driving real outcomes.

2. Demand Goal-Setting

Goal-setting is critical to success. Ask your marketing team to work with you on setting specific, measurable goals (like increasing leads by 20% in Q1 or improving customer lifetime value by 15% over the next year).

A marketing company that’s committed to your growth will provide a clear roadmap that ties the work they’re doing to the results you want. Without concrete goals, all you’re paying for are activities without knowing how they’ll move the needle.

3. Track KPIs, Not Just Tasks

If your monthly reports only show how many social posts were made or how many emails were sent, that’s not enough. Your marketing company should be tracking the right metrics that reflect your business goals.

Here are some key KPIs you should be tracking:

• Conversion rates: How many leads are turning into paying customers?
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC): How much are you spending to acquire a new customer?
• Lead generation: How many qualified leads are coming in from your marketing efforts?

These metrics give you insight into the effectiveness of your marketing, instead of just focusing on the quantity of tasks completed. Always ask for reports that show the impact of those efforts.

4. Review & Adjust Regularly

Marketing isn’t static—it needs regular check-ins to stay aligned with your goals. Schedule monthly or quarterly reviews with your marketing company to look at performance data, see what’s working, and make adjustments as needed.

Your marketing partner should be flexible and data-driven—ready to pivot if something isn’t delivering results. If your marketing team isn’t open to these review sessions, it might be time to reconsider the relationship.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, your marketing efforts should always serve your business goals. If your current marketing company isn’t working toward strategic goals or if you feel like you’re paying for tasks rather than results, it may be time to re-evaluate the partnership.

Your marketing team should be your partner in growth, not just a task-doer. If they’re not invested in helping you achieve real outcomes, it’s time to find someone who is.

If your current marketing vendor isn’t aligning their efforts with your business goals, it’s time to reconsider that partnership. Marketing should be more than just checking off tasks—it should drive real results.

At Strategy Leaders, we don’t just execute—we always start with strategy. Our approach is built around understanding your business, setting clear, measurable goals, and crafting a marketing plan that delivers growth.

Stop settling for busywork and start seeing real progress. Let’s create a strategy that works for your business.

If you'd like to chat about making a change, Book a Meeting with Me, let's chat!