Article
Onboarding With a New Agency: What to Do in the First 30 Days
You have chosen an agency, signed the contract and paid the deposit. Now what? Many businesses expect the agency to take it from here. In reality, the first month sets the tone for the whole relationship. A smooth onboarding leads to faster results and fewer misunderstandings. A messy one can leave both sides frustrated before any real work begins.
Here is a practical checklist for the first 30 days with a new agency, whether you hired them for a website, marketing, social media or ads.
The first two weeks
Week 1: Kickoff and foundations
Hold a proper kickoff meeting
Bring together the key people from both sides. Cover:
- Business background, goals and priorities
- The scope of work and what success looks like
- Key dates, such as launches, events or campaigns
- Roles and responsibilities on both sides
- How decisions and approvals will work
Ask the agency to share a written summary afterwards. It becomes your shared reference.
Name your main contacts
Decide who in your business is the main contact and who gives final approval. Ask the agency to do the same. Clear contacts prevent messages going to the wrong people. Our guide to approval workflows helps you set this up.
Week 1 to 2: Access and assets
Provide account access properly
Give the agency the access they need, without handing over ownership. This may include your website admin, hosting, Google Analytics, Search Console, Google Business Profile, Meta Business portfolio and ad accounts. Use proper user permissions rather than sharing your personal passwords. Read our article on who should own your accounts.
Share brand assets
Collect and share:
- Logo files in high resolution and various formats
- Brand guidelines, colours and fonts
- Photos, videos and past marketing materials
- Product or service information and price lists
- Testimonials and case studies
Tip: create one shared folder for the agency with clear subfolders. It saves hours of searching and repeated requests later.
Week 2: Deep dive into your customers
The agency needs to understand your customers as well as you do. Share:
- Who your best customers are and why they buy
- Common questions and objections
- What competitors do and how you differ
- Past results from marketing efforts, good and bad
If possible, let the agency speak with a few customers or frontline staff. Sales and customer service teams hear things that never reach management.
The second half of the month
Week 2 to 3: Agree on goals and measurement
Confirm the goals and KPIs you will use to judge success, and how they will be tracked. Make sure tracking is in place before campaigns start, such as conversion tracking on your website and ads. Our article on agency KPIs can guide this conversation.
Agree on what a monthly report should include and when it will arrive.
Week 3: Set the communication rhythm
Decide how and when you will communicate:
- A regular check-in call, weekly or fortnightly at the start
- A monthly review of results
- The main channel for daily communication, such as email, a project tool or a shared chat group
- Expected response times on both sides
Agreeing on this early prevents the common frustration of feeling ignored or overwhelmed by messages.
Week 3 to 4: Aim for early wins
Early progress builds confidence. Ask the agency to identify a few quick wins in the first month, such as:
- Fixing obvious issues on your website, like broken links or slow pages
- Updating your Google Business Profile with accurate information and new photos
- Launching a first small ad test
- Publishing a first batch of content
Quick wins show momentum while bigger projects are underway.
End of month: Review together
At the end of the first month, hold a short review. Discuss what went well, what was confusing and what should change. This is the best time to adjust processes, before habits set in.
Your responsibilities as a client
Onboarding is a two-way process. The agency can only move as fast as you provide access, assets, information and feedback. Block time in your calendar for the agency during the first month. It pays off quickly.
Common onboarding mistakes
The most common mistake is treating onboarding as a formality. Businesses rush through the kickoff, forget to share important context, such as a product launch next month or a past campaign that went badly, and then wonder why early work misses the mark. Another mistake is giving access in bits and pieces over several weeks, which keeps the agency waiting. A third is expecting big results in the first month while the foundations are still being set up. Be patient in month one, but be demanding about clarity, organisation and communication.
FAQ
How long should agency onboarding take?
Most onboarding happens in the first two to four weeks, though complex projects may take longer. Speed depends a lot on how quickly the client provides access and information.
Should I pay for onboarding separately?
Some agencies include onboarding in their fees, while others charge for discovery or setup. Check your proposal.
What if the agency does not run a kickoff meeting?
Ask for one. A kickoff is a basic step that prevents misunderstandings and aligns both teams.
A strong first month sets your agency relationship up for success. Kick off properly, provide access and assets, share customer insights, agree on goals, set a communication rhythm and aim for early wins.