How to choose an SMM agency: what to check before signing

Give both candidates the same brief

Describe your product, the cities you sell in, how customers order and what is getting in the way. Perhaps the account does not explain a complex service, content is irregular, or advertising brings enquiries that nobody handles. These are different problems: one may need better content, another better ad setup or enquiry handling.

Give both teams the same inputs: links to existing channels, available materials, production constraints and the overall budget. State who on your side approves content and handles sales. Ask what the team would do first and why. You will then compare ways of solving the same problem, rather than two different packages with similar names.

Find out who will work with your product

Clarify the roles: who plans content, writes, films, edits, runs ads and prepares reports? One person may cover several tasks; what matters is a clear workload, available capacity and cover during absences. Ask for the project contact and a walkthrough of how a piece of content moves from idea to approval and publication.

For shoots in Almaty or another city, establish who attends, how much time is included and how travel beyond the agreed area is charged. For Kazakh and Russian content, ask who writes and proofreads each language. Review samples in the version you need: a translation alone does not show how clearly the offer will read to your audience.

Examine the case, not just its cover

Ask for a project with a similar objective. It need not be in the same industry, but the buying process and decision cycle should be comparable. For content, assess how clearly it presents the product, the filming and the sequence of materials. For advertising, check the campaign objective, dates, spend and definition of a result. Establish which work this team actually performed.

Reach, a follow, a conversation started and a sale are different events. If a case says 'leads', ask whether it counts button clicks, messages or enquiries checked by a manager. Sales need separate evidence, such as CRM records. Missing sales data does not invalidate the content or advertising, but it limits conclusions about returns. Request client feedback through the agency and with that client's consent.

Compare estimates with the same scope

Separate the team fee, media spend and material production. Establish which shoots are already included in the fee so you do not count them twice. Check languages, platforms, publications, Reels, Stories, revision rounds and reporting. If Reels are part of the total publication count, the proposal should make that clear.

See SMM DRUG's current VAT-inclusive prices and package scope on the linked Instagram management page, where they are updated with the price book. Ask the other candidate to describe its scope, state whether VAT is included and list possible extras. Check media spend separately: who receives the payment and where you can see actual expenditure.

Discuss access, materials and responsibilities

Your business should retain working access to its accounts, ad accounts and analytics data. Before starting, check who controls account recovery and the contact details used to sign in. Give the team access through the platform's available roles rather than sharing a common password without control. Agree how access will be removed when the work ends.

Questions for the contract include which materials are handed over, whether source files are included, how usage rights and third-party licence restrictions are described, who checks product information, who approves publication and who handles enquiries. Clarify revisions, approval delays and payment. These are points for discussing terms, not a legal assessment of a particular contract; review disputed clauses with a qualified specialist.

Compare answers and agree review points

Complete the same checklist for each proposal. Record not only the price, but what is defined, what needs clarification and what remains your responsibility. Discuss unclear items first: an answer missing from a presentation does not mean the team cannot do the work.

Before launch, set dates for the first plan and report. Agree which data will be needed before changing advertising: one weak day does not establish the quality of the whole engagement. Discuss completion and handover arrangements in advance.

• Which objective are we addressing, for which cities and in which languages?
• Who is responsible for the project, filming, advertising and approvals?
• What is included, what is charged separately and what determines any extra fee?
• Which materials and access do you need from us to start?
• What do we measure, where do the data come from and who checks enquiry quality?
• When do we review the first plan and report, and what happens if we miss the agreed objective?
• How do we end the engagement: which files, reports and access are handed over?