How to choose a marketing agency in Egypt: 10 questions
Ten questions to ask any digital marketing agency in Egypt or the Gulf before you sign — on ownership, results, reporting, Arabic copy and what happens if you stop.
Abdelrahman Afifi Founder & CEO, Ad Holic
Before you start: know what you are hiring for
Write down, in one line, what has to change in the next six months — more leads, more sales from the website, a brand people recognise, or content you no longer have to chase. Agencies are good at different things, and the right one for "we need leads next month" is rarely the right one for "we need a brand from scratch".
The 10 questions to ask
1. Will the ad accounts, pages and data be in my name?
The answer should be yes, without hesitation. Your Meta Business account, ad accounts, pixel, Google Ads, website domain and hosting should belong to your business, with the agency given access. If you part ways, you keep the history, the audiences and the data you paid for.
2. Who will actually work on my account?
The person in the sales meeting is often not the person running your campaigns. Ask to meet the media buyer and the content lead, and ask how many other accounts each of them handles.
3. Can I see live work and real numbers?
Ask for campaigns with costs per lead or per sale, not just reach and likes, and for websites you can open today. Client names can be hidden; the numbers should not be.
4. What will you measure, and what is a good result?
A good agency agrees one main number with you before spending anything — cost per qualified lead, cost per sale, booked appointments — and tells you what a realistic target is for your market and budget.
5. What is in the monthly fee, and is ad spend separate?
It almost always should be separate. Ask exactly what the fee covers: how many designs and videos, which platforms, how much copywriting, moderation, reporting and meetings.
6. How and how often will you report?
Monthly at minimum, with spend, results, cost per result and what is changing next. Better still: access to the live accounts so you never have to wait for a PDF.
7. Who writes the Arabic, and for which audience?
Egyptian and Gulf audiences respond to different words. Ask whether copy is written in Arabic from the start, by whom, and for which market.
8. Who makes the content?
In-house designers and video editors, freelancers, or you? If the agency buys media but you must supply the creative, the results will only be as good as what you can produce.
9. What happens if we stop?
Look for a reasonable notice period, a clean handover of accounts and files, and no fees for "releasing" what is already yours.
10. Will you tell me if the budget is too small?
The honest answer sometimes is: not yet. An agency that will take any budget for any goal is selling hours, not results.
Red flags
- Guaranteed results — a fixed number of leads, sales or followers. No one controls the auction.
- Accounts kept in the agency's name, or access you have to ask for.
- Long lock-in contracts before you have seen any results.
- No tracking plan — if they cannot say how a lead will be traced to an ad, they cannot improve it.
- A price with no scope — one figure with no list of what it covers.
Agency, freelancer or in-house team?
| Agency | Freelancer | In-house team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Monthly fee | Lowest | Salaries, tools and management |
| Range of skills | Strategy, ads, content, design, web | Usually one or two skills | What you hire for |
| Continuity | Not tied to one person | Depends on one person | Yours, if people stay |
| Speed to start | Fast | Fast | Slow: hiring and training |
| Best for | Businesses that need several skills working together | A single clear task | Large, steady marketing budgets |
Many growing businesses start with an agency, then bring one or two roles in-house once they know what works.
A simple way to compare agencies
Score each agency from 1 to 5 on each line, and weight the first three double:
| Question | Weight |
|---|---|
| Ownership: everything in your name | ×2 |
| Proof: live work with real numbers | ×2 |
| Clarity: one agreed number and a realistic target | ×2 |
| The people you will actually work with | ×1 |
| Arabic copy and content made in-house | ×1 |
| Reporting and access | ×1 |
| Fair terms if you stop | ×1 |
The highest score is not always the cheapest agency — but it is usually the one whose cost you can justify six months later.
Common questions
How much does a digital marketing agency cost in Egypt?
It depends on scope: which platforms, how much content, and whether a website or brand is included. Ask for the scope in writing next to the price. Our own guide prices are on the pricing page.
How long before I know whether an agency is working?
Give paid campaigns about a month of steady spend with tracking in place. Content and brand work take longer to show in the numbers, but you should see the plan, the output and the reports from the first month.
If you want to put these questions to us, start here — or read what media buying is first.