📌 Questions to Ask Your Marketing Agency to Find Out If They’re Just Outsourcing Your Work to Offshore VAs

💨 If you’re paying thousands for marketing and getting copy-paste results, it’s time to find out if your agency is actually doing the work—or just marking up VA labor 10x and calling it “high-level strategy.”

🚀 Here’s how to find out if they’re phoning it in while charging you premium rates.

📌 THE QUESTIONS THAT WILL EXPOSE A LOW-EFFORT AGENCY

1️⃣ Who is actually writing the copy for my account?

✔ Red Flag: If they won’t tell you, or they say “our expert team handles everything.”
✔ What to Listen For: A real agency will introduce you to the people working on your account. If they dodge this, they’re outsourcing.

2️⃣ Where is your team based?

✔ Red Flag: They say they have an “international team” but won’t specify locations.
✔ What to Listen For: If you’re paying for high-level marketing, but your work is being done in bulk by low-cost freelancers, you’re getting scammed.

3️⃣ How much of my work is done in-house vs. outsourced?

✔ Red Flag: If they say something vague like, “We have a global network of experts.”
✔ What to Listen For: They should be clear about which parts of your work are handled internally vs. outsourced.

4️⃣ Can you send me detailed reports on what’s being worked on each month?

✔ Red Flag: If they only send vague reports like “We optimized your SEO” without specifics.
✔ What to Listen For: Agencies that outsource often don’t track work properly—because they don’t actually know what their VAs are doing.

5️⃣ What tools and software do you use for SEO, social media, and content creation?

✔ Red Flag: If they won’t tell you or pretend everything is done manually (it’s not).
✔ What to Listen For: Many agencies rely on AI-generated content but still charge as if humans are writing it.

6️⃣ Can you show me the strategy you’re using and why?

✔ Red Flag: If they can’t walk you through a custom plan for YOUR business.
✔ What to Listen For: A real agency should have a clear, strategic reason for every move they make.

7️⃣ Can I meet the person who writes my content / runs my ads / manages my SEO?

✔ Red Flag: If they dodge the request or say “we don’t do that.”
✔ What to Listen For: You’re paying premium prices—you should know who’s handling your business.

8️⃣ If I wanted to hire my own virtual assistant, what would they need to do?

✔ Red Flag: If they freak out or try to convince you that it’s “too complicated” to do yourself.
✔ What to Listen For: If they panic, it’s because you can literally replace them with a VA for 1/10th of the cost.

📌 FINAL THOUGHTS: If They Can’t Answer These, You’re Getting Scammed

If your agency dodges, deflects, or refuses to answer these questions, guess what? They’re outsourcing your work to low-cost freelancers while charging you premium rates.

🚀 The smart move? Learn how to take control of your own marketing—without an overpriced agency.