Alright, not sure if this is me venting or looking for advice, but I figured I’d throw it out there.

I run a small e-commerce brand and decided to hire a marketing agency that came highly recommended. They talked a big game — said they’d help scale the business fast, showed off some slick case studies, and honestly, it all sounded solid.

Six months and $12k later… I’m sitting here wondering what I actually paid for. Website traffic went up a little, but sales? Barely moved. The reports they sent looked super professional, but most of it felt like fluff — nothing that actually helped grow the business.

I’m not totally against agencies, but I’m starting to think they just aren’t built for small brands like mine that need results, not just pretty presentations.

So I’m curious — has anyone here actually had a good experience with a marketing agency that delivered real results? Or are freelancers/in-house people just the better way to go these days?

Would love to hear what’s worked for you — wins or regrets, I’m all ears.