Every agency will say they "get" beauty. Here's what actually separates one that does from one that's guessing, and what to ask before you hand over your ad account.
01 · Ask to see it, not hear about it
Real client work you can click on
Beauty marketing lives or dies on visual proof, so an agency's own portfolio should look like the kind of content that actually gets a service booked, not a generic slide of logos. Ask to see live client Instagram or TikTok accounts, real before-and-after galleries, and booking pages they've actually built.
- Ask for live client accounts, not screenshots
- Ask which booking platforms they've integrated with (Vagaro, Booksy, Fresha, GlossGenius)
02 · No mystery retainers
Pricing you can see before you sign
Beauty businesses tend to run on thinner margins than a lot of other industries, so a hidden markup on your ad budget hurts more here. Ask exactly how the fee is calculated and whether it comes out of your ad budget or sits on top of it. Ours is public: 10% of your monthly ad budget, $600/mo minimum, and your ad budget goes to Google in full.
See real pricing
03 · Stylists change, your contract shouldn't trap you
Month-to-month, not a year you can't undo
Salons and spas deal with seasonal swings like bridal season and holiday gift cards, plus staff who come and go, so a plan that fit in January can be wrong by June. A 12-month contract signed today can lock you into work that no longer matches your team. We run month-to-month with a 30-day guarantee: if the first 30 days don't show real work and results, that month is free.
04 · Bookings, not vanity metrics
Reports tied to booked appointments, not likes
Impressions and follower counts don't fill a chair. Ask how the agency connects ad and SEO performance back to your actual booking platform, so you're looking at real confirmed appointments, not just clicks or reach. If a report can't answer how many chairs it filled, it isn't telling you what you need to know.
05 · Your reviews, your name
You own your accounts, reviews, and data
Your Google Business Profile and years of client reviews are some of the most valuable things your business has. Make sure any agency builds your ads, website, and analytics under accounts in your name, not theirs, so nothing disappears if you ever decide to leave.
