How to Choose a Digital Marketing Agency in Kenya: 15 Questions, Red Flags and a Scorecard
To choose a digital marketing agency in Kenya, shortlist three agencies with case studies in your industry, ask how they will measure enquiries and sales, confirm you will own every account and file, check who actually does the work, and start with a 3-month agreement tied to agreed numbers rather than a 12-month lock-in.
There are hundreds of agencies in Nairobi alone, and almost all of them say the same things: "results-driven", "award-winning", "a team of experts". None of those words tell you whether your phone will ring more next quarter.
This guide is written for Kenyan business owners and marketing managers who are about to sign a retainer and want to get it right the first time. It is also, frankly, how we would want to be judged.
Step 1: Decide what you are actually buying
Before you speak to any agency, write down the business result you want in one sentence. "More followers" is not a result. "Twenty qualified enquiries a month for our Kitengela plots" is. "Fill our Saturday tables" is. Agencies sell very different things under the same name, and your sentence decides which kind you need:
- Brand and content studios make you look good: identity, photography, video, social content.
- Performance agencies buy traffic: Google Ads, Meta Ads, TikTok Ads.
- SEO and web agencies build websites and organic search visibility.
- Full-service or sales-engine agencies connect all of the above to lead capture and follow-up.
Step 2: Shortlist with evidence, not adverts
Google "digital marketing agency in Kenya" and you will see whoever spends the most on ads or has the oldest domain. That is a signal of marketing budget, not of results for you. Better ways to shortlist:
- Ask business owners in your industry who they use and whether they would hire them again.
- Look for case studies that name a client and describe the problem, the work and the outcome.
- Check their own Google Business Profile reviews, read the negative ones, and see how they replied.
- Look at the agency’s own website and social pages. If they cannot market themselves, be careful.
Step 3: Ask these 15 questions
About results
- What result do you think is realistic for us in 90 days, and how will we measure it?
- Can you show a client in a similar industry, and what changed in their enquiries or sales?
- What will you report to us every month, and will it include cost per lead?
- What happens if the agreed numbers are not reached?
About the work
- Who exactly will work on our account, and how senior are they?
- Is any part of the work outsourced or white-labelled?
- How many posts, videos, ads or articles do we get per month?
- Who produces photography and video, and is it original or stock?
- What do you need from us every week to do this well?
About ownership and money
- Will we own the ad accounts, website, domain, analytics and content?
- Is ad spend paid by us directly to the platforms, or through you?
- Are your prices inclusive or exclusive of 16% VAT, and do you issue eTIMS invoices?
- What is the notice period, and what do we receive when we leave?
- Are there setup fees, software costs or extra charges for revisions?
- Can we start with a 3-month agreement instead of 12?
Red flags that should end the conversation
| Red flag | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Guaranteed #1 Google rankings | Nobody controls Google. Guarantees usually mean spammy tactics or ranking for keywords nobody searches. |
| Ad accounts in the agency’s name | If you leave, your pixel data, audiences and history leave with them. |
| Reports full of reach and impressions | Vanity metrics hide the absence of enquiries. |
| Promises of followers or "viral" content | Followers can be bought. Customers cannot. |
| 12-month lock-in from day one | A confident agency lets results earn the renewal. |
| The pitch team never appears again | The senior people who sell you are not always the people who serve you. |
| No questions about your sales process | Marketing that ignores how you close deals produces leads nobody follows up. |
Step 4: Score your shortlist
Give each agency a score from 1 to 5 on these criteria, multiply by the weight, and compare totals. It takes the emotion out of the decision.
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Relevant case studies with real outcomes | ×3 |
| Clear measurement and reporting of leads | ×3 |
| Seniority of the people doing the work | ×2 |
| You own every account and asset | ×2 |
| Quality of their own brand and website | ×1 |
| Price transparency and contract terms | ×1 |
Do awards matter?
Awards show an agency can enter awards and present work well. Some industry awards in Kenya are judged rigorously; others are paid entries. Treat an award as a tie-breaker, never as proof. A named client who will take your call is worth more than any trophy.
What a good first 90 days looks like
- Weeks 1–2: discovery, audit of your website, ads and social, competitor review, and tracking set up so every enquiry is counted.
- Weeks 3–6: fix the foundations: landing pages, Google Business Profile, offer and messaging, first content shoot.
- Weeks 7–12: campaigns running, weekly optimisation, and a 90-day review against the numbers you agreed at the start.
If an agency wants to start posting on day two without understanding your customer, that tells you how the rest of the year will go. For a deeper look at what should happen in an SEO retainer specifically, read what happens in a monthly SEO and AI search retainer.
How Nimus answers these questions
Nimus Creatives is a Nairobi agency led by Victor Nimus. You own every account, file and website we build. Ad spend goes straight from you to the platforms. Starting prices are public on our pricing page, and the first call is a free, honest conversation, sometimes ending with "you do not need us yet". Our process starts with strategy and tracking, because a sales engine is only as good as its ability to show you where every lead came from. You can see real projects on our work page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a digital marketing agency in Kenya charge?
Kenyan agencies typically charge KES 30,000 to 60,000 a month for a single-channel service, KES 60,000 to 150,000 for a multi-channel retainer and KES 150,000 to 400,000 or more for full-service work. Ad spend and 16% VAT are usually extra. See our full digital marketing price list for Kenya.
Should I choose a big agency or a small one?
Choose the agency whose senior people will actually work on your account. Large agencies suit big multi-market budgets; smaller specialist agencies often give SMEs more senior attention per shilling. Ask who does the work, not how many staff the agency has.
How long should I give an agency before judging results?
Paid ads should show measurable enquiries within 30 to 60 days. Content and social media usually need 60 to 90 days. SEO typically needs 4 to 6 months. Agree on leading indicators for each month so you are not waiting blind.
What should a digital marketing contract in Kenya include?
A good contract lists monthly deliverables, who owns accounts and content, payment and VAT terms, the notice period, confidentiality, data protection responsibilities under Kenya’s Data Protection Act 2019, and what the agency hands over when the relationship ends.
Want This Built For Your Business?
This is exactly the kind of thing we build. Book a free call and I'll tell you where to start.
