The category is not the problem
Most briefs start with a channel: we need social, we need SEO, we need performance. That is a decision already made, usually by whoever spoke last. The agencies that win the pitch are the ones best at the channel you named, which is a different thing from the ones best at the outcome you wanted.
A useful brief names the outcome and the constraint, then lets the shortlist argue about the channel. It also produces more comparable proposals, because everyone is answering the same question.
What an agency is actually selling
Three things, priced as one: attention from senior people, execution capacity from junior people, and access to tools and data you do not want to buy yourself. The ratio between them is the whole deal, and it is rarely written down.
Ask for the split. A retainer that looks generous at the top line can be four days of a strategist and sixteen of a coordinator, and that is a fine arrangement provided you knew.
Amsterdam specifics worth knowing
The city carries a dense layer of international teams, which means English-first work, high senior rates and a lot of movement between agencies. Continuity of people is a fair thing to negotiate for, and an unusual thing to be offered.
Notice periods here are commonly one to three months on retainers. That is the real length of your commitment, whatever the contract term says, and it should shape how much you hand over at once.
Nine categories
- 01The best Marketing Agencies in Amsterdam
- 02The best Digital Marketing Agencies in Amsterdam
- 03The best Online Marketing Agencies in Amsterdam
- 04The best Advertising Agencies in Amsterdam
- 05The best Online Advertising Agencies in Amsterdam
- 06The best Social Media Agencies in Amsterdam
- 07The best Content Marketing Agencies in Amsterdam
- 08The best Growth Hacking Agencies in Amsterdam
- 09The best Mobile Marketing Agencies in Amsterdam