The First 90 Days With a New Marketing Agency: An Outfitter Owner's Playbook
- Jun 1
- 12 min read
Updated: Jun 12
The first ninety days with a new marketing agency decide whether the relationship works. Get them right, and you build a foundation, a rhythm, and the early wins that justify the investment. Get them wrong, and you spend the season confused about what you are paying for, while the agency spins its wheels guessing at a business it never took time to understand. Most operators have never been told what the first ninety days should actually look like, so they cannot tell a good start from a bad one.
This playbook fixes that. It walks through what should happen in weeks one through twelve with a new agency, phase by phase, so you know what to expect, what to provide, and what to push back on. It is written for the operator, so you can hold any agency to a clean process. If your agency is not doing most of what follows, that is worth a conversation, and if you are still choosing one, this is the process to expect from anyone worth hiring.
A note on what the first ninety days are not. They are not the period when bookings pour in. Some channels, especially paid media, can generate early inquiries, but the real work of the first 90 days is building the foundation and learning, and the payoff from content, search, and brand compounds over the months that follow. An agency that promises a flood of bookings in the first month is setting an expectation it cannot meet. A good one is honest about what ninety days can and cannot do.
Before Day One: Setting the Relationship Up to Work
The ninety days go better when a few things are settled before the work starts. The scope, the deliverables, the cadence of communication, and the definition of success should already be in writing from the hiring process, so the first weeks are spent learning your business rather than renegotiating the deal. You should also know who your day-to-day contact is and how you will reach them, because a clear line of communication prevents most early friction.
On your side, gather access before the kickoff so the agency is not stuck waiting on logins for a month. That means access to your website, domain registrar, Google Business Profile, analytics, ad accounts, booking system, and social accounts. Confirm at the outset that you retain ownership of all of it. An agency that needs these to work should be given access to them, not handed ownership, and the difference matters if you ever part ways.
Finally, decide internally who on your team owns the relationship. Marketing works best when the agency has one clear point of contact on your side who can answer questions, approve work, and provide the on-the-ground knowledge no agency has. Naming that person before day one, and protecting a little of their time for it, is one of the highest-return things an operator can do to make the first ninety days productive.
Phase 1: Discovery and Foundation (Weeks 1 to 4)
The first month is about learning and groundwork, not output. A good agency spends these weeks understanding your operation in depth -- your verticals, your seasons, your booking funnel, your customers, your competitors, your margins, and your goals -- before it commits to a plan. If an agency hands you a finished strategy in week one, it is selling you a template, because it has not yet learned enough about your business to build anything tailored.
Expect a real discovery process in this phase. That includes a kickoff session where they ask you a great many questions; an audit of your current website, search presence, reviews, and analytics; a look at how customers actually find and book you today; and a competitive review of who else is winning in your market. They should also begin gathering or planning the raw materials they will need, especially photography and access to their knowledge of their own ground and water.
By the end of the first month, you should expect a clear picture of where you stand and a strategy
grounded in it. That usually takes the form of an audit of your current presence, a defined set of priorities, and a plan with goals and timelines for the months ahead. You should not expect much public-facing output yet. The work of weeks one through four is mostly invisible, and that is as it should be. The foundation is being poured.
What you should see by the end of week 4
A completed discovery and a documented understanding of your operation, verticals, and seasons.
An audit of your website, search presence, Google Business Profile, reviews, and analytics.
A competitive review of your market and where the opportunities are.
A prioritized strategy with goals and a timeline, in numbers, for the months ahead.
A clear plan for photography, content, and the access the agency needs from you.
Phase 2: Build and Launch (Weeks 5 to 8)
The second month is when the foundation becomes visible. With the strategy set, the agency starts building and shipping the core assets -- most often improvements to or a rebuild of the website, the first pieces of real content, the Google Business Profile optimization, and the technical SEO groundwork that makes everything else findable. This is where you begin to see tangible work, and where your timely review and approval keep things moving.
Expect the priorities to follow the strategy from phase one, focused on the highest-leverage work first. For most operations, that means getting the website right, because it is where every other channel sends people, and beginning the content and search work that compounds over time. If paid media is part of the plan, the early campaigns are often built and launched in this phase to start generating inquiries while the organic foundation is still being laid.
Your role in the build phase is to be responsive. The fastest way to stall the first ninety days is slow approvals and missing materials, so review work promptly, provide the photography and local knowledge the agency asks for, and make decisions when needed. A good agency will make it easy by giving you clear, specific items to approve rather than vague, open-ended questions, but the relationship is a partnership, and the build moves at the slower partner's pace.
What you should see by the end of week 8
Visible progress on the website -- improvements live or a rebuild well underway.
The first pieces of real, place-anchored content were produced and published.
Google Business Profile optimized and technical SEO groundwork in place.
Paid campaigns are built and launched if paid media is part of the plan.
A working rhythm of review and approval, and regular communication with your point of contact.
Phase 3: Momentum and First Results (Weeks 9 to 12)
The third month is when the program starts running as a system, and the first signals appear. The website is largely in place; content and search work are produced regularly; paid campaigns have enough data to optimize; and the agency shifts from building to running and refining. This is when you should begin to see early indicators, even if the full payoff is still months out.
Be clear-eyed about what those early results are. Paid media may be producing inquiries you can count. Search and content are usually still building, with rankings and traffic beginning to move but not yet at full strength, because organic results compound over many months. The honest signals at ninety days are leading indicators -- improving search visibility, growing traffic, more inquiries, and a stronger, more complete presence -- rather than a transformed booking calendar. An agency that understands this will frame the results that way.
By the end of the first ninety days, you should have a clear reporting rhythm and a frank conversation about what is working, what is not, and what comes next. The agency should report on metrics tied to bookings, not vanity numbers, and be honest about where the program is ahead of or behind plan. The ninety-day mark is the natural point to assess the relationship against the goals you set, and to confirm that the foundation is built and the momentum is real.
What you should see by the end of week 12
A functioning marketing system running across the website, content, search, and any paid media.
Early leading indicators -- improving search visibility, growing traffic, and more inquiries.
Regular reporting on metrics that tie to bookings, not vanity metrics.
An honest review against the goals you set, and a clear plan for the next quarter.
A working, communicative relationship you can see continuing.
What to Provide to Make the 90 Days Work
The agency cannot do its best work without your input, and the operators who get the most out of the first 90 days are the ones who show up as partners. Plan to provide the following.
Access to your website, domain, analytics, ad accounts, Google Business Profile, booking system, and social accounts -- with ownership retained by you.
Honest answers in discovery about your operation, your numbers, your goals, and what has and has not worked before.
Photography and video, or access for the agency to capture it, since real imagery of your ground and water is irreplaceable.
Your knowledge of your own water, ground, species, seasons, and customers, which no agency can supply.
Prompt review and approval, and a named point of contact who can make decisions.
Patience with the work that compounds, and pressure on the work that should produce early.
Red and Green Flags in the First 90 Days
The first ninety days reveal a great deal about whether you hired well. Watch for these signals.
Green flags
A real discovery process before any plan, and a strategy clearly grounded in your operation.
Clear communication, a named point of contact, and a steady reporting rhythm.
Honest framing of what ninety days can and cannot deliver, and reporting tied to bookings.
Visible foundational progress by the end of month two and a running system by the end of month three.
Comfort gives you ownership and access to everything they build and use.
Red flags
A finished strategy in week one, before they have learned anything about your business.
Promises of a flood of bookings in the first month.
Silence, missed check-ins, or a hard-to-reach contact.
Reporting built on vanity metrics with no link to inquiries or bookings.
Little visible progress by the end of the first ninety days, with vague explanations.
Work with Pine and Marsh
This playbook is, by design, a fair description of how a good agency runs a new engagement, and it is how Pine & Marsh runs ours. We spend the first month on real discovery and a strategy grounded in your operation; the second month building the foundation—starting with the website and the content and search work that compound; and the third month getting the system running and reporting on early, honest results tied to bookings. You always know who your contact is and where the work stands.
We are also clear from the start about what ninety days can and cannot do. Paid media can generate early inquiries, but durable wins come from content, search, and brand, which compound over the months that follow, and we would rather set that expectation honestly than promise a flood of bookings we cannot deliver. Throughout, you own your website, your content, your accounts, and your data, and you see reporting that connects the work to inquiries and booked trips.
If you are evaluating agencies, hold every one of them to the process in this playbook, including us, and notice who runs a clean first ninety days and who improvises. If you would like to discuss what your first 90 days could look like, reach out via the Pine & Marsh contact page. A good start is the best predictor of a good relationship, and it begins with a process you can see.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should happen in the first 90 days with a new marketing agency?
The first 90 days are about building a foundation and learning, not a flood of bookings. Expect month one to be discovery and strategy—the agency learning your operation, auditing your presence, and building a plan grounded in that learning. Month two focuses on building and launching the core assets, usually starting with the website and the initial content and search work. Month three is getting the system running and reporting honest early results, with a frank review against the goals you set.
How long before a marketing agency produces results?
It depends on the channel. Paid media can produce inquiries within the first weeks, but content, search, and brand-building compound over many months, so the honest signals at ninety days are leading indicators -- improving search visibility, growing traffic, more inquiries, a stronger presence -- rather than a transformed booking calendar. Durable organic results typically take several months to a year to reach their potential. Beware any agency promising a flood of bookings in month one.
What should I provide to a new marketing agency?
Provide access to your website, domain, analytics, ad accounts, Google Business Profile, booking system, and social accounts, with ownership retained by you. Give honest answers in discovery about your operation, numbers, and goals; supply photography and your knowledge of your own water, ground, species, and seasons; and offer prompt review and approval through a named point of contact. The operators who get the most out of the first 90 days show up as partners, not spectators.
What does a marketing agency do in the first month?
A good agency spends the first month on discovery and foundation, not output. Expect a kickoff session with many questions; an audit of your website, search presence, reviews, and analytics; a look at how customers find and book you today; a competitive review of your market; and the beginnings of content and photography planning. By the end of month one, you should have a clear picture of where you stand and a prioritized strategy with goals and timelines, but little public-facing output yet.
Is it normal not to see bookings in the first 90 days?
Yes. The first 90 days are mostly about foundation and learning, and while paid media can generate early inquiries, bookings from content, search, and brand compound over the following months. The honest measure at ninety days is leading indicators -- search visibility, traffic, inquiries, and a stronger presence -- not a transformed calendar. An agency that promises a flood of bookings in the first month is setting an expectation it cannot meet.
What are the signs a new agency relationship is going well?
Green flags include a real discovery process before any plan, a strategy clearly grounded in your operation, clear communication through a named point of contact, a steady reporting rhythm, honest framing of what ninety days can deliver, visible foundational progress by month two and a running system by month three, and comfort giving you ownership and access to everything the agency builds and uses.
What are the warning signs in the first 90 days with an agency?
Red flags include a finished strategy in week one before the agency has learned anything about your business, promises of a flood of bookings in the first month, silence or a hard-to-reach contact, reporting built on vanity metrics with no link to bookings, and little visible progress by the end of ninety days with vague explanations. Any of these is worth a direct conversation, and a pattern of them is worth reconsidering the relationship.
Who should be my point of contact with a marketing agency?
You should know your day-to-day contact at the agency from the start and how to reach them, and ideally, you should be in regular contact with the person actually doing your work, not only a salesperson. On your side, name one person who owns the relationship, can answer questions, approve work, and provide on-the-ground knowledge. A clear line of communication on both sides prevents most early friction and keeps the first ninety days moving.
Should a new agency rebuild my website first?
Often, yes. For most operations, the website is the foundation every other channel sends people to, so getting it right is usually among the first priorities in the build phase, in month two. If your existing site is solid, the agency may improve rather than rebuild it and move faster to content and search. Either way, the website work should follow from the strategy set in month one, not precede the discovery that justifies it.
How should a new agency report results in the first 90 days?
On metrics that tie to bookings, not vanity numbers, with a steady rhythm and honest framing. Expect leading indicators at 90 days -- search visibility, traffic, inquiries, and a more complete presence -- rather than a transformed booking calendar, and a frank review of what is ahead of or behind plan relative to the goals you set at the start. Insist on direct access to your own analytics and ad accounts so you can verify the reporting.
What should I have settled before the agency starts?
Settle the scope, deliverables, communication cadence, and definition of success in writing during hiring, so the first weeks are spent learning your business rather than renegotiating. Gather access to your website, accounts, and data before kickoff, with ownership retained by you, and name the person on your team who will own the relationship. Walking into day one with these settled lets the agency spend month one on discovery instead of logistics.
How do I evaluate the agency at the 90-day mark?
Assess the relationship against the goals you set at the start. By ninety days, you should have a functioning system across website, content, search, and any paid media, early leading indicators moving in the right direction, reporting tied to bookings, clear communication, and an honest review of what is working and what is next. If the foundation is built and the momentum is real, the relationship is on track; if there is little to show and only vague explanations, it is time for a direct conversation.
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