01
They quote without a prior audit
An agency that prices without reviewing your current situation is guessing. If they do not know where you stand, they cannot tell you what it costs to get where you want to go.
Real pricing · no taboos
How much does a marketing agency cost?
The real ranges. No taboos.
Too many agencies charge between €500 and €15,000/month with no one explaining what sets them apart. This page does. What every level includes, which signals reveal an agency that is expensive simply because it is, and how to validate whether the price is fair before signing anything.
6 signals
When the price does not reflect the value.
02
Contract KPIs are visits and impressions
Visits and reach are activity metrics, not business metrics. If the contract does not mention leads, cost per acquisition or revenue, they are selling noise with a pretty name.
03
You cannot know who executes the work
Many agencies sell with a senior team and execute with juniors or subcontracted freelancers. If they do not give you access to real team profiles, ask directly.
04
12-month lock-in without guaranteed milestones
A long lock-in without measurable intermediate milestones means the agency does not trust its own results. Good work does not need to chain you to stay.
05
Reporting is a 30-page monthly PDF
Long reports are not transparency, they are noise. If your agency cannot summarize results in 5 key metrics and explain what they will do differently next month, the problem is structural.
06
The price drops too fast when negotiating
If a single call drops the price 40%, the original price was not based on real cost. That means the included deliverables are not either.
What you pay, by level
Four levels. Four different accountabilities.
Basic Tier
€500 – 1,500/mo
Freelancer or microagency
- Management of 1-2 channels (social media or basic Google Ads)
- No integrated strategy or advanced analytics
- Manual monthly reporting
- Ideal for local businesses with visibility goals
No incluye Initial audit or business strategy · Continuous data-driven optimization · CRO or cross-channel integration
Mid Tier
€1,500 – 4,000/mo
Generalist agency · 5-15 staff
- Management of 2-3 channels with some coordination
- Social media + paid media campaigns
- Basic SEO in some cases
- Monthly reporting with standard metrics
No incluye Initial audit or business strategy · Continuous data-driven optimization · CRO or cross-channel integration
Most chosen
Advanced Tier
€4,000 – 8,000/mo
Specialized agency · in-house teams per channel
- Integrated strategy focused on leads and sales
- Transactional SEO + optimized paid media + basic CRO
- Advanced analytics — KPIs: CPL, ROMI, EBITDA
- Real-time dashboard + weekly meetings
- AI automation (in some cases)
Strategic Tier
€8,000 – 15,000/mo
Business-focused consultancy · companies €1M+/year
- Acts as a business partner, not a vendor
- Digital strategy aligned with EBITDA
- Initial audit + quarterly roadmap
- Multichannel execution with in-house senior team
- Integrated AI, automation and GEO (generative engines)
- Real-time dashboard + senior strategic interlocutor
Pre-signature checklist
The 6 questions any agency must be able to answer.
Have they audited your current situation before quoting?
Without a diagnosis, the price is arbitrary.
Which business KPIs are committed in the contract?
Leads, CPA, ROAS, revenue. Not visits or reach.
Who executes the work? In-house team or subcontracted?
Ask for names and profiles of the real team.
How do they measure success and how often do they report?
Real-time dashboard or weekly meeting is the serious minimum.
What are the exact deliverables included in the retainer?
Everything must be specified, not described in vague terms.
Do they have case studies in your sector or business model?
Results in one sector do not automatically transfer to another.
What sets us apart
Strategy and execution under the same roof.
Strategy and execution under the same roof
We do not separate diagnosis from action. The team that designs your strategy is the one that executes it. No middlemen, no context loss, no delays.
14 in-house specialists, not generic freelancers
In-house team in SEO, paid media, AI, development and UX. We do not subcontract real work to external juniors. What we promise, we execute.
AI integrated into the system, not as a loose tool
Automations, AI agents and RAG Systems that scale your operations without scaling your team. Technology at the service of margin, not of the consultancy's marketing.
Radical transparency on results
Real-time dashboard. Weekly meeting. No 40-page reports that say nothing. Only the numbers that matter, and immediate action when they do not move.
FAQ
Everything you need to know about agency costs.
How much does a marketing agency cost in Europe in 2026?
The real range goes from €500/month for basic freelancer services up to €15,000/month for strategic consultancies with multichannel execution. The fair price depends on three variables: workload volume, included channels, and above all the experience and accountability of the team. Over 60% of companies working with agencies are in the €1,500-5,000/month range.
What separates a €1,500/month agency from a €6,000/month one?
It is not just the number of hours. The real difference is strategic depth, team profile (junior vs. senior), cross-channel integration, ability to measure business outcomes and iteration speed. A €1,500/month agency manages tasks. A €6,000/month one should manage growth systems.
Is it possible to do digital marketing well with less than €2,000/month?
Yes, with adjusted expectations and focus on a single high-leverage channel. Local SEO, Google Ads campaigns with capped budget or email marketing on owned lists can work well with low investments. The mistake is to expect multichannel results with single-channel budget. Dispersion with little budget generates noise, not results.
How much should my company spend on digital marketing?
The B2B benchmark is between 5% and 12% of revenue allocated to marketing, including team, agency and ad spend. For companies in active growth phase, the range rises to 15-20%. The exact figure depends on your current CAC, customer LTV and the scale velocity you need.
How do I know if my current agency is delivering value for what I pay?
Two clear signals: first, if your agency cannot tell you how many leads the organic channel generated last month and at what cost, tracking is not properly configured or does not exist. Second, if reporting is an activity presentation with no correlation to sales or leads, focus is on deliverables, not business.
What services are usually included in a marketing retainer?
Depends on tier and agency. At mid tiers, typical is social media management, paid media campaigns and monthly reporting. At advanced tiers add SEO, CRO, advanced analytics and creative design. At strategic tier, the retainer covers the full growth system view: all channels coordinated, integrated AI and a senior interlocutor accountable for EBITDA.
How long does it take to see ROI with a marketing agency?
Realistic timelines: quick wins in 30-60 days (conversion optimizations, paid technical errors), first sustainable results in 3-6 months (SEO, acquisition system), and measurable scale in 6-12 months. Any agency promising significant results in 2-4 weeks without data backing is selling expectations, not results.
How do I evaluate if CRONUTS.DIGITAL is the right agency for my company?
The most direct way is the free strategic audit. In 60 minutes we analyze your current situation, the main bottlenecks and the highest-impact opportunities. At the end of the session you will know exactly whether we can help you and how much it would make sense to invest. If we are not the right fit, we tell you directly.