9 Common Frustrations with Marketing Agencies and How CCC Solves Them
Tyler Goddard • September 4, 2025
For many small and local business owners, the thought of hiring another marketing agency comes with baggage. Maybe you’ve been burned before, promises that never materialized, money spent with little return, or silence once the contract was signed. At Conscious Commerce Corporation (“CCC”), we frequently hear these stories, and we’ve built our approach to fix exactly what frustrates business owners most.
Before we dive into the pain points, I want to briefly touch on what we believe makes a strategic partnership with a marketing agency work. It starts when both sides commit to alignment, honesty, and shared effort. The attitude from both parties directly shapes the results; negative energy leads to negative outcomes. Because small business owners’ energy and mindset are deeply tied to every aspect of their business, both client and agency must stay on the same team, fully believing in and supporting a single aligned strategy. Open communication, including sharing true feelings and facing the numbers as they are, ensures that decisions are based on reality rather than assumptions. When both parties divide responsibilities, take action, and work collaboratively, the partnership builds trust and produces stronger, more effective results.
As promised, here are 9 of the most common pain points that we found business owners have with marketing agencies, along with how we address them.
1. Overpromising and Underdelivering
- The Pain: Business owners feel misled when agencies promise the moon (“#1 on Google in 30 days!”) but deliver little to nothing.
- CCC’s Solution: We set realistic expectations backed by data. Our strategies are transparent, measurable, and built on sustainable growth, not empty promises. Don’t just take our word for it, Tom Wilk from Mountain View Optometry had this to say about us:
“The team at Conscious Commerce works hard to get to know their clients' goals, budget and marketing philosophy. They then design a digital marketing program that meets their needs. Most importantly, they regularly check-in with their customers to "show their work", answer any questions, and update the strategy as needed. They want to ensure their efforts translate to actual results, and that level of accountability is not often seen among their competitors. It's a partnership where communication is extremely important and that hasn't changed over the several years we have been working with them. I believe they are a great choice to consider for any digital marketing projects you are considering.”
2. Poor Communication and Responsiveness
- The Pain: Owners feel ignored when agencies disappear after the contract is signed.
- CCC’s Solution: We pride ourselves on clear, responsive communication. You’ll have a dedicated strategist & project manager, regular updates, and proactive outreach, no chasing us down. Our leadership team all have dedicated phone lines too!
3. Lack of Transparency
- The Pain: Agencies often keep clients in the dark, hiding data or controlling accounts.
- CCC’s Solution: We provide full visibility. You own your accounts, you see the same reports we do, and we walk you through every result so nothing feels hidden. Transparency is one of our core values we have been integrating throughout the launch of CCC since 2004.
4. Unclear ROI (Return On Investment)
- The Pain: After months of fees, many owners wonder:
“What did I even get for my money?”
- CCC’s Solution: We tie everything to real business outcomes. Our reporting focuses on leads, sales, and revenue, not just vanity metrics. You’ll always know what your investment is returning. We have created a new standard of reporting to support this exact pain point, and after decades in digital marketing and business consulting, we completely understand how to simplify the numbers to support a clear ROI report.
5. High Costs with Little Return
- The Pain: Paying hefty retainers for work that doesn’t move the needle leaves owners feeling ripped off.
- CCC’s Solution: Our pricing is value-driven and transparent. We only recommend services that match your goals and budget, ensuring your marketing dollars work as hard as you do. We provide standardized pricing for professional services.
6. Cookie-Cutter Strategies
- The Pain: Business owners feel like just another number when given one-size-fits-all plans.
- CCC’s Solution: Every strategy we create is customized to your business, market, and goals. From local service providers to SMB or e-commerce, our approach is tailored, not templated.
7. Lack of Industry Knowledge
- The Pain: Agencies that don’t understand a client’s market often make costly mistakes.
- CCC’s Solution: With our combined knowledge of 49+ years of experience across dozens of industries, we bring both proven frameworks and the curiosity to deeply learn your business before recommending strategies. One thing to keep in mind is that CCC is a certified, multi-award-winning agency that knows performance-driven marketing strategies. Regardless of industry or niche, our expertise stands on itself.
8. Lack of Proactivity
- The Pain: Owners feel like they’re still micromanaging when agencies wait for instructions.
- CCC’s Solution: We’re strategic partners, not order-takers. We proactively identify opportunities, track competitors, and bring fresh ideas so you can focus on running your business. Remember that we approach our strategies using consciousness and merge that into commerce.
9. Loss of Control
- The Pain: Some agencies hold accounts hostage or make decisions without approval.
- CCC’s Solution: We believe in empowering our clients. You retain full control and ownership of your assets. We advise and act collaboratively, your business, your decisions.
Turning Frustration into Trust
We know many business owners come to us with scars from past agency experiences. That’s why our philosophy at CCC is built around one word: WHATSO. Wealth, happiness, awareness, transparency, sustainability, and oneness. By addressing the issues that cause the most frustration, we’ve created long-term partnerships that drive real results.
If you’ve been let down before, it doesn’t have to be that way again. Let’s talk about how CCC can give you the clarity, accountability, and growth you’ve been looking for.
Avoid these 5 common mistakes Calgary businesses make when hiring a digital marketing agency. Learn how to choose wisely and maximize your marketing investment.
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Once you have created your Google Business Profile, you will need to complete the verification process before it can be shown publicly. Verification methods are automatically determined by Google, are based on your business type, public information, region, or business hours, and can’t be changed. In some cases, you may need to verify your business with more than one method. Methods include: Video Recording Record a 30+ second, unedited video proving you are the owner of the business and it is located at the address indicated in the profile. Phone or Text When you select this method, you will get a call or text with a code Email This method will have you receive an email with verification steps Live Video Call Similar to the video recording, you will join a live video call and show the support representative key details proving your business ownership and locations Mail A postcard will be sent to the address associated with your profile within approximately 14 days. On the postcard will be a secure verification code. What's Next After you complete the verification steps, Google reviews the info you provided. To help maintain the integrity of your Business Profile, verification review can take up to 5 business days. Once the review process is complete, you will receive a notification email. If your verification was approved, your profile will be visible to the public. If your verification was not approved, you will have one of these three options to proceed: Re-Verification When the “Get verified” button appears on your Business Profile again, it means Google couldn’t completely verify your business. To fix this issue, try to re-verify your business. Review Issues When you verify through a video recording and get a “Review issues” notification, it means your video wasn’t accepted. To fix this issue: Select Review issues . Follow the on-screen instructions. Give Additional Information If you’re asked to provide additional info to re-verify your profile, it’s likely because some of your business details were recently updated.
The most commonly used verification method for Google Business Profiles as of 2025 is video verification. This process involves uploading a video that captures key details about your business and helps Google confirm that you represent the business. Before you start Take the time to plan your video. You can’t record a video offline and then upload the file for verification later. Your video will need to be at least 30 seconds long and unedited. Your video recording should not include: Any sensitive information like bank account, tax, or identification numbers. Any other private information about yourself or others. Other people’s faces. Video Requirements For Storefronts Important: If your business doesn’t have permanent on-site signage, it's not eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business. Videos must show: The location of your business: Capture the official street and number signs, nearby businesses, recognizable landmarks, or the area around your business that shows your business is at the correct Google Maps location. Evidence that your business exists: Capture the storefront, showroom, or business signage. Show your business name printed on permanent fixtures, such as a signboard, wall, or window. The business name shown in the video must match the name of your Business Profile. Demonstrate proof of management: You can show that you’re authorized to represent your business by recording employee-only items or areas. Record yourself opening a cash register, accessing a point-of-sale system, unlocking the store, staff room, kitchen, or storage room. Video Requirements For Service-Area Businesses Videos must show: The location where you offer your services: Good examples include signs in your service area that advertise your business or street signs and landmarks next to your business. A bad example is land that can be present anywhere or unmarked land. Show evidence that your business exists: Capture branded work equipment, marketing materials, services or products for sale, or tools you use to serve your customers. Good examples include recording yourself unlocking a van with your business name on it or branded t-shirts for employees or customers. Demonstrate proof of management: You can record yourself providing the service or showing business documents. For example, business registration, invoices, or utility bills that match the name on your Business Profile.
If you’re a business owner but a verified Business Profile for your business on Google Search or Maps is owned by someone else, you can request ownership from the current profile owner.
As an owner of your business's Google Business Profile (GBP), you can add users to the profile. Each user will get their own access and you won't need to share login information.
When you add and verify your Business Profile, customers can find your business on Search and Maps. To make sure your business is eligible to show up on Google, verify your Business Profile . After you successfully add or claim your profile, you can control how your business information shows up on Google. You can add or claim your business at no charge. If you have questions about profile verification, check the Business Profile community .
Your Google Business Profile may be suspended or disabled for "not following Google's guidelines ". If you believe that it should be reinstated or that you have updated it to conform to the guidelines, you may submit an appeal. Submitting an Appeal Step 1: Prepare Your Evidence Once you begin your appeal process and open the evidence form, you will have 60 minutes to submit the form, or it will not be attached to your appeal. Evidence that you may be requested to attach includes things like your official business registration, a business license, and tax certificates. These documents must match the business name and address that you have listed on the Google Business Profile. Step 2: Submit Your Appeal Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool . If you’re signed in to the Google account related to the profile you want to appeal, select Confirm. To select a different account, select Switch account. Select the Business Profile that you want to appeal > Continue. The Google Business Profile appeals tool shows: The restricted profile The reason for the moderation action A link to the violated policy At the bottom right, select Submit Appeal. Optional: A prompt to submit evidence may appear. To strengthen your appeal, we highly recommend submitting evidence. To open the evidence form, after you submit your appeal, select Add evidence. Select Submit. Google will review your appeal and send you an email with a decision. Step 3: Check the Status of Your Appeal After you submit your appeal, you can stay aware of the status by doing the following: Open the Google Business Profile appeals tool . Make sure you’re signed in to the Google Account related to your Business Profile. Select the Business Profile for the appeal that you submitted. On the right, you’ll find the status of the appeal: Submitted Approved Not Approved Can't be appealed Eligible for appeal Optional Step 4: Request an Additional Review If your reinstatement request is denied, you may be able to request an additional review to prove your eligibility. In this review, you can submit more evidence that was not added to your original appeal.
You can have only one Business Profile for each business. Multiple profiles for the same business may mislead your customers and are against Google's policies. If a profile is considered a duplicate, it won’t show on Google Search or Maps. Understand Why Profiles are Marked as Duplicates There are several reasons why a profile may be considered a duplicate: Existing verified profile: A verified profile already exists for the same business on Google. Same address: Multiple profiles have the same address. Different services: Multiple profiles exist for the same business that offer different services. You can refer to the following guidance to resolve situations with duplicate profiles.
Your Google Business Profile houses a lot of important information about your company. Keeping this information up to date will help to ensure your clients can confidently make informed buying decisions. The areas we will go into in this guide are : Address Hours Service areas Description Social media links Attributes Categories
