Strategy
Part of How to build a marketing agency strategy that clients renew
Before you write a marketing agencies ninety day plan for clients
Build a marketing agencies ninety day plan clients will sign off, with a scoring rubric, evidence checks and the claims rules that apply in England.
What to take away
- Most teams write the ninety day plan backwards, starting with tactics and deliverables rather than the client's commercial objective, then wonder why the review meeting is awkward.
- A workable plan has one objective, a small set of measures, an evidence trail for every claim, and a named owner for each commitment.
- The rubric below scores a draft before the client sees it, so weak plans are fixed internally.
- England-facing work sits inside UK-wide rules on competition and advertising claims, so keep the evidence file current.
Start from the objective
The common failure is a plan built from a list of channels. Reels, email, paid search, a new landing page, all listed as things to do. None of it answers what the client is buying.
Channel list vs single objective
Channel list
- What it says
- Reels, email, paid search
- Timeframe
- No date
- Baseline
- None
- Client buys
- Unclear
Single objective
- What it says
- 40 qualified enquiries
- Timeframe
- By 12 December 2026
- Baseline
- 22 previous quarter
- Client buys
- One measurable outcome
Write the objective as a single sentence with a number and a date. For example, a digital marketing company might commit to 40 qualified enquiries by 12 December 2026, against 22 in the previous quarter. The number is illustrative, not a benchmark.
If the client cannot agree the objective, the plan is not ready. Book a working session and settle it before drafting deliverables. Our strategy framework for England sets out how to run that session and who needs to be in the room.
Choose the measures that matter
Pick three measures at most. One commercial, one delivery, one leading indicator. Commercial might be booked calls, delivery might be assets shipped on time. The leading indicator is the early signal the plan is working, such as reply rate on outbound email.
Three measures with source and owner
- Commercialbooked calls
- Deliveryassets shipped on time
- Leading indicatoroutbound email reply rate
- SourceHubSpot deal stage
- Ownerclient sales lead
- Updateevery Friday
Every measure needs a source and an owner. If the client's CRM cannot report it, say so in the plan rather than finding out in week ten. Write the source into the plan, for example "HubSpot deal stage, updated by the client sales lead every Friday".
Build the evidence file
Agencies in England create marketing materials that make claims about results, comparisons and client outcomes. Those claims fall under the UK advertising codes, and the ASA guidance on claims, endorsements and testimonials explains what substantiation looks like in practice.
Keep a folder per client: screenshots of dashboards, dated exports, signed testimonial permissions, and a note of who approved each claim. Update it the week a claim changes.
Score the draft before sending
Use the rubric below on the draft plan. Score each row from one to five. A total under 20 means rework before the client sees it. The thresholds are our own working standard.
| Criterion | What a 5 looks like | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Single objective | One sentence, one number, one date | x2 |
| Measures | Three measures, each with a source and owner | x2 |
| Evidence | Every claim has a dated file entry | x2 |
| Review points | Two scheduled reviews plus one reset date | x1 |
| Ownership | Named person for each commitment | x1 |
| Exit terms | Notice period and handover stated | x1 |
Multiply the score by the weight, add the totals, and record the result in the plan's cover note. It takes ten minutes.
Check the commitments you can make
Ninety day plans often promise outcomes the agency does not control. Rankings, conversion rates and platform approvals sit with third parties. Promise the work, not the outcome, and say what is outside your control.
Where a plan touches pricing, tendering or supplier behaviour, the Competition and Markets Authority sets the rules that apply across the UK, including how businesses should behave when discussing prices with competitors. Keep client conversations inside those lines.
Smaller agencies without a legal team can lean on the IAB UK SME toolkit for templates covering contracts, data and campaign setup. It is written for smaller advertisers and agencies, which matches most teams writing a first ninety day plan.
If the plan is the first stage of a longer engagement, read our strategy and planning guide before you agree the next quarter, because the choices you make now shape what is possible later.
Set the review rhythm
Two reviews in ninety days works well. Day 30 checks the leading indicator and the evidence file. Day 60 checks the commercial measure and decides whether to continue, adjust or stop. Day 90 is the reset, where the next plan is agreed or the engagement closes cleanly.
Send the agenda 48 hours before each review. Include the numbers, the evidence links and one decision the client must make. A review without a decision is a status update.
Common questions
How long should a ninety day plan be?
Two to four pages. Long enough to name the objective, measures, owners and review dates, short enough that the client reads it before the kick-off call.
What if the client changes the objective mid-quarter?
Log the change, date it, and rescore the plan against the rubric. If the new objective needs different measures, reset the day 30 review rather than pretending the original plan still applies.
Do we need written approval for testimonials?
Yes. Get permission in writing that covers where the testimonial will appear, and keep it in the evidence file alongside the claim it supports.
