The First 30 Days: Onboarding and Discovery
Expect the opening weeks to be heavy on learning rather than output. A good agency invests time understanding your business, customers, goals, and existing data before touching campaigns. They will request access to accounts, audit what exists, and ask questions that go deeper than you might expect.
This is the foundation everything else rests on, so resist the urge to rush it. The agencies that skip discovery to look busy tend to produce work that misses the mark. Your job in this phase is to be responsive, share context openly, and make sure access is granted quickly.
Days 30 to 60: Strategy and Early Execution
By the second month, discovery should turn into a clear plan. Expect a defined strategy with priorities, the channels they will focus on, and the metrics they will track. Early execution begins — campaigns launching, pages optimized, foundations put in place.
This is also when communication rhythms settle: regular check-ins, a reporting cadence, and a shared view of what success looks like. Use this phase to confirm the plan reflects your goals and to raise concerns while the work is still taking shape.
Days 60 to 90: Signals and Refinement
By the third month, early data starts to inform decisions. Some channels take longer than others to show results — SEO is slower than paid media, for instance — so temper expectations accordingly. What you should see is movement, learning, and refinement based on what the data reveals.
A strong agency will be transparent about what is working, what is not, and how they are adjusting. CMG treats these early months as the groundwork for compounding results, building the systems and understanding that sustained growth depends on rather than chasing quick wins that fade.
Key takeaways
- The first month should be discovery-heavy; rushing it undermines everything after.
- By day 60 you should have a clear strategy and steady communication rhythm.
- By day 90, expect signals and refinement, not finished results across every channel.
- Your responsiveness and openness in onboarding directly shape the outcome.