How contractors get burned by marketing companies

Almost every contractor we talk to has a version of the same story. Fifteen hundred a month, a 12-month contract, a report full of charts nobody explained, and when they finally quit, they found out the marketing company owned their Google page or their domain.

Here is the playbook so you can spot it. The contract exists because the results will not keep you. If a marketing company needs paperwork to stop you from leaving after month two, they already know what month two looks like.

The mystery report exists to justify the invoice. If your report needs a translator, it is not a report, it is a smoke machine. You should be able to read it in two minutes and know what was done and what changed.

The hostage Google page is the worst one. Some companies register your Google Business Profile under their account, so the day you leave, your reviews and your map listing walk out the door with them. Before you sign anything with anyone, ask one question: if I cancel tomorrow, what leaves with me? The right answer is your profile, your reviews, your photos, your customer list. In writing.

There are honest operators in this industry. The tell is never the pitch. It is whether they will put ownership, month-to-month terms, and a readable report on paper before you pay.