Solved: Agency vs DIY for Local Warsaw Market Expansion

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out!

That's a common crossroads a lot of brands find themselves at – whether to bring in the experts or to try and tackle the world of paid ads yourself. And the question of hiring a local agency in Warsaw versus a specialist from further afield is a really good one. I'm happy to give you some of my initial thoughts, based on years of being on the agency side of the fence and seeing what really makes a difference for our clients.

The truth is, the right answer isn't about geography; it's about finding the path that minimises expensive mistakes and gets you to profitability the quickest. Let's break down how you can actually figure that out.

We'll need to look at the real question: Expertise vs. Location

First off, let's tackle this Warsaw agency idea head-on. It's natural to think that a local agency will have some secret, ingrained knowledge of the market. And for some businesses, like a local restaurant or a plumbing service, that might have a grain of truth to it. But for most brands, especially if you sell online or your service isn't restricted to a single postcode, this is a dangerous myth.

Your customers aren't defined by the city they live in; they're defined by their problems, their interests, their online behaviours, and their needs. An expert agency in London, New York, or anywhere else who has a deep, proven understanding of how to reach your specific type of customer online will almost always outperform a generalist local agency. The "local market" today is a user's social media feed, their Google search results, and the niche websites they visit. That's a digital landscape, not a physical one.

Think of it this way: if you needed complex surgery, would you choose the average surgeon at your local hospital, or would you seek out the top specialist in the country, even if you had to have a video consultation? It's the same principle. In paid advertising, the cost of inexperience is paid with your ad budget. Every failed campaign, every poorly targeted ad set, every piece of ad copy that doesn't resonate – that's real money down the drain.

We work with clients from all over the world, and honestly, physical meetings are a relic of the past. Strategy calls, reporting, and day-to-day communication happen seamlessly over video calls and shared dashboards. What matters isn't being in the same room; it's being on the same page about your business goals. Prioritising location over proven, niche-specific expertise is one of the most common, and costly, mistakes I see businesses make.

I'd say you need a framework for choosing, not just an agency

Whether you're looking at the agency in Warsaw or considering going it alone, you need a consistent way to evaluate your options. Just "having a chat" isn't enough. You need to go in with a plan to uncover whether they actually know what they're doing.

Step 1: Scrutinise Their Past Work (Properly)

This is the absolute number one priority. Any agency that can't show you detailed case studies of their past work is a massive red flag. But don't just glance at the headlines. You need to dig in.

• -> Niche Relevance is Everything: Do they have experience with businesses like yours? If you're a B2B SaaS company, a case study about a local ecommerce fashion brand is almost worthless to you. The strategies, platforms, and metrics are completely different. You want to see that they've solved the same problems you have for someone else. For instance, we've run campaigns for software clients where we've achieved things like 5,082 trials at $7 each, or reduced a £100 cost per user down to £7. That's a specific, relevant result that a SaaS founder would understand and value.
• -> Look for Business Metrics, Not Vanity Metrics: Clicks, impressions, and 'reach' are mostly fluff. They're easy to get and don't mean anything for your bottom line. You want to see revenue generated, return on ad spend (ROAS), cost per lead (CPL), or cost per acquisition (CPA). If their case studies are full of big numbers without a currency symbol next to them, be very sceptical.
• -> Are the Results Realistic? Paid advertising isn't magic. It's a process of methodical testing and optimisation. If an agency is promising you a 20x ROAS overnight, they're either lying or deeply inexperienced. Look for realistic, sustained growth.

To really get this right, you should be mapping their case studies against your own business to see if their logic holds up.

You probably should grill them on the discovery call

The initial call with an agency is your interview. You're the one hiring. Don't let them run a slick sales presentation; you need to drive the conversation to get the answers you need. Here's what you should be asking:

• -> "Based on what you know about our business, what would your initial 90-day plan look like?" A good expert will be able to give you a rough outline on the spot. It should involve auditing, testing audiences, developing initial creative, and establishing baseline metrics. If they're vague or just say "we'll get you more sales," they don't have a process.


• -> "Which ad platforms would you prioritise for us and, most importantly, why?" This tests their strategic thinking. They should be able to justify their choices based on your target customer. For example, if you're B2B, they should be talking about LinkedIn for its precise job title targeting or Google Search for capturing active intent. If they just say "Facebook, because it's biggest," they're a novice.


• -> "How do you approach creative and copy testing?" The answer should be "methodically." They should talk about split testing, testing different angles (e.g., Problem-Agitate-Solve vs. Before-After-Bridge), and using a structured approach to find winning ads, not just "making some nice pictures."


• -> "What are the top 3 metrics you would put on our weekly report?" This is a killer question. If they say "clicks, impressions, CTR," run a mile. If they say "Cost Per Acquisition, Return On Ad Spend, and Lead-to-Customer Rate," they're focused on what actually matters to your business.

You're looking for signs of genuine expertise and a structured process. You're also looking for trust. Tbh, we see it as a bit of a red flag if a potential client has gone through our detailed case studies, we've given them a free strategy review on a call, and they still ask for references to call one of our clients. It signals a fundamental lack of trust from the start, which means it probably won't be a good working relationship. A great agency's work and expertise should speak for itself during the vetting process.

Here is a little tool to help you score an agency during that first call, so you can make a more objective decision.

You'll need to understand the costs, and it's not just the agency fee

This is where the DIY vs. agency decision gets really interesting. Many people see an agency fee as a pure cost, and think doing it themselves will be "free". This is a fundamental misunderstanding of how value and cost work in business.

1. Ad Spend: This is your biggest cost, regardless of who manages the campaigns. It's the money you pay directly to Google, Meta, etc. I generally recomend a starting budget of at least £1k-£2k per month to get enough data to make smart decisions. How far that money goes depends entirely on the skill of the person managing it.

2. The Agency Fee: This is the visible cost. It might be a flat retainer, a percentage of ad spend, or a performance fee. This is what you pay for expertise, strategy, and execution. A good agency's fee should be easily covered by the efficiency gains they bring – meaning they prevent you from wasting more on ad spend than their fee costs.

3. The Cost of DIY (The Hidden Killer): This is the cost that most people ignore. It's not free. It's paid for with:

• -> Your Time: How much is your time worth per hour? Now multiply that by the 10-20 hours per week it takes to properly learn, manage, and optimise ad campaigns. It adds up fast.
• -> The Learning Curve: You will make mistakes. You will target the wrong audiences. You will write bad ad copy. You will set up tracking incorrectly. Every one of these mistakes costs you real money in wasted ad spend. An agency has already made those mistakes on someone else's dime, years ago.
• -> Opportunity Cost: Every hour you spend trying to figure out Google Ads is an hour you're not spending on product development, sales, or whatever your actual expertise is. That's a massive hidden cost to the business.

When you look at it this way, the calculation changes. An agency isn't a cost centre; they're (supposed to be) a profit centre. They should make you more money than you pay them, period.

So, should you do it yourself?

After all that, there are still some situations where going DIY makes sense. Here's my brutally honest take on it:

You should DEFINITELY consider DIY if:

• Your budget is tiny. If you have less than £1,000/month for ad spend, most good agencies will be out of your price range anyway. At this level, it's better for you to learn yourself and accept that progress will be slow.
• You have more time than money. If you're a founder in the very early stages and you're willing to put in the hours to learn a new skill from scratch, it can be a valuable education.
• Your offer is very simple and easy to sell. If you're selling a low-cost, high-demand product, you can sometimes get away with basic ads and still see some results.

You should seriously consider hiring an expert if:

• You want to scale and grow quickly. You can't afford a 6-month learning curve while your competitors are capturing market share. Speed is a competitive advantage.
• You value your time and want to focus on your core business. Your time is best spent doing what you're best at. Outsource the rest to specialists.
• You're in a competitive market. If your competitors are using expert agencies, trying to compete as an amateur is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. You will lose.
• You have a complex or high-ticket offer. Selling B2B software or a £2,000 course requires a sophisticated strategy that a beginner is very unlikely to get right.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to viewing advertising as an investment. If you see it as just a cost, you'll always try to minimise it, which often leads to poor results. If you see it as an investment in a machine that turns £1 into £3, you'll be focused on finding the best person to build and run that machine for you.

I've put together a summary of the main points in a table to give you a clear overview of the evaluation process I've outlined. This is the main advice I have for you:

This is a lot to take in, and applying this framework to vet agencies can feel like a full-time job in itself. This is where getting an expert opinion can really shorten the process. It's not about being sold to; it's about gaining clarity.

We find the best way to start is usually with a free, no-obligation initial consultation. It’s a chance for us to look at your brand, understand your goals, and give you some actionable advice right there on the call. It gives you some immediate value and a real taste of the expertise we bring to our clients' projects. It's often the quickest way to see if we might be the right fit to help you grow.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh