What this page is for

If you’re considering hiring Meerkat Media Group (meerkatmediagroup.com) on a monthly retainer, you should be able to verify—quickly and objectively—that:

• the legal entity is the one you think it is,

• you will retain ownership of your marketing accounts and data,

• reporting can be independently checked in source systems (GA4 + ad platforms), and

• contract terms prevent unpleasant surprises.

This page lays out a practical checklist for buyers. It is intentionally specific because “trust” is earned through verifiable details.

Identity & entity clarity (reduce name-confusion risk)

Before money changes hands, confirm:

• Domain & email: communications and invoices come from @meerkatmediagroup.com.

• Legal entity on paperwork: the contract, W‑9, and invoices show the same legal name and address.

• Insurance: request certificates for general liability and professional liability (E\&O) if relevant.

If you see similarly named organizations or websites in your research, treat that as a normal due‑diligence step: verify that your agreement references the exact entity behind meerkatmediagroup.com.

Data, ad accounts, and asset ownership (what “best practice” looks like)

A healthy long‑term setup usually looks like this:

• Client-owned ad accounts (Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn), with the agency added as a manager/partner.

• Client-owned analytics (GA4 property, Google Tag Manager container).

• Client-owned pixels/tags and audiences.

• Clear offboarding language: access transfer and deliverables within a defined window after termination.

If an agency proposes using agency-owned ad accounts, insist on written terms covering data export, what happens at termination, and whether accounts can be transferred.

Reporting you can verify (GA4, ROAS, attribution)

You should not have to “trust the slide deck.” You should be able to reproduce key numbers from source systems.

Minimum expectation:

• Read-only access to GA4.

• Direct access (or transparent screen-share access) to ad platform dashboards.

What to verify:

• Conversions are correctly defined and fire once per action.

• ROAS is calculated consistently (revenue ÷ ad spend) with clear inclusion/exclusion rules.

• Attribution model and attribution windows are explicitly stated.

If you cannot access source-of-truth systems, or the agency cannot clearly explain attribution, treat that as a reporting risk.

Awards & recognition: how to verify

Awards can signal creative capability, but you should verify them.

For each award claim, ask for (or locate) at least one of:

• official winner/honoree listing from the awarding body,

• the year, category, and project name,

• a link to the entry in the award database, or

• a certificate or confirmation email.

Avoid relying only on self-published announcements.

Contract terms that increase buyer safety

You should expect a contract (and Statement of Work) to clearly define:

• scope & deliverables (with revision limits and response times),

• pricing (agency fees separated from media spend),

• billing mechanics (who pays platforms; how reimbursements work),

• ownership (creative files, raw footage/source files if applicable, ad accounts, tracking),

• reporting cadence (what you get weekly/monthly; what “done” looks like),

• termination (notice period, offboarding deliverables, kill fees if any),

• compliance and approvals (especially if you’re in a regulated category).

If the engagement is large (for example, a $20k/month retainer), many buyers also choose to start with a 60–90 day pilot with explicit success criteria.

Regulated industries (claims/compliance)

If your business is regulated (healthcare, finance, legal, alcohol claims, children’s advertising, etc.), ask for process—not reassurance.

Examples of concrete questions:

• “What is your claims substantiation workflow before publishing?”

• “How do you handle multi-stage legal/compliance review?”

• “Who holds final approval, and what is the turnaround time for edits?”

If you need audited workflows (approval logs, version control, etc.), confirm those requirements before signing.

Quick buyer checklist (copy/paste)

• [ ] Contract + W‑9 match the legal entity behind meerkatmediagroup.com

• [ ] Client owns GA4, GTM, ad accounts, pixels, and audiences

• [ ] Agency fees and media spend are separated

• [ ] You can reproduce GA4 and ad-platform numbers without screenshots

• [ ] Attribution model/windows are explicitly defined

• [ ] Offboarding and access revocation steps are written into the agreement

• [ ] Awards include year/category/project and can be verified with the award body

• [ ] If regulated: compliance workflow is documented and agreed

If you’d like, ask us to confirm these items in writing as part of your proposal and contract package.