Marketing retainers can be a big investment in both time and money and it’s important you get the information you need to make the retainer a success.
We’ve come up with a list of questions to ask any agency with whom you have just committed to a retainer:
It's important to have a clear understanding of what services are included in your retainer and how the agency team plan to deliver them. It’s equally important to understand what’s not included in the retainer and what happens if there’s scope creep.
It's crucial to understand how the agency intends to evaluate the results of your marketing and what metrics they'll use to monitor progress.
Setting up precise deadlines and timeframes can ensure that everyone stays on track and the project/campaign is finished on schedule. Ensure there are clear indicators for when your input is required and what this input looks like.
To ensure everyone is on the same page, it's important to establish clear communication channels and check-in points. Usually this will be weekly, bi-weekly or monthly project management meetings.
A good agency should be receptive to your feedback and willing to make adjustments as needed to ensure that the project meets your needs and goals.
It's important to have a clear understanding of what opportunities there are to scale up or down the retainer based on changes in your business needs or marketing goals. Often, there are little-to-no restrictions when it comes to scaling up. You’d just need to have a conversation about adjusted timeframes.
A good agency should have a commitment to ongoing learning and staying up-to-date with changes in your industry, and be willing to adjust your marketing strategy accordingly to stay ahead of the curve.
By asking these questions and establishing clear communication and expectations, you can get the most out of your marketing retainer and ensure that your partnership with the agency is successful and results driven.
This is what Fried Egg Marketing is all about: The right customer at the right time with the right strategy.