Having an agency like Integrated Ideas on retainer can potentially save your business time and money.
We have many years of experience offering retainers to our clients. Our close working relationship means we are just like being part of the in-house team, the right arm and go-to for the design, marketing and digital needs and are always on hand when they need it.
We are proactive and reactive. There’s no ticketing system here so you speak to us directly and the work begins pretty much straight away.
When a website is launched, the work doesn’t stop there. Content needs to be kept up-to-date, landing pages and calls-to-action need to be reviewed and added. Now and then a redesign of the home page or site architecture may be needed and the associated SEO and digital marketing needs to be aligned. In order to make these assessments on an ongoing basis, you’re going to need agency services on a regular basis.
Second to that, the need for presentations, documents, infographics or further development of tools and portals is always present.
Our top 5 benefits of having an agency on retainer
1) Reduced hourly and project rates
Contracts are bespoke to each and every client. This means they are tailored to suit your needs. You will get access to the team, whenever you need it, and for a special reduced hourly rate. Plus, it’s easier for clients to budget for the year ahead and plan activity around the hours and budget set.
2) Flexibility
Having a design and digital team on retainer can provide your business with the flexibility to use the agencies services whenever you need it whether for larger long-term projects, smaller ad-hoc projects or as and when you need it as just additional support your business or team.
3) Business knowledge
When you have an agency on retainer they get to know you and your business inside and out, briefing is quicker and they understand the heart of your message. You also save time, because you are not having to write extensive briefs or go through brand styles and guidelines, plus they will have all the old projects on file so you don’t have to scramble around trying to locate all your assets each time.
4) Agile working
Agencies work in a more agile way and can respond to last minute requests, pulling out all the stops and resources available to deliver those priority tasks if time critical or when you just don’t have the time.
5) Keeping on top of latest trends and techniques
An agency will always be learning and researching the latest trends and techniques and keeping abreast of any new developments. They put the time and effort in so you don’t have to.
What is a retainer?
Retainer accounts vary but in essence are based on a fixed fee paid by a client for an agreed amount of agency time per month.
In the main we offer two types of retainer to our clients:
- A monthly contract with us, in which you have an allocated time per month for us to make improvements to your website based on stats, insights and user review. Through continual reviews of your site, competitor analysis and keeping up with the latest trends, we refine the user experience and ensure it is performing as it should: driving traffic and, ultimately, aiding business growth.
- Use of our services and team for a defined number of hours per month to deliver specific projects.
What does a retainer cover?
A retainer contract allows you to continue to make the most of an agency’s skills and could include any of the following or more:
- Account management: on-going email support and regular conference calls
- Analytics: quarterly reporting on website stats, including insight and recommendations
- CMS: editing, training and support
- SEO (search-engine optimisation)
- Social media analytics
- Newsletter campaigns
- Marketing support
- New website feature recommendations and build
- Automated testing
- Creative direction and design work
- Bug fixes.
Tracking how your time and money are spent
For all our retainer work, you will have a dedicated account manager. We will draw up a scope of work at the outset but one which can change should it need to and projects develop over time. All time completed is recorded on our system and an itemised invoice raised at the end of each month. Being fully transparent is key and earns the trust in the relationship that the work is being completed as proposed but it also allows sight of anything which may need to be adjusted so that work can become more efficient as time goes on.
If you would like to discuss whether a retainer would be suitable for your needs, please get in touch.