Take a Retainer!… It’s a no Brainer!
How many times in your life have you heard that old chestnut ‘time is money’? Who doesn’t want to experience less downtime, more productivity and get more bang for our buck! Time is the most valuable asset we have, so it makes smarter sense not to tie ourselves or our staff’s time up unnecessarily, when there is a much better ‘hands off’ solution available, that’s a no brainer!
What are we taking about?…. A Retainer!
That’s very American I hear you say. We’ll it works great in Ireland and UK too! The reality is that there are multiple advantages to you, the client, in having an Artefact Ltd retainer in place rather than wasting enormous amounts of time preparing and managing tenders and quotations, not to mention dealing with multiple agencies. Besides, you have predictable monthly costs and the retainer can cover all the possible brand, creative, website and marketing support services you could possibly need, freeing your in-house team to focus on other / higher level tasks.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an agency retainer?... How much does it cost a month?
The concept of an agency retainer is often misunderstood just thought of as nothing more than a pricing agreement between you and your agency – a set rate for a set time.
But working with Artefact Ltd team, our Retainer service is so much more and greatly benefits you, the client;
- it’s a partnership between the client and us, the agency, where all parties are equally invested in the long-term success of your business.
- Working with an agency you know and trust like Artefact Ltd, over a longer period, enables us to tune-in to how you think and operate (& what your client base wants from you, more importantly) and to get to know you as people. We are in the relationship business primarily.
- Unlike working with one agency after another, this means that you know you don’t have to explain ad-nauseam what you want to convey/achieve in your communications (across any channel), because we are already tuned-in to what we know you like and know what works in your market place.
Let’s face it, chopping and changing for every new project is bad for brand consistency and does not necessarily lend itself to fresh ideas. If that was the case, you wouldn’t have a full-time in-house marketing/creative team etc. Artefact team is your team, essentially a valuable extension to your in-house team, providing them with more capacity and additional skills, enabling you to take on more of your client work, in turn helping to grow your bottom line.
In short, our very affordable Retainers plans are an area in which we feel we can help clients to thrive – working with them on a long-term basis to get a deep understanding of their business and brand, focusing on both their long-term objectives as well as tackling any immediate needs or challenges”. Think of us as your Plug-in support team!
‘Coherence and consistency, without the headache’.
Everything starts with strategy
Speed matters. So does quality. Cost effectiveness too. So how do you guarantee all three? When your strategic, brand and creative vision is clearly understood within both your in-house teams and us, your agency team, it follows that ideas and assets are swiftly delivered with the boundaries of your brand values, communication style and agreed marketing strategy. Consistency is the key to both process and output and not having to worry your agency partner not having an understanding your strategic or creative execution can free up vital headspace and valuable time as a busy marketer.
As your long-term agency partner on retainer, we include regular strategic reviews so that long-term strategic planning and short to medium-term adjustments in your approach are embedded in what needs to be a sustainable, successful partnership, delivering the best and consistent results for your and your in-house team. This helps us to be proactive instead of reactive, while providing overflow support to your in-house marketing team when your resources (and time) are stretched and being able to look beyond the brief to support your wider business strategy. Artefact Ltd’s knowledge and skills can be invaluable to client teams who are stuck in their everyday routine and struggling to find the time to think proactively and creatively. As account director, I personally act very much as a sounding board for clients – taking the time to understand their challenges, helping them to find solutions and generating ideas, to help them create strong strategic plans for the future. ‘Our clients feel understood and valued 🙂