Details on Workhorse Creative's $485/mo Retainer

After our recent e-news update announcing that we have 4 spots left for this retainer (actually now 2), I received a lot of inquiries and email questions. So I thought I'd go ahead and address some details about the retainer here.


Why a retainer, as opposed to normal hourly work?
I developed this affordable retainer after many years of working with clients and seeing how people sometimes get nervous about how many hours are racking up, and sometimes don’t ask for improvements to their site, or other marketing materials that they need because of this. And I in turn feel weird sometimes about making recommendations that I know would be beneficial because I don’t want to come across like I am trying to “sell” my services.

More importantly, I know as a web developer that it is extremely important to keep a website (and your print marketing) fresh and up to date. Google likes (and rewards with good placement) frequent updates. New technologies come about quickly that can and should be implemented to keep your site up to date. And much like a changing wardrobe each season, your site's design and your business marketing message should be cleaned up and modernized on a regular basis. But if I am charging hourly, it is difficult for me to impose these updates on clients without seeming salesy.

Many website owners will spend thousands of dollars developing and launching a new site, only to realize a few years later that they need a "fresh" site. So they end up hiring a new web developer, spending a bunch of money all over again on another new site, and on and on the cycle goes. Part and parcel of this retainer is attempting to break that vicious cycle so that each of my clients knows that their site will always be up to date. The retainer includes facelifts and site upgrades, new technology implementation, ongoing technical support and ongoing Google monitoring.

It also includes print work so that your ads, brochures, business cards, etc., all always match your online presence as well.

With this retainer clients can easily manage their budgets and never hesitate to ask for anything they need.  And the advantage for me is that I can dedicate myself to my core group of clients and keeping their marketing and websites fresh, updated, relevant and competitive. I am able to be dedicated to my group and their needs without chasing the next big fish.

What is included?
The retainer includes web hosting, all web updates, site facelifts, maintenance, coding, and design updates. Basically anything and everything that your site needs. It also includes print design - including ad designs, logo designs, letterhead and business card designs, billboard designs, postcard designs, brochure designs etc. The only things it does not include are actual out of pocket expenses such as printing, postage, photography purchases, etc. It also does not include brand new website design, or a giant leap from a website from one type of site to another. For instance, if you have a one page simple html site and wanted to suddently turn it into Amazon. It wouldn't include that ;)

Why $485?
It took me a while to come to this particular figure, and some experimentation with retainers of various amounts. In short, with this figure clients get double and sometimes triple the amount of work that they are paying for, so it's very advantageous for them. A monetary advantage for the client is important for a retainer to work. Furthermore, they can easily budget in this set amount, and never have to second-guess asking me for anything.

From my perspective this number works as long as I have a certain number of clients on board. Although sometimes the workload exceeds the dollars coming in, the "comfort" factor of having the set income is a plus for me, and it also saves me about twenty hours a month in counting hours and billing, a huge plus for me. And, as I stated above, I am able to be very loyal and dedicated to my clients because I don't have to worry about constantly looking for the next big website. Incidentally, this gives my clients a competitive edge!

What if I have multiple websites?
This retainer is on a per-client basis. So if you have more than one website that is ok, you are still covered under the one retainer. If we run into a problem where we feel that a particular client's workload goes exorbitantly over the retainer, then we will discuss that situation with that particular client. In our experience, most clients have a relatively similar workload, and it evens out over time so that Workhorse isn't taken advantage of, and it is fiscally extremely beneficial to the client.

Is there a contract and/or terms required?
I don’t currently have a contract for this, and hope that I don’t ever need one quite frankly.  I have no interest in “trapping” folks with me as I have seen other agencies do with contracts.  The retainer is simply deducted automatically from a credit card each month (I use paypal for billing), and can be revoked by you (the client) at any time – there is a button on each monthly receipt that would allow you to cancel it. Of course, if you revoke it, then we simply go back to billing on an hourly basis for work.  If I get to a point with a client where I feel that the work load completely outweighs the retainer extravagantly then of course I would have that conversation with that particular client and we would figure out an arrangement that suits us better.  So far however, most of my clients have a similar ongoing workload, and I enjoy working with a core client base and infrequently feeling the need to pursue new clients.

Why are there a limited number of retainer spots?
Because Workhorse is not a large ad agency. We only require enough retainer spots to maintain a profitable design business. With too many retainers we wouldn't be able to keep up with the work load, and anyone who has worked with us knows that quality of service is of utmost importance to us. So, that's it. Once we fill our retianer spots, all other work will be done on an hourly basis as always, as time permits.

So, that's pretty much it! Please email me with any questions!

Kind regards,

Caroline Harrington
Workhorse Creative