Join the Waitlist.
We all have time constraints so to ensure sufficient time is allocated to each client, I now have initiated a waitlist for new clients seeking a reduced hourly rate.
DON’T WORRY! Existing clients on retainer still have full access to my calendar as needed.
Are you prepared…. ? Plan ahead to get ahead.
Are you prepared…. ? Plan ahead to get ahead.
Monthly Marketing Retainers
It pays to plan with a monthly retainer! My hourly rate is $175 or $150 if booked on my calendar for one-off events.
I offer a discount with recurring monthly retainers paid in advance with a card on file at the following rates:
Each monthly retainer is meant for strategy, execution, and refinements. One hour is reserved for monthly reporting of analytics and recurring meetings must be scheduled out in advance.
Additional hours will be billed at $150/hour and invoiced on the 15th of every month.
Unfortunately, there is no discount for additional hours beyond pre-paid retainer so it is important to right size your retainer. For work hours or meetings beyond the allotted time in retainers will be billed at the hourly rate of $150. Ex. You have a 10 hour monthly retainer but need an additional 5 hours of work to be completed. You would be billed an additional $750 and invoice would automatically be paid on the 15th of that month.
Purchase indicates you understand the terms of the monthly retainer as outlined above.
Each Monthly Retainer Includes:
Documentation: A project management document available to you to track progress and share with your team or virtual assistant
Reporting: One page analytics emailed monthly upon request (if requested and I’m added under permissions in Google, Squarespace, and Meta)
Meetings: One virtual meeting a month for the 1 hour retainer and weekly meetings available for 5, 10, 15, and 20 hour retainers.
Execution: The remaining hours purchased minus time allocated for virtual meetings can be spent offline on execution of project work such as writing, design, editing, and research
Agendas: Each meeting comes with a simple agenda sent the day before to optimize time together and stay on point but can be revised as needed because of ever shifting demands
Recordings: Demonstrations and walk through videos available upon request - please let me know before the meeting starts!
Does NOT Include:
Third party subscriptions (Ex. Canva, Calendly, Squarespace, Adobe, etc.)
New website builds. Please book a time to discuss HERE but all websites are $3,000+
Highly technical support outside of what has been discussed and agreed to in writing. I am not a virtual assistant, photographer, videographer, cyber security expert, book keeper, accountant, attorney, operations manager, human resources expert, PR manager, etc. but I DO know plenty of those to recommend!
Last minute fire drills. Each retainer comes with meetings booked no less than 48 hours in advance out of curtesy to ALL my clients.
Texts. Please do not text me unless you’re running late or have to cancel a meeting. All requests must be received in writing via email.
Why would I want a retainer?
Great question! We all have busy lives and myriad responsibilities. Retainers are meant to be a mutually beneficial agreement.
Subscribing to a retainer ensures that both parties regularly allocate the appropriate amount of time to think through your current goals, strategy, and tasks. Simply put, retainer is meant to plan for success! I also offer options based on a project fee for discrete* projects or a new website build. Please book a time on my calendar to discuss: https://calendly.com/dodgeashley
As an entrepreneur myself, I’m mindful that things come up and you may need to reschedule or pivot to meet the needs of your clients, partners, and colleagues. A retainer is meant to make sure we both can plan accordingly with built in wiggle room. If that’s not right for you, you can always book a one-time meeting on demand here or I can bill hourly at my regular rate as needed (with written approval). After years of fire drills and unnecessary stress, I have just created this process to make sure everyone is invested and ready to rock-n-roll.
*Note: Discrete meaning a specific project, not as in a secret one but I do those too for startups in stealth mode. If you want an NDA, please note that my cost goes up considerably because the stakes are higher and needs more demanding. I do not offer performance based contracts.
How do I get started?
Book an initial call on my calendar to discuss deliverables, timeline and scope of work: https://calendly.com/dodgeashley
Select the appropriate retainer for your goals: 1 Hour, 5 Hours, 10 Hours, 15 Hours, or 20 Hours
I’ll book a kickoff call where we will schedule out a cadence of meetings, walk through the project document, and discuss expectations on metrics, deliverables, timeline, and the value of the work
Note: If your budget changes, we can always adjust for the next month. Clients often need much more assistance in the early stages of starting up for the things they don’t know they needed until we chat. My goal is to help you save time and money. I don’t get paid for work I didn’t do.
Ex. If you’re looking to be on first page of Google’s Organic Search Results in a highly competitive or crowded industry, be prepared to invest hours of research, planning, and execution to make it happen. Don’t expect any overnight success or going viral on day one.
What type of work would this include?
This could be continued edits to your website, reviewing reporting from Google or Social Media platforms, creating digital or print marketing collateral, scheduling out LinkedIn posts, drafting newsletters, ghostwriting blog posts, refining a strategy, collecting testimonials, doing audience analysis or competitor research. It just depends on how you want to allocate the time we have together and what you’re after.
Doing consistent work together offers better results because there’s a lot of researching, planning, executing, and analyzing that goes into strategy. A retainer also means a discounted rate for consistency so we can continue building on our wins.
Why is this a subscription via Stripe?
I realized that not everyone wanted to use the calendar link, but it was taking a lot more back and forth to book appointments ad hoc. And I ended up doing a lot of work for free because I couldn’t find the time to invoice for emergency phone calls here and there while I’m busy trying to complete projects and win new work.
This monthly retainer reflects a commitment to be strategic about tackling your most pressing needs and staying on track with your marketing and overall business goals. I’ve also had some awkward calls where someone wanted to trade hot sauce or gift cards for work I’d already done. Stripe makes things SUPER easy for clients to budget hours and for me to budget time.
As a Marketing Director, this is how I hired out and paid for external marketing help but at a much higher rate for a whole lot less. Most agencies charge $1,000- $2,500 a month but you won’t have a revolving door of staff members as a point of contact. You’ll have me.
How will I measure ROI?
Before getting started, we will be sure to define tangible benefits and specific outcomes you can expect. For websites that means building a website, tracking visitor traffic, improving conversion rates, and enhanced brand visibility. For newsletters, my clients often see a 30-60% open rate and +10% click rate by using proven strategies and good design. For social proof, that could be gathering testimonials. I don’t pursue vanity metrics and want to make sure our strategies increase awareness and boost sales. My hope is to provide long-term value long after we have worked together.
DISCLAIMER:
No refunds for unused hours. Up to 1 hour can carry over to the following month but expires 30 days after canceling a subscription. Please contact me with any questions or concerns you have so I can clear up any confusion in advance.
Simply cancel, pause, or update your subscription within 30 days of the automatic charge. Written notice is required. No refunds.