What’s the difference between fixed-fee and performance-based retainers?
A fixed-fee retainer is the same monthly cost for an agreed scope. A performance-based one adds a share of results to a base fee. Fixed is the usual starting point, and we agree the fee model before we start.
Fixed fee
The same cost every month for a defined scope. It's easy to budget, and it suits ongoing work like reporting, upkeep and steady ads management. It's how retainers usually start.
Performance-based
A base fee plus a share of the results, agreed up front. It only works when the sales can be measured properly, so the tracking has to be right first.
Which suits you
- Want a predictable bill and a steady scope: fixed fee.
- Happy to share risk and upside, and have clean sales data: a base fee plus commission.
- Not sure: start fixed and revisit once we can see the numbers.
Either way, we agree the fee model before we start. See ongoing management, support and reporting.
Also worth asking
Other answers about the same tools.
What is technical and tracking infrastructure?
It's the set-up that counts what happens on your site and sends it where it needs to go: tracking tags, analytics, ad-platform conversions, your CRM connection and cookie consent, plus the hosting and security around your website.
How do you set up website analytics and tracking?
We agree with you what counts as a conversion, then set up Google Tag Manager and GA4, plus server-side tracking through Stape for sites that spend on ads. Before we hand over, we check the data is actually arriving.
Why is tracking important for my marketing?
Without it you're guessing which ads, pages and emails bring customers. Ad platforms also bid on what you tell them, so missing or wrong conversions mean they find the wrong people.
What is ongoing management, support, and reporting?
It means we don't launch your marketing and leave. We keep running and improving your ads, website and tracking on a retainer, and send reports that show what's working and what we'd change.
What’s included in your performance reporting?
Spend, leads or sales, and cost per result by channel, using data we've checked first. Reports sit in a Looker Studio dashboard you can open any time, and each one ends with what we'd push, fix or stop.
Still have questions?Talk to us
Bring your numbers.
We'll tell you if the spend makes sense.
- A 15-minute callYour goals, your challenges, and whether we're the right fit.
- A 1-hour discovery callWe dig into your numbers. Worth a hundred emails.
- A concrete planAds, a custom build or both, as a one-off project or ongoing.