3 Reasons Digital Agency Retainers Fail

A digital retainer is a long-term marketing investment designed to achieve marketing objectives and deliver a strong return. Yet, this doesn’t happen with every retainer. When a retainer underperforms, it’s often the same few critical gaps.

Bespoke Digital Agency has provided marketing retainers for nearly 25 years. Phil Turner, Head of Digital at Bespoke, explains what makes them successful and why they might fail.

Being Well-Matched Matters

A successful digital agency retainer starts with a well-matched client and agency. For example, a £10 million B2B service business is looking for leads, will struggle with an agency specialising in e-commerce retainers, much larger companies, or startups. The priorities, processes, and pace will be different and not suited.

A well-matched agency should have experience in your sector and understand your type of customer. They should be able to show examples of similar businesses they’ve helped, with proven tactics and results to demonstrate they understand your market. When this is aligned, the strategy and tactics work quickly and effectively.

Turning "Us and Them" into "We"

The collaboration and engagement between a client and agency is just as important as being well-matched. A retainer should feel like a partnership, not ‘the agency’ versus ‘the in-house team’. Real success follows when agency and client teams are dovetailed and working towards the same strategy.

When collaboration runs smoothly and responsibilities are defined, both teams are working to their strengths. The in-house team provides deep insight into the business and customers, while the agency executes strategies that deliver impactful results. Together, they operate as one with shared goals, open communication, and discuss real results.

Closing the Missing Gaps

Successful campaigns that have worked elsewhere with the right targeting and excellent creatives can still underperform. In many cases, this comes down to missing pieces elsewhere in lead generation campaigns.

Retainers can have 80% of the strategy spot-on, but if campaigns are missing one or two key cogs, like an outdated website or unclear brand guidelines, that can impact campaign performance. Even with a strong online presence and robust sales follow-up processes, if supporting elements are neglected, results won’t improve.

The most successful digital retainers aren’t just about delivering marketing outputs. When a business works with the right agency, collaborates closely, and ensures all the supporting elements are in place, the retainer becomes more than a service; it becomes a partnership for growth.

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