Many SME business owners I work with or meet with are caught in a cycle. They pay retainers for marketing services like SEO, paid ads, content creation, or influencer management, which is common.
Are You Getting What You Pay For?
What’s shocking is how little the business owners actually know about what they’re paying for. When asked, they say things like, “The person is doing our SEO” or “The agency is handling our Google Ads.” However, when pressed for details, the business owners struggle to explain why the activities are being done or what specific business goals the activities are supposed to achieve.
It’s as if business owners are doing things for the sake of staying busy, driven by a fear of missing out rather than by a clear purpose. The retainers, while providing a steady income for agencies and freelancers, often lead to complacency. Many service providers get comfortable, enjoying the security of monthly payments without being held accountable for delivering tangible results.
The worst part? The business owners who are footing the bill often don’t know the right questions to ask to challenge this status quo. They continue paying month after month until things get so bad that they’re forced to find a new provider. And then, the cycle starts again.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. By asking the right questions, business owners can take back control of their marketing and growth strategies, and ensure they’re getting the results they deserve.
This pattern needs to be broken. Business owners must start questioning the value they’re getting from the retainers they are paying. They must ask themselves: “What is this service really doing for my business? How is it moving the needle?” If they can’t answer these questions, they must reconsider those payments.
Retainers should be more than just a safety net for the service provider—they should be driving real growth and delivering measurable results.
Business owners need to pause and think critically. It’s time to be alarmed. It’s time to take a hard look at those retainers. Are they truly working for you, or are they simply padding someone else’s pockets?
Don’t wait for things to go sour. Start asking the tough questions now, and if the answers aren’t satisfactory, it might be time to terminate those retainers. Your business deserves better.