Retainer Agreement Template for Marketing Businesses (UK 2025)
Last updated: February 2025
Why Marketing Businesses Need a Retainer Agreement
Marketing retainer agreements provide clients with ongoing access to creative, strategic, and campaign management resources on a predictable monthly basis. These are the most common engagement model for marketing agencies, providing revenue stability and deep client understanding that improves work quality over time. The agreement must define monthly deliverables or hour allocations, establish reporting and review cadences, and address the commercial realities of scope creep and client expectation management.
Key Clauses for Marketing
- Monthly deliverable schedule or hour allocation with clear outputs
- Reporting cadence and performance review framework
- Scope management and change request process for additional work
- Strategic planning sessions and annual campaign planning provisions
Common Mistakes
- Not including a formal scope management process, resulting in gradual scope creep that erodes the retainer's profitability
- Failing to schedule regular strategic reviews, reducing the retainer to tactical execution without the strategic value clients expect
Template Sections
- Monthly deliverables and output schedule
- Reporting and performance review cadence
- Scope management and additional work process
FAQ
How should a marketing retainer handle scope creep?
Include a monthly work order or brief approval process where the client signs off on the planned work for each period. Any requests outside the approved scope trigger a change request with estimated hours and cost. Build in a small buffer of 10% for minor ad hoc requests, but require formal approval for anything that materially changes the month's work plan.
What reporting should a marketing retainer include?
Monthly reporting should cover work completed against the plan, hours used against the allocation, key performance metrics for active campaigns, and a forward plan for the next period. Include quarterly strategic reviews assessing overall marketing performance, strategy alignment, and retainer effectiveness. Annual planning sessions should set objectives and deliverable priorities for the year ahead.
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Get Started FreeThis is guidance for UK businesses, not legal advice. Templates are illustrative. Consult a solicitor for complex matters.
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