How We Work

Monthly Retainers

Great web experiences do not happen overnight. Managing websites, social media, and interactive marketing takes time: time to build, time to review, time to refine.

That is why we offer our monthly retainer models. We wanted to give organizations a sustainable way to build and maintain their mission online...without breaking the bank.

Our options are flexible based on your organization's needs. You can retain us from 10 to 100 hours (or more) a month, and use any of our services within that block of time at a discounted rate.

Below are examples of how our partners utilize Five Q's services on a monthly basis.

10 Hours

What can Five Q do for just 10 hours a month? Quite a bit. Our 10-hour retainer level is perfect for improving the performance of your website or getting expert assistance with common technical tasks.

Some services that can fit into 10 hours a month include:

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): We offer clients detailed SEO reports, conduct keyword research, and provide recommendations about how to improve their specific search engine rankings.
  • Web Statistics and Analysis: We review web traffic reports, helping to identify trends as well as providing recommendations on how to improve the user experience based on this data.
  • Web Strategy: Our clients are always coming up with great ideas on how to improve their websites. Our strategists can turn those ideas into practical plans while keeping in mind their overall organizational goals and metrics.
  • Usability Testing: We conduct usability tests [link to services area] for clients to identify problem areas. In turn, this information allows us to make recommendations for adjustments to improve the user experience and ROI.
  • Email Marketing: We assist with analysis of email campaigns, delivery, design, and content as well as executing email newsletters for successful marketing.

30 Hours

This retainer level is ideal for organizations who want to make sustained improvements to their web experience...without hiring a full-time team of programmers, designers, and project managers.

As an added bonus, each 30-hour retainer includes a monthly planning meeting, which keeps project tasks and requests on target.

Some services that fit into the 30 hours a month include:

  • Web Strategy: We conduct more in-depth research to develop implementation strategies, documentation, and white papers that specifically meet organizational goals.
  • Web Production: We develop new or extend features for existing websites or applications such as registration forms, online store, audio/video streaming, and marketing campaign-specific promotional materials. This work involves four core services:
    • Information Architecture: We develop "blueprints" to document how a new or extended feature will work.
    • Interactive Design: We create visual designs needed for the requested features.
    • Custom Programming: We write the code to bring the requested feature to life.
    • Project Management: We provide a dedicated Five Q project manager to oversee the tasks, budget, and timeline for the requested work.

60 or More Hours

This retainer level is best fit for organizations with larger strategic and implementation needs, but are still not ready to hire a full-time web marketing staff... or just want to augment their existing staff during a period of growth.

On top of all the added benefits available with a 30-hour retainer, this level also includes weekly status meetings and reporting as well as a yearly on-site strategy meeting.

Some additional services you can receive at 60+ hours a month include:

  • Web Strategy & Analytics: We develop more extensive and granular reporting of analytics and behavioral activity, developing long-term strategic goals and metrics that fit into an annual budget.
  • Custom Design & Programming: We plan, manage, and execute most or all of a client's web, mobile, and email marketing initiatives.
  • Integrated Content Strategy: We provide content strategy development, copy writing, editing, and style guide creation with an eye toward brand consistency.
  • Training and Consultation: As our staff has knowledge on a wide range of subject areas, we can provide training and consultation from accessibility to database integration, password security to social media, and online video production to mobile marketing for all levels of expertise and leadership.

Keys to Success

Just a few things to keep in mind when deciding on a retainer partnership with Five Q:

  • Our retainer agreements typically require a 6 to 12 month commitment. This enables us to allocate the right resources to best meet your needs.
  • We recommend having a dedicated point person on your team for us to work with.
    • Even if you have a committee of people who help make the decisions, having a single point of contact for us ensures that we know who to communicate with at all times.
    • It is also helpful if the dedicated point person has the authority to make key decisions on behalf of your organization. While there will be times when others need to be involved, having to wait for an answer can often cause unnecessary delays.
    • The best dedicated point person is not always the one who has the most extensive web or trending technology knowledge. We've found that those willing to learn are the ones who end up being the best advocates for your organization.
    • Finally, this dedicated point person should have the availability and time for meetings, reviewing documentation, and communicating with our staff regularly during a week.
  • Our retainer agreements are relationships, and building relationships takes time. We believe in fostering a collaborative atmosphere so that strategies, plans, designs, features and requests are all crafted with your goals in mind. We have the choice to do them right or do them now... we choose to do them with excellence.
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