Marketing retainer proposal
Marketing retainer proposal example for a twelve month program
A marketing retainer proposal asks a client to commit to a monthly fee for a year, so it has to show what one month buys, what the year is built around and how either side can leave. This example from an Adelaide studio to a Barossa winery prices the year at $48,400 plus GST, with four seasonal content shoots, optional paid social and a fixed deposit for onboarding and the first month.
The proposal, page by page
Every page as the client sees it and as it prints, pricing table included.
The pricing, line by line
- Onboarding and brand audit
- 1 × $2,200.00
- Monthly marketing retainer
- 12 × $3,400.00
- Quarterly content shoot
- 4 × $1,350.00
- Paid social management (optional)
- 12 × $600.00
- Trade show kit (optional)
- 1 × $2,900.00
- Tax
- $4,840.00
- Total
- $53,240.00
- Deposit due on acceptance
- $6,160.00
Section by section
- Cover
- The title, the client, the December 2026 to November 2027 term, the focus on the club and cellar door, and a reference.
- About us
- Two sentences on the studio and why one team does all the work.
- Understanding your needs
- The winery, the shrinking club and the goal, with three figures: 1,140 members, 9% lost last year and a 6,800 email list.
- Our approach
- Plan the year around the vintage, turn visitors into members, report on what earns money.
- Deliverables
- The plan, the monthly emails and calendar, four shoots of 40 images and 8 clips, and monthly reports.
- Timeline and Why us
- Five campaign milestones across the year, then three plain facts about how the studio works.
- Investment
- Onboarding, twelve months, four shoots, and two options: paid social for six to twelve months and a trade show kit.
- Terms
- Six clauses: monthly billing after the fixed deposit, changes, 30 days notice after six months, ownership, ad spend and validity.
- Next steps and acceptance
- How to accept, tick options and sign, and when onboarding starts.
How a marketing retainer differs from a project proposal
A project proposal prices a finished thing. A retainer prices a share of a team's time and attention for a period, which the client cannot inspect in advance. The proposal has to make that time concrete. This one does it three ways: it names the outputs of a typical month, it ties the year to dates the client already plans around, and it reports on numbers the client already counts, such as club sign ups and shop orders. It also prices the expensive, visible work, the four shoots, as its own line, so the monthly fee is not quietly carrying it. Clients compare retainers by the monthly figure, and keeping the shoots out of it makes that figure honest.
How the money works on this retainer
The default total is $48,400 plus GST, $53,240 in all: $2,200 onboarding, twelve months at $3,400 and four shoots at $1,350. Paid social management at $600 a month is optional and the client sets the term between six and twelve months; the trade show kit at $2,900 is optional too. With both at twelve months the subtotal is $58,500. The deposit is a fixed $6,160 including GST, which is exactly onboarding plus the first month. The product has no recurring invoices, so clause 1 says the remaining months are invoiced monthly, and the shoots in the month they happen. That keeps each invoice small and predictable, which is what keeps a retainer client paying on time.
How to adapt this proposal
Replace the winery's calendar with your client's: a gym's January, a school's enrolment season, a retailer's sales. Put a campaign on each date in the timeline so the client can see the year. Keep the monthly line descriptive enough that a client could check it was delivered. If your retainer includes hours rather than outputs, say how many and what happens to unused ones. If you run paid advertising, keep the ad spend out of your price and say so, as clause 5 does, because a client who thinks the budget is included will feel overcharged later. If your client sends marketing email, check they have consent for the list, since Australian spam rules apply to the sender.
What makes this proposal work
The year is built on the client's calendar
The approach plans twelve months around harvest, releases, club shipments and busy long weekends, and the timeline puts a campaign on each: summer release, vintage, mid year review and the Christmas club. The client sees their own year, not a generic content plan.
One month is easy to picture
The retainer line says what $3,400 a month buys: two club emails, the social calendar, website updates and a results call. Shoots are separate at $1,350 each, so the client can see that four of them add $5,400 to the year.
Leaving is written down
Clause 3 lets either side end the retainer with 30 days notice after month six, and the Why us strip repeats it. A twelve month commitment is easier to sign when the exit is plain, and the client is more likely to stay when they know they can go.
Questions people ask
What is a marketing retainer?
An agreement where a client pays a fixed monthly fee for a set amount of marketing work over a period, usually six to twelve months. It suits ongoing work such as email, social and campaigns. This example prices the month at $3,400 and lists what it covers, with one off work such as onboarding and content shoots priced on their own lines.
How much should a marketing retainer cost?
It depends on the scope and who does the work. Work out the hours a typical month needs, multiply by your rate, and add the cost of anything you produce such as shoots or design. Show the parts separately. This example charges $3,400 a month for planning, emails, social and reporting, and $1,350 for each seasonal shoot.
How long should a marketing retainer run?
Twelve months is common for marketing tied to a yearly calendar, as here, but the client should be able to leave. This example asks for twelve months and lets either side end it with 30 days written notice once six months are done. Without an exit clause a long retainer is harder to sign and harder to keep.
Should ad spend be included in a retainer price?
Usually not. Keep the advertising budget separate and have the client pay the platform directly, then charge for managing it. This example offers paid social management as an optional line at $600 a month and says in clause 5 that ad spend is paid by the client to each platform and is not part of the price.
How is a monthly retainer invoiced after the client accepts?
Here the fixed deposit for onboarding and the first month is invoiced at acceptance with a pay link, and a balance invoice is drafted for the rest. There are no recurring invoices, so each later month is invoiced on its own, which clause 1 states so the client expects one invoice a month on 14 day terms.
What should a retainer proposal report on?
The numbers the client already uses to run the business. For a winery that is club sign ups, online shop orders and cellar door bookings, which this proposal reports monthly. Reach and likes can be included, but a client who sees the retainer moving revenue is the one who renews it.
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