Online marketing retainer for B2B growth

Many organisations in the business market experience marketing as a 'black box'. A lot of budget and time goes into isolated actions, such as one-off campaigns, attending trade fairs or the occasional social media post. Although these efforts seem logical on paper, structural growth in the number of new customers fails to materialise.

The cause lies in the changed way business decision-makers make their choices. Today, a buyer has already completed 70 to 80 per cent of their decision-making before they even contact a sales department.

There is so much information online that customers find their own way. If you're only visible with the odd shot in the dark, you miss the chance to be present in the customer's mind throughout that entire run-up.

That's why a retainer with Partout isn't an hours factory where we simply tick off tasks. It's a strategic choice to build a solid foundation that is always on. By stopping ad hoc actions and choosing a fixed structure, you make sure your business no longer depends on chance, but on a predictable system that constantly generates new opportunities for sales.

What exactly does our online marketing retainer involve?

An online marketing retainer is an ongoing partnership in which we carry out pre-agreed work every month to achieve your commercial goals.

Whereas project-based support often has a clear beginning and end, such as building a new website or running a campaign for one product, a retainer is about continuity. The big difference lies in building results over the long term.

With a project, activity stops as soon as the hours run out or the goal is reached. In a retainer, however, we build on the data and successes gathered in the previous months. For this we use the Demand Generation Machine, a method in which we constantly create demand in the market for your solutions. This means we don't wait for someone to type in a search query, but are proactively present with your ideal audience.

This creates momentum: every month the foundation gets stronger and your visibility grows, leading to sustainable growth that doesn't collapse as soon as you pay a little less attention to marketing for a month.

What's included in an online marketing retainer?

Within the Partout retainer, we combine strategy with execution following a fixed pattern from our Playbook. This starts with applying strategic expertise to determine which message should land with which audience at which moment.

Every month, for example, we create in-depth content, such as articles and videos, that answers your customers' questions. We distribute this content organically and through ads on channels such as LinkedIn and Google, so you're always visible to the right people.

We also take care of the technical optimisation of your website and set up systems that measure where the best leads come from. There's also room for regular meetings in which we discuss progress and adjust course based on the figures.

The goal is for every part of the marketing machine to connect seamlessly, from the first point of contact to the handover to sales. Because we work with a dedicated team that gets to know your market inside out, we become an extension of your organisation rather than an external supplier.

What are the benefits of our fixed-fee online marketing retainer?

Working with a fixed monthly fee gives your marketing budget financial predictability. You know where you stand in advance, with no surprises afterwards. But the biggest advantage is strategic: this way you make sure you're consistently working on the right things every month.

In B2B marketing, regularity is an important factor for success. By reserving a fixed amount, you make sure the marketing machine keeps running, even in quiet periods or precisely when sales is extremely busy.

A fixed amount also allows us to invest in brand building, something that is often the first thing to go in projects because the direct return is harder to measure. In the long run, however, this consistent build-up of brand value is far more profitable than having to restart isolated actions over and over again. After all, you're building something that delivers more and more value, much like building wealth through a fixed monthly contribution.

Why an online marketing retainer delivers more (the compounding effect)

The success of a retainer relies heavily on the so-called compounding effect. In the marketing world, this means that today's efforts not only support tomorrow's results, but strengthen them. We make use of the 95/5 rule here.

Research shows that at any given moment, only 5 per cent of your market is actively looking for a solution and ready to buy. The other 95 per cent is not in the market yet, but will be in the future. Many companies aim solely at that small group of 5 per cent with 'quick fixes' and direct ads, which leads to high costs and fierce competition.

With a Partout retainer, we deliberately focus on that 95 per cent as well. By being consistently present with relevant information for this group, we build trust before they even start a buying process. When they're finally ready to buy, you're the only party that has already built a relationship with them. This gives you a huge long-term lead over competitors who only chase current leads.

How we get your business onto the shortlist

To get your business onto the shortlist of potential suppliers consistently, we work according to the five steps of our online marketing Playbook.

1. Step 1: Sharply define your ideal customer. We stop the scattergun approach. We make a clear choice for a specific product-market combination where your solution adds the most value. We don't just look at the sector, but also at the maturity of the organisation and the different people involved in the purchase.
2. Step 2: Formulate the message. We determine what makes your vision unique. Why should customers choose you and not someone else? We translate your expertise into a clear standpoint that challenges the status quo in your market.
3. Step 3: Content framework. We build a system of fixed content themes. This means we don't have to reinvent what we're going to communicate every time, but share expertise consistently in the areas where you are the expert.
4. Step 4: Demand Generation Machine. We make your message visible where your customers are. We do this by posting content directly on platforms such as LinkedIn or Instagram, so people can consume your information without having to click through straight away.
5. Step 5: Measure and optimise. We look beyond the figures from ads alone. We steer on signals that genuinely contribute to growth, such as the increase in the number of people searching directly for your brand name, or the quality of the conversations sales is having.

Who is a marketing retainer suitable for?

An online marketing retainer isn't the right solution for every business. At Partout, we use the maturity model to determine whether there's a good match. Our approach works best for B2B organisations dealing with a complex buying process. These are often journeys in which several people are involved in the decision and where a sale takes several months or even years.

A retainer is also suitable for B2B companies that want to stop 'hunting' for leads through cold outreach. If you notice it's getting harder and harder to get a seat at the table with the right people, it's time to invest in a strategy in which customers come to you.

You also need to understand that building a brand takes time. Companies looking for a 'quick fix' won't be happy with our online marketing retainer. It's a partnership for organisations that dare to invest in a foundation for the years ahead.

What does our marketing retainer cost?

The investment for an online marketing retainer is based on the intensity of the work and how quickly you want to achieve results. There's no 'one-size-fits-all' price, because the needs of a mid-sized SME differ from those of an international player.

The costs consist of three parts: strategic guidance, content creation and its technical distribution. You pay for the expertise of a team made up of strategists, copywriters, specialists and data analysts. It's important not to see these costs as a monthly expense that disappears, but as an investment in a stable, loyal audience.

The longer the retainer runs, the lower the relative cost per result becomes, thanks to the compounding effect mentioned earlier. We're always transparent about where the hours go and what the expected output is, so you know exactly how your investment contributes to the growth of your business.

Your role in the partnership

Successful B2B marketing is a team sport; we can't do it alone. While we look after the execution and the strategy, we need your subject-matter expertise. You and your colleagues are the ones who really know the market and understand the problems customers run into.

To make the content truly relevant, we need access to the experts within your organisation. Think of regular interviews or sessions in which we go deep into specific topics. We also expect quick feedback on the materials we create, so the machine keeps its momentum.

In addition, a shared long-term vision is extremely important. Marketing and sales need to be aligned on what a good lead is and how we approach the market together. Only by working closely together and sharing expertise can we create a message that truly makes an impression on your audience.

Frequently asked questions about our online marketing retainer

Below we answer some of the questions that regularly come up with organisations considering a retainer:

1. How do we measure the success of our online marketing retainer?
   Instead of looking only at clicks and downloads, we look at growth across the whole market. We track the increase in searches for your brand name and the quality of the enquiries that come in through the website. We also look at the influence of marketing on the sales pipeline. Are sales conversations becoming easier and shorter because the customer already knows you?

1. Why choose Partout instead of a freelancer?
   A freelancer is often a specialist in one area, whereas with our retainer you have a full team of experts at your disposal. What's more, we work according to a fixed, proven method. That means you're not dependent on the whims of one person, but rely on a system that delivers consistent results.

1. How long does it take for a retainer to deliver results?
   Marketing is a long-haul process. In the first three months we lay the foundations and build visibility. Between three and six months, you often see the first signs of more engagement from the market. After six to twelve months, the machine really starts running at full speed and you see a structural increase in the number of quality enquiries.

Ready to get onto the shortlist?

Choosing an online marketing retainer is the first step towards a marketing strategy that really works for you. No more isolated actions that lead nowhere, but a structured build-up of your brand and expertise. You become visible to the entire market, you build trust with future buyers and you take the pressure off your own organisation by leaving the execution to specialists.

Are you ready to open the 'black box' and build a machine that always gets your business onto the shortlist? Then get in touch with us for an introductory call. Together we'll look at how we can translate the principles of our Playbook to your specific situation and goals.