Retained Digital Adviser

An individual who is experienced in nearly all things digital. We might already be working together to grow your marketing through SEO/GEO after having built your website, but you want more than reports and a summary call each month about the campaign: you want someone who knows you, your business, and your brand.

Someone to bounce ideas off. If the idea seems sound when discussed on the monthly call, it seems reasonable to then research the best approach to take, including which platform to use, the costs involved, and how the result will be achieved.

It’s like having an adviser there who can translate all the Geek Speak and say whether something is or is not worth investing in or whether it’s better to plan for it later. Or, if there’s little point in doing something because it’s going to be a huge waste of time, effort, and money (you’d be surprised how many things are).

A freelancer or a digital agency is ok.

The first is a specialist with a unique set of skills, the second is a team of various specialists with whom you don’t have direct access, and a generalist who communicates with you; you’re still just a number.

Discover Web is interested in long-term partnerships. Helping your business grow by being your right hand, there to support you in all things digital. The retained digital adviser can help focus your efforts on the key areas you need now and plan for growth into the future.

Small-sized businesses with revenue of less than £1 million per year. (If you’re larger than that, this page on hiring a Digital Marketing Consultant will be better.)

You’re going to be owner-led, a startup or a non-profit wanting clarity and help as you traverse the online world. Do you need AI? A chat AI agent? An app? Something else? Ask me: Easy. Fast. Done.

If you’re a micro business (under £30k revenue per year) or just starting, a power hour might be more beneficial.

Anything related to your business/brand and being online.

Topics include:

• A website for your business
• Landing pages
• Sales funnels
• Search engine optimisation
• YouTube
• Google (I’ve been working with Google since 2008)
• DNS & server admin (I specialise in DNS)
• Artificial Intelligence
• ChatGPT, Perplexity, Calude, Grok, Gemini prompting
• Email marketing & automations
• SMS marketing
• Social media (although I’m not an expert)
• Branding & design (a good eye for great design, but not an expert)
• Conversion optimisation
• Web accessibility
• Data security & privacy
• WordPress & CMS
• Shopify & eCommerce
• Online payments
• Learning portals and Learning Management Systems
• Digital courses

Basically, anything in digital marketing.

No. This isn’t an implementation service, but is an advisory and research service.

We jump on the phone once per month and talk about you and your business: what’s gone well and what you want to work on next. You may have spoken to others in your industry about AI agents, a specific app, or another topic, and you would like me to research how we can implement that particular solution in your business. I’ll then get back to you within a week with the information and next steps.

The main scope of the process is for me to be there to advise on the best route and then research if I’m not 100% sure of the answer.

Or, we could talk about your dog/cat, and I can share photos/videos of the dogs I help at a local shelter. Whatever you prefer.

Absolutely.

I can point out where I see improvements or where you could make quick wins, but it’s better if we start with a digital roadmap strategy as the base (which is a standalone service that isn’t pennies, but it won’t break the bank either).

I can identify quick wins in the first session and use my research time to provide you with an analysis of your current position and a summary of how you will achieve your desired outcome.

However, for more in-depth information, I recommend exploring a Digital Roadmap Strategy.

Here’s the breakdown of how it works:

• One 45-minute call a month
• One 45-minute block of me going away, researching a topic and providing a summary
• Unlimited questions and answers back and forth with a guaranteed reply to your email within 72 hours.

No problem.

We’d agree on the fee for the extra phone call(s) outside of your allotted one (at a discounted rate).

Let’s take an example.

During the call, we discussed how your business aims to utilise email marketing to attract more prospects and then convert them into buyers. I agree to research all available platforms and then provide you with an email summary comparison of the top five that are best suited to your business.

We can then jump on another call, communicate by email, or pick up the topic the next time we speak, and we can make a decision together on the best way forward.

It’s a simple process.

You send an email to a specific email address, and I reply to you within 72 hours. The emails are queued in my inbox, and the conversations can be seen and summarised, so we both know where we stand.

These calls usually cover a variety of topics.

It could be that we’re moving along a phase in the digital roadmap strategy.

We discuss how the transition works. You might have launched a new service offering or product line, and I’m learning more about it, or you’re tackling a challenge in the business, and you want to talk over any digital solutions that could help.

The price to hire a retained digital adviser is:

• Pay £200 every month
• Pay once for the year at £1,800 (save 25%)

Long-term, no, but we ask for a minimum agreement of six months.

If you’re looking for a call now and again and don’t think you’ll be able to commit, it’s probably better to buy a power hour.

Then it will be lost.

Once the first day of the following month comes around, everything resets. Months cannot be “added” together.

There is definitely an advantage to going the YouTube or free route, but then why wouldn’t your potential customers/clients do that with you too?

I’ll understand your business on a deep level and provide personalised advice on the best route to take.

Watching a video on YouTube and implementing what they discuss might take you down a path where you’ll waste time and money on the wrong thing.

The no BS answer?

You won’t see much to reflect on after the first month or two.

You’ll enjoy having the calls every month, the back-and-forth on emails, and the research.

Around the six-month mark? You’ll realise how much of an impact I can have on your business in an advisory role.

Yes, I can offer a professional opinion on what the freelancer or agency is offering you, what value they will bring to you, and advise on what parts of their portfolio are the best and why you would be a good fit to work together.

Yes.

Sometimes that means a few late nights playing around with an AI chatbot update to see how much it’s changed, or testing a new update that Google has rolled out.

If something has been updated, I’ll usually know about it and already be experimenting to see how it affects the broader picture in digital marketing.

It’s usually the case (or the other way around, where we’re marketing your business and the retained adviser seems like a great addition).

The great thing about using a retained adviser first is that I already know your business, brand, and voice very well, so there’s no need for “getting to know you” or understanding your brand.