Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers to quick questions, all in one place. Need more help? Send us a message.
General Questions
Blue Surge Marketing Agency is a full-service digital marketing, website design, and consulting agency.
We offer a suite of digital services designed to promote your business, including:
- lead generation,
- social media management,
- website design,
- email marketing,
- search engine optimization,
- pay-per-click advertising,
- and more.
Check out the full list of services here.
There are numerous reasons why hiring an agency is advantageous to hiring in-house staff but we’ll keep it simple:
- We already have a collective team of digital marketing efforts
- We have access to more resources and tools than one person
- We can more flexibly adapt to your needs over time
- It is more cost effective than paying for employee benefits, PTO, sick days, etc…
It is better to let the professional handle it. You and your staff are experts at what you do and we are the experts of digital marketing. The primary benefit of using a digital marketing agency is experience and resources. A digital marketing agency like Blue Surge has access to knowledge and resources that you may not. Call us for a free, no obligation evaluation.
- Google Ads Certified in Search
- Google Ads Certified in Shopping
- Google Ads Certified in Display
- Google Ads Certified in Video
- HubSpot Academy Certified in Social Media
- HubSpot Academy Certified in Email Marketing
- Shopify Partners
- MailChimp Partners
- Clutch.co Listed
No. We do not outsource our client projects. All work is done in-house by a professional member of our team, all of whom are held accountable for completing their assignments themselves.
Our top priority is your satisfaction. Therefore, we do all we can to make sure your project is managed seamlessly.
Depending on the scope of work, a digital marketing campaign can take anywhere from a few weeks or become an ongoing project. While we do all the heavy lifting, your input is an essential function in the process. Before any work begins, we will establish expectations. Our No. 1 priority is meeting your target goals with a robust digital marketing or website presence you are proud to call your own.
At the beginning of every project, you will be assigned a Lead Project Manager, who is responsible for coordinating with you.
Yes. Social media is here to stay and just like with the Internet, businesses that do not adapt will not survive. Social media offers numerous benefits over traditional advertising such as enabling you to connect directly with potentially new and existing customers. Learn more about our Social Media Management services here.
You should hire our firm because:
- We’re experienced in multiple verticals
- We’re community based
- We’re data-driven
- We offer more flexibility than larger agencies
Costs, Contracts & Commitments
We offer both flat-rate pricing packages (retainers) and hourly rates.
Flat Rate Retainer Packages (Most Popular)
Our retainers are value-based and include the essential services a small business needs to grow online.
Please schedule a discovery call with our team for the most accurate pricing.
Hourly Rates
Our general rate for most projects is $160/hour.
Blue Surge Marketing Agency uses blended rates, like most similarly sized agencies, to calculate pricing for most projects. We find this helps our clients versus per hourly pricing per team member. (For example, you may get the services of a $50 an hour graphic designer or proofreader right alongside a $250 per hour global strategist, but you’re going to pay a blended rate for both of $150.)
Website Development
We bill our website design and development services on a per-project basis. While we wish we had one universal price for every website, that is not possible. The scope of work can vary depending on industry, business category, requested functionality, and whether the website is a complete redesign or something we’re building from scratch.
Consulting & Coaching
Are you looking for just a marketing strategy? Our consulting services are for businesses and organizations that already have a team but need advice on tackling marketing issues.
Discounts
If you have a project we’re interested in or think you’ll make a great case study for future clients, we may offer you a discount at our discretion.
We understand that not all ideas are final.
Sometimes you may want to change your mind before and during our work on your project. It’s okay, and it happens to the best of us, even when we thought we planned for everything we would need.
Requests above and beyond those listed in the budget may be considered out-of-scope.
What is considered out-of-scope?
Additional requests including, but not limited to:
- Adding new features
- Requesting new pages
- Adding new plugins or apps
- Significant changes after major project milestones have already been approved by you (i.e., wanting to redo the entire webpage layout the day before the website launches)
Our gift to you
To accommodate you, we may include a set number of complimentary out-of-scope work hour(s) for your project at no charge. Please see your work agreement or message your account manager / project manager to know exactly how many extra hours you may need.
We welcome more work after you’ve used any extra out-of-scope hour(s) we’ve provided for you.
We bill this work at our standard hourly rate. You make you aware of any out-of-scope changes.
We add these charges to your remaining balance. Clients with a one-time project are due in full upon project completion.
We add these charges to your monthly retainer at month-end.
Please know we are very flexible. We will work with you to accommodate small change requests within reason.
While there is no ‘official’ minimum budget we can work with, marketing is a “you-get-what-you-pay-for” type of service. Our goal is to offer online advertising and digital solutions at a fair price.
We can manage large and small budgets.
We understand your business or organization is unique, so we can work with you to discuss a personalized quote based on your needs, budget, and end goals.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided solutions to impacted businesses. Many of these companies were operating off limited funds or were still waiting for their PPP or EIDL loans. We managed their accounts while they weathered the storm and have built long-lasting relationships with them as a result. You can read more about that in our press feature here.
We accept credit and debit cards, ACH, personal and business checks, PayPal, and cash.
We may accept alternative payments (i.e., peer-to-peer) upon request for small, one-time projects. Please speak to one of our team members for more details.
As digital marketing is a relatively new channel in the marketing space that is finally be recognized as a significant player, the costs to host, create, and produce quality content will naturally rise over time. We believe our prices are competitive and much more cost effective over hiring an in house employee who you would be responsible to pay overtime, health benefits, vacation time, etc.
Additionally, other agencies will outsource your work to overseas mills where they plagiarize and rehash content. Our price structure allows us to create the high quality, original content that generates more revenue over recycled material and is not subject to penalization by algorithms.
Most projects require a 60% upfront deposit to begin work.
No, we do not have contracts. We believe in earning your money on a month-to-month basis. There are no surprises, hidden, or cancellation fees.
With that being said, we highly recommend a minimum commitment of six months for certain services. Services like social media management and search engine optimization require time for meaningful results to appear and to jump from agency to agency will not make the process any faster, and can hurt your efforts.
Clients are responsible for paying their balance and for covering the costs of any extraneous fees, tools and features exclusive to your project including but not limited to:
- advertising dollars (i.e., Google Ads and Facebook ad spend)
- domains fees
- hosting fees
- website themes
- plugins
- apps
- recurring subscriptions
- payment processing gateway fees
- and other digital tools relevant to your project.
Yes, we offer subsidized pricing for nonprofit organizations. Please contact someone from our team to learn more.
In order to create a transparent work relationship, we have outlined as requested what is considered billable and non-billable.
Billable tasks include:
- Deliverables
- Research
- Revisions
- Travel costs
- In-person meetings
- Support after project completion unless included in package
Non-billable tasks include:
- Proposal writing (and any revisions thereafter)
- Invoicing and administrative tasks
- Internal company meetings
- Employee development and training
- Correspondence via email, video chat or phone while the project is being completed
- File management
You agree to pay our initial (1st) invoice upon receipt which will act as a deposit for the project. Every invoice after that will have 15 day payment terms. In the event payment is not made within 15 days, Blue Surge Marketing Agency will charge a late payment fee of 1% per month on any overdue and unpaid balance not in dispute, to cover the manpower, interest, and other costs Blue Surge Marketing Agency pays for carrying overdue invoices from your company. In addition, Blue Surge Marketing Agency reserves the right to stop work until payment is received which can result in project delays.
In the event that we incur legal fees, costs and disbursements in an effort to collect our invoices, in addition to interest on the unpaid balance, you agree to reimburse us for these expenses.
Performance: Measurement, Results and ROI
Depending on your package, we provide weekly, biweekly, or monthly performance reports that include all the key metrics that matter to your business. Your Account Manager will review the report with you, explaining the data and the work we have completed on your behalf.
You will always be able to see the results of any active or past campaigns at your convenience.
You will always have access to your own data 24/7.
It depends.
What affects how fast you see results:
- Your product or offer – This is the most important thing. Is your product good? Does your service doesn’t deliver positive results? Not even the best marketing can save your brand. We’ll help identify ways you can improve your offer.
- Budget – Bigger budgets mean more opportunities to find winners for your campaigns. This means we find what works for your brand faster and scale it up.
- Time you’ve been in business – The longer you’ve been in business, the more likely your brand will be seen as credible. This can help with converting customers more quickly.
- Your willingness to adapt to changes in your niche – Trends come and go, but good principles last forever. We’ll work side by side with you to stay up to date on emerging trends.
The first 90 days of our working relationship are critical. It’s when we build the foundations for a healthy marketing strategy for your brand.
After this period, you will start to see improvements in your key business metrics. Our aim is to complete the goals we define together from when we first met.
Yes, we believe in operating with full transparency with our clients and will take the time to explain what changes need to be made and why.
Now this is a trick question. We are proud to be excellent service providers who empower small businesses to compete in the digital era. Unfortunately, like all other agencies, we can never guarantee results. Any agency that says that can are misleading you. The major players in the digital space like Google and Facebook have the final say in how their algorithm operates, which has a dramatic effect on results and campaign impact.
With that said, we do our best to legally operate within the guidelines set forth by these powerful and unpredictable companies. Digital marketing is always changing and we strive to proactively stay up to date with best industry practices.
Our proven track record in transforming and empowering our client’s businesses has built us a loyal base. We are happy to provide any potential clients with references from our existing clients who can vouch for our work.
Our job boils down to two key elements: telling a great story and reporting data. These elements align with our goal to give you a positive return on your investment during your digital marketing campaign. While some digital marketing metrics are universal, there are also platform-specific metrics that are important for your business. This is relevant because some data is calculated differently depending on the platform we’re using.
It’s impossible to know for sure whether you’re making the right business decisions unless you measure your performance through KPIs (key performance indicators) and metrics. Blue Surge Marketing Agency will help you understand your core KPIs to help you adapt your campaigns to suit your goals and audience. We make it our job to present and interpret this data for you in an easily digestible and visual way, so you know exactly what’s working or what needs to be optimized. Depending on your package, you may receive a monthly PDF report with this information.
The Client Experience
We schedule monthly meetings over phone, video conferencing and face-to-face, to discuss performance and strategy. Clients in our Enterprise plan have the added bonus of Priority Support throughout the week. Our team will have regular contact with you throughout the month over phone and email. Moreover, we are always at the end of the phone or email if you need anything!
You agree to pay our initial (1st) invoice upon receipt, which will act as a deposit for the project. Every invoice after that will have 15-day payment terms. In the event payment is not made within 15 days, Blue Surge Marketing Agency will charge a late payment fee of 5% per month on any overdue and unpaid balance not in dispute, to cover the manpower, interest, and other costs Blue Surge Marketing Agency pays for carrying overdue invoices.
Also, Blue Surge Marketing Agency reserves the right to stop work until payment is received, which can result in project delays.
While our office is in New York, we offer the full suite of our services to our clients out of state.
- You or Blue Surge will reach out to discuss challenges you business face and how we can provide a solution.
- One of our Account Managers will meet with you in person or virtually to further discuss working together.
- Blue Surge will deliver a proposal, examples of past work, project plan and deliverables, including costs.
- You, as the client will make a decision.
- Contract is drawn up & signed by both parties.
- Project begins.
At Blue Surge, we believe excellent communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity. As a professional organization, we understand the importance of open, clear, and transparent communication is everything when it comes to working with our clients. We strive to make it as simple as possible, and establish clear channels that allow us to share information, get updates and keep track of what’s going on.
Blue Surge Marketing Agency uses a transparent process to communicate status updates on projects. Based on your preferences, we may send weekly email update reports that include details on where the project is and what milestones have been reached. We also include screenshots of work that is ready to be shared or needs to be approved. The purpose of our project status report is to track progress and provide clarity on potential issues. It is made of the following components:
- Task Reports
- What’s been accomplished
- What’s happening right now
- What’s coming up
- Issues, Risks and Change Requests
- Current issues status
- Open risks
- Change requests
- Milestones & Deliverables
- Milestones completed
- Projected start/finish dates
You may also be provided with a personalized Google Drive folder where we will share documents, photos and data that only you will have access to.
You have the right to modify, reject, cancel or stop any and all plans or work in process. However, you agree to reimburse us for all costs and expenses we incurred prior to your change in instructions, and which relate to non-cancellable commitments, and to defend, indemnify and hold us harmless for any liability relating to such action. We agree to use our best efforts to minimize such costs and expenses.
You guarantee that all elements of text, images, or other artwork you provide are either owned by your good selves, or that you have permission to use them.
You shall also be responsible for the accuracy, completeness and propriety of information concerning your products and services which you furnish to us verbally or in writing in connection with the performance of this Agreement.
Blue Surge Marketing Agency acknowledges its responsibility, both during and after the term of its appointment, to use all reasonable efforts to preserve the confidentiality of any proprietary or confidential information or data developed by Blue Surge Marketing Agency on behalf of your company or disclosed by your company to Blue Surge Marketing Agency.
Website Design
Our team is adept at building websites on multiple platforms including: Shopify and WordPress.
Yes! Our team is certified and experienced in building websites in the WordPress platform. In fact, the majority of website projects we produce are built for WordPress. We also can install and setup WordPress for our clients.
Yes, we will set up your website with Google Analytics so you will be able to track where your traffic is coming from, as well as view detailed information about the activity taking place.
We provide a 99.99% uptime guarantee for our servers. This means that your website stays up. We work hard to maintain redundancies because no one likes website downtime. You can sleep easier knowing that we are watching over the server.
Yes, we offer full website redesigns. If you website was designed by another agency, is lacking features, or was built on a weak platform, we can bring it up to par and modernize it to assist your business in recapturing those essential leads.
Yes, we love shopping carts! In fact, we love helping you make money. Our team is experienced with building both custom e-commerce platforms, and integrating existing e-commerce platforms. Let’s talk!
Blue Surge offers up to 30 days of free budget-friendly monthly website maintenance. We can also train you to make some changes on your site if you prefer to maintain and update yourself. Ask us about our website maintenance packages.
Yes, we offer hosting. See our available plans here.
Yes, we offer custom website content update packages. Pricing starts as low at $59/month. Please contact us so we can learn how frequently you will need updates.
Yes, we can add videos to your website. We recommend uploading your videos to either Vimeo or YouTube first. From there, we can embed the share link on the pages you want.
Yes, you are able to.
Yes, we build most of our WordPress websites using Elementor. It is a drag-and-drop page builder that allows clients with basic technical proficiency to make changes independently. All websites designed by Blue Surge come with 30 days of training and support, where we can teach your staff how to manage the site and keep it up to date.
Yes. For websites with associated maintenance or service plans, troubleshooting generally incurs no charge. For sites that need maintenance or troubleshooting after 30 days, our service fee is billed at $150/hour.
For websites within the 30-day support window, we offer training over the phone and via email.
You’ll also provide access to our Client Portal, and Resources page, which includes helpful tutorials and training videos that’ll make you feel confident navigating your site.
Need even more personalized training? We offer in-person website training meetings for an additional fee.
We will work with you to determine the best content for your website. This includes copy (text), images and video as well as your brand fonts, colors, etc. If you’re a new business or if you don’t have any existing content, we will provide this part for you.
Projects that go dormant for longer than 30 days will incur a fee to resume work at the rate of 20% of the final proposal price and be given a new proposed deadline at the discretion of Blue Surge Marketing Agency.
Requests above and beyond those listed in the budget may be considered out-of-scope. This project includes one (1) hour of out-of-scope development work in the form of 15-minute increment task credits.
Additional requests (including but not limited to: adding features, pages, plugins, graphic design work, etc.) outside of that window that exceed one hour are welcome and will be billed at our standard hourly rate. Clients will be made aware of out-of-scope changes. These charges will be added to the remaining balance and are due in full upon project completion. Learn more about task credits here.
Website Maintenance
E-commerce websites are significantly more complex than their non-ecommerce counterparts, due to the multiple factors that differentiate them. E-commerce sites also require more scrutiny and time when completing updates as errors or mistakes on e-commerce sites can directly result in the loss of revenue and customer confidence.
Content updates vary in length depending on the nature of the request. We strive to have all updates completed within a 7-day turnaround time.
If there is a change that needs to be made immediately or within a specific timeframe, please let us as early as possible in advance so that we can do our best to fulfill your needs. While we work to ensure changes are implemented as quickly as possible, we cannot guarantee that last minute changes will be completed by your specified time.
PPC Services
Pay per click.
If you don’t have an established brand or audience, it can be hard to say.
Paid ads cannot make up for bad market positioning, or lack of market-to-product fit.
We believe that marketing is the seasoning and the product is the dish. Digital advertising won’t fix the fundamental problems that customers may view your product as not that great.
While we have managed ads across several verticals, we most frequently work with clients in the e-commerce and nonprofit sectors.
We can run ads on both the Google and Microsoft Advertising Networks. We also can run ads on social media networks, including: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and more.
While we don’t have mandatory minimums, we recommend starting with at least $500 – $1,000. The smaller your ad budget is, the less you will have available to run multiple campaigns on. This means you won’t have enough data to assess an ad campaign’s success (or failure). Between Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bing, and more, several channels are available to run ads on.
If you don’t have enough ad spend to justify hiring Blue Surge to run your ad campaigns, consider joining our Consultation Program. One of our marketing experts can work with you to guide you on how to launch effective ad campaigns on a micro-budget.
Our pricing is based on an initial setup fee, an ongoing monthly management fee, and a percentage of ad spend.
Creative (i.e., the photo and video content in the ad) is quoted separately on a project basis.
The setup fee includes:
- Ads Account Creation
- Website / Landing Page Review
Keyword Research and Selection - Ad Copywriting
- Ad Extension Creation
- Conversion Tracking Codes
- Mobile, Desktop and Tablet Configuration
- Call Tracking Set Up
To improve the success of your pay per click campaigns, we strongly recommend email marketing and having a robust landing page.
Even with a compelling ad creative or a conversion-worthy text ad, your sales are likely to fall short without a strong landing page. As a full-service agency, Blue Surge can bolster or redesign your landing pages so that they are optimized to convert leads into customers.
Customers are more likely to convert after they’ve become familiar with your brand over time versus seeing your ad once, which is why email has the highest ROI over any marketing channel.
You do.
You will always maintain full ownership rights and 24/7 access to your account.
It depends on your account.
Clients with larger ad spend budgets may often get more frequent account updates, but all clients receive updates at least monthly.
If you have a specific reporting schedule you’d like us to follow, let one of our representatives know during your initial consultation call and we will gladly oblige.
Updates via email are always available.
We’re ready when you are.
Set up a call on our calendar in just a few clicks to schedule your PPC marketing consultation with Blue Surge Marketing Agency.
Absolutely, please take a look at our case studies here.
Yes, we can audit your Google Ads account and share insight into your account’s performance. From there, we can help you assess what steps to take forward and how Blue Surge can help you further your goals using PPC.
There are none.
We believe in straight forward pricing and transparency. We’ll always err on the side of providing as much value to you. Even if that means more work on our end.
Email Marketing
We recommend Klaviyo for e-commerce stores, ActiveCampaign for non-ecommerce stores, and MailChimp for basis, entry level clients.
Usually no.
Most email service platforms allow for agency/collaborator access, which means you can authorize us as a user without giving us your owner account details.
Social Media Marketing
Yes, although we recommend getting in touch with the team before you post as not to disrupt our scheduling of content or ongoing campaigns.
We welcome any number of client requested graphics. Hire our Graphic Design team to create the perfect graphics and animations for your social channels.
Hire our Visual Production team for a seamless experience to bring your brand vision to life. We can handle a wide range of photography and videography requests. Please contact us for a quote on pricing for your project.
Probably.
Social media marketing is an ever-changing medium that requires evolution over time. Back in the late 2000s, social media was an open playing field. Timelines were chronological, and there were no intentional limits on reach on content or posts. A brand posting its latest summer apparel collection for sale would reach nearly 100% of its audience.
However, a lot has changed since those early days, for numerous reasons. The critical thing to know as a brand today is that social media is now mostly a pay-for-play space. Organic reach hovers around 2-5%, which means that roughly only 3 out of every 100 people will see, interact, and engage with your content. This is particularly true for brands that post promotional content versus personal pages that regularly see double-digit engagement rates. This means that a broad and highly engaged audience is necessary to see consistent, positive results on social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram.
For more information on how these changes impact your brand’s potential reach, check out Hootsuite’s article on how the Facebook algorithm works.
At Blue Surge, we highly recommend combining paid and organic strategies to maximize social media’s effectiveness today.
Profile optimization is the process of improving the aesthetic of your social media channels through improved copywriting, image optimization, branding, and account settings. Custom graphics are available upon request from our Graphic Design team for an additional charge.
You retain full ownership of your social media channels before, during, and after working with Blue Surge.
No.
We employ proven, strategic growth methods that are winning solutions to build your following. Buying followers does not equate to sales and conversions.
Additionally, a high followers-to-low engagement ratio can depress the reach of your organic posts on the timeline, exacerbating the very problem you sought to solve in the first place.
Like most service-based industries, there is no set price on social media management, due to several factors, including:
- geography
- industry
- expertise level
- business model
- whether you’re working with an agency or a freelancer
- etc…
Our model is a combination of our hourly rate, the project’s scope, the level of engagement and interaction required, and how much custom content will need to be created.
Every business has different goals, so we measure success by understanding first what your main objective is. Once we create that standard, our efforts revolve around meeting or exceeding the benchmarks we’ve created with your involvement. KPI’s or key performance indicators ultimately determine how your campaigns are winning or where there is a margin for improvement.
Yes.
While you’ll have an overview of the content we’ll publish for you as part of your package, you can request a content review for approval. Changes should be made at least one week in advance; otherwise, you may not make revisions before it goes out.
While every business is different and there are no guarantees, you can expect that your business will see incremental growth over time by following our strategies for your particular industry.
For case studies, testimonials, and success stories of how past clients have done, visit the Our Work page.
Strategy & analytical consultation calls are generally no more than 20 – 30 minutes. Over time, we’ve learned that our clients are best served by being informed of the most critical metrics that impact their bottom line. Our goal is to provide you with the actionable metrics you can use in your business, versus overwhelming you fluffy, “vanity metrics.”
You’ll be provided with a unique link to schedule calls during your onboarding process.
Your card is charged immediately for the package you select and is valid for one (1) month from that date. It automatically renews every month thereafter.
Due to this kind of service’s nature, we cannot provide refunds after the month’s work has been completed. If you’re having an issue with the results your account is generating, please schedule a call with us so we can reset expectations and explore a resolution that is aligned with your budget and objectives.
Photo & Video Production
While we primarily work in the Greater New York Region (Long Island, NYC, New Jersey, and Connecticut), our team can travel to you.
A 50% deposit is required for photo and video production work.
Our team uses a number of different equipment, depending on your specific project needs and budget. Here are a few of some of the most common equipment we’ll have on set with us:
Cameras:
- Canon EOS 5D Mark III
- Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K
Lenses:
- 14mm
- 24mm
- 50mm
- 85mm
- 100mm
- 135mm
Other:
- Westscott FJ400 Flash
- Portable Flashes
- LED Lights
- Light Modifier
- Tripods
- UV Filter Lenses
Depending on your needs, your visual needs may take place at a studio, at your place of business, or in the field. We’ll adjust equipment accordingly to best meet your needs.
Laying the right groundwork is essential to developing a great video or photoshoot. Pre-production is where we figure out the best game plan for your business. This involves:
- Ideation (deciding on the concept, look/feel and style)
- Scripting
- Casting
- Location Scouting
- Set Design
We’re rolling! Now that we have the road map developed in the pre-production stage, it’s time to put it all together in front of the cameras. This is where our professional crew of director of photography, camera operators, sound engineers, and lighting techs do what they do best – film a great video or shoot great photography.
If production is putting all the ingredients together to bake the cake from the recipe developed in pre-production, then post-production is putting the icing on that cake and making it look irresistibly delicious. It’s at this stage that you’ll see the first cut. This step involves:
- Editing
- Color-Correction
- Recording Voice Overs
- Adding & Mastering Audio
- Music Licensing
- Creating Visual Effects & Graphics
- Raw Footage Backup
You will have up to one hour of complimentary editing changes. Thereafter, changes will be billed at $160/hour. Blue Surge Marketing Agency will present you with estimated times to complete changes and will not do any billable revision work without written approval from Client.
Unless otherwise specified, final video products are generally delivered in:
- Format: 4K UHD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Rescheduling 1+ Hour and Less Than 12 Hours
We have a standard rescheduling policy which allows for the rescheduling of visual production shoots by seventy-two (72) hours prior to the shoot with no penalty. After this time, you will be billed an additional $50 to the final invoice.
Rescheduling By 12+ Hours
We have a standard rescheduling policy which allows for the rescheduling of visual production shoots by seventy-two (72) hours prior to the shoot with no penalty. After this time, you will be billed an additional $150 to the final invoice.
In the event you change your shoot time or date, you must reschedule your shoot in accordance with our rescheduling policy to avoid penalties.
Full rights of the raw photos or footage can be purchased of an additional fee of $500 or 10% of the total fee of your project (whichever is greater).
Miscellaneous
We use both major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest as well as staying current with emerging platforms.
Once we have performed thorough Keyword Research to identify your most profitable keywords we will make daily adjustments to your campaign. These changes include (but are not limited to) adding additional keywords, excluding negative keywords that won’t convert, refine landing pages, ad schedule and demographic targeting.
Our team is composed of talented, content marketers who have a wide breadth of knowledge in many fields because of working with so many different types of businesses. Even so, we spend a great deal of time doing research on your industry and type of business using a variety of tools. Your input whenever possible is always beneficial as only you have the insider knowledge about how your business does what it does.
If feasible, we can schedule a visit your business or office to get an organic feel of how things operate. This provides us with valuable insight that can’t be measured over the phone or email.
Yes, you can view our recent work here.
Onboarding
If you’ve completed this step already, congrats!
If not, please check your inbox (and promotions or spam folder) for your invoice.
The subject line should read “New payment request from Blue Surge Marketing Agency.”
Once your invoice is paid, we can begin working on your project.
If you haven’t received one after 24 hours, please notify us.
Click HERE to access your Slack channel to communicate with our team.
Best practices using Slack with Blue Surge
- You will have one channel or “room” to send us messages. This channel is named #client-yourname.
- Send your messages in your channel to the entire team, not just to an individual. Slack works best for team-wide communication, keeping us all in the loop and up to date on what’s happening at all times. Another reason is that if one of our team members is out of the office for the day, you risk slowing down your work because not everyone may have seen your message. So for the best results, DON’T send direct messages to individual team members.
- While you can expect faster responses on Slack than email, response times may vary depending on time zones and staff scheduling on that day.
- Please use your shared Google Drive folder whenever you need to share a large amount of content with us (e.g., multiple pictures and videos).
- We can also add team members to your Slack channel. Provide us with their email addresses, and we’ll invite them.
- Don’t use the Slack channel named #general. Messages sent there are automatically deleted.
If your project is about:
- a logo design,
- website hosting or website maintenance-related services,
- or a small, one-time marketing task,
YOU CAN SKIP THIS STEP.
Otherwise, keep reaching…
If your project involves any of the following:
- digital marketing services
- website design & development
We will need to collect information, content, and login credentials from you to start your project.
Your project manager will send you a Content Request Form via email.
It will look like this in your inbox:
Follow these instructions when you receive your request form:
- Open the email with the subject line, ‘Information required for…”
- Click the ‘Click here to access’ button.
- Watch this video to learn how to provide content for your project by clicking the button below.
- Read the instructions in the Content Request Form and provide the required documentation. Your request has a deadline, so it’s best not to delay completing it on time.
We’ll send you a full agreement that outlines all of the details of your project, including:
- Deliverables
- Timeline
- Billing schedule
- Terms & conditions
Please review and sign it as soon as possible.
After we’ve both signed the document, a PDF will automatically be available for you to download.
***Use this link to book ALL client meetings with our team: https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/bsma-clients
Use the link above to schedule:
- Kickoff meetings
- Weekly check-ins
- Critical updates you need to share
Our priority is to set up a kickoff meeting with you to make sure that our relationship is successful.
Agenda includes:
- Team introduction
- Learn who’s working on your project, and introduce us to your team members.
- Project scope review
- We recap the full scope of work per the contract so expectations for deliverables are clear.
- Goals, Plans, Challenges & Timeline
- We’ll talk about the game plan behind your project.
- Roles & Responsibilities
- We assign who is accountable for what to ensure the project’s success.
- Next Steps & Action Items
- We outline what’s on the horizon and how to proceed from here, including setting up a schedule for recurring check-in meetings.
- We outline what’s on the horizon and how to proceed from here, including setting up a schedule for recurring check-in meetings.
Kickoff meetings are typically 45 minutes in duration and take place on Zoom.
Within the next 48 hours, you’ll receive a notification in your inbox titled “Invitation to Collaborate.” Please open this email to access a custom Google Drive folder we’ve created for you. Your folder will contain a series of documents with instructions you must follow to proceed.
If you’re not familiar with Google Drive, it is a file storage and synchronization service by Google. It is analogous to Microsoft OneDrive and Dropbox.
Inside this folder, you can upload different types of content, including photos and videos, and share them with our team versus sending files via email. Why?
- Keeping your project files centralized in one place reduces the likelihood of an attachment getting lost via back-and-forth email exchanges.
- It also allows us to keep your project organized.
- With shared access to this folder, we can collaborate and view items in real time together with you.
If you’re not already familiar, click the links below to learn how to use Google Drive:
