Naturally, that doesn’t suit every prospective client. Whether reasons why include ‘you’re too expensive’, ‘that’ll take too long’ or ‘can you just make it look nice’, prospects have rejected our approach over the years in favour of ‘fast’ and/or ‘cheap’.
It’s these kinds of responses that have led us to refine what we offer clients and in turn, what we also look for in a client partnership.
We even put together a list of 3 reasons why we might not be the right agency for you. Some working styles are different and it’s important to consider this when choosing an agency partner. We know what we prefer, but what kind of company do you like working with? Learn more about why should you choose Strafe (and why not).
We pride ourselves on delivering projects that truly add value to our clients, through a detailed and methodical approach which delivers an improved user experience and an increase in conversions.
Naturally, that can lead to higher prices compared so some other design agencies, but on the flip side, we are actually a lot cheaper than others.
Price, and what’s deemed ‘expensive’ is comparable to the size of your business and what you see as value. However, if you do have a lower budget I encourage you to keep reading so you can understand clearly why we price our projects the way we do and why it’s worth the investment…
1. Transparency (and reasons why that’s a good thing)
Recently I wrote two very detailed blogs about our pricing, offering a breakdown of the stages of a project on WordPress and Shopify and how much each part costs.
We shared this because we truly value transparency.
Some agencies price their services at a daily or hourly rate. Whilst this makes quick and easy services very affordable, on the other hand, if amends and changes start building up a project could quickly become very expensive without a clear view of the final price.
At Strafe Creative we offer fixed fees for all our projects. During the sales process, we work together with prospective clients to ensure the brief is detailed and clear. We work out exactly what needs to be done and how much that will cost.
Unless a client changes the brief during the project, they have a clear understanding of the costs and what’s involved prior to starting the project.
This fixed cost includes the cost of our expertise and the experience of our highly skilled team, plus some profit of course. We include the time taken to do the work, plus the meetings and admin work that goes on behind the scenes. Everything is accounted for, there are no hidden costs.
2. Experience
Our decade of experience has led us to many lessons learned in what we like to call ‘Fringe Issues’. Those issues that are on the periphery of a project and are often overlooked – yep it’s those sneaky little things that often sneak up on unsuspecting clients and agencies if they’re not considered upfront.
I’ll give you some examples…
Website Migration
When working on a website design it’s imperative that you factor in the migration from an old site to the new one; consider links, search engine ranking and digital adverts.
This can often be overlooked in a project quote and without its inclusion can amass hefty additional costs. Instead, if an agency absorbs the costs it can result in a project being unprofitable.
Design Deliverables
Typically clients want a desktop and mobile design for their website, which we always specify in the proposal. They also get the option to sign off on the mobile designs, however, this costs more as any amends require additional time to work on.
If a client also wants a tablet design, then this is additional work that must be included and priced up. Without this clarity up front, clients can make assumptions about what’s included or not and expect further work to be included.
Again an agency can fall into the same trap of charging the client more or absorbing the costs. Neither of these is ideal.
Technical Integrations (and reasons why that’s a good thing)
Outside of the design work, development and build must be clearly specified. I’ve seen quotes from other agencies that leave the spec very open: “e-commerce site, multi-currency”.
Which currencies? How many?
The client doesn’t know what they’re getting, plus it leaves the agency open for project creep – again affecting the overall profitability of the project.
At Strafe, we would say the following:
The project will include the integration of two currents, GBP and USD. There will be a currency switcher in the navigation bar and two types of payment gateways will be included. If you want an additional payment gateway, this will be priced at £2500.
Another great example of this is CRM integrations. These can range from a simple email/data capture sign-up for a newsletter to a complex sync between your CRM and the application or website. A complex sync with Hubspot could lead to customer data being automatically updated within Hubspot*, based on the data they input on the site.
In the Vita Mojo screenshot below you can see an online form asking for an email address, industry sector and the number of locations. Depending on the answers to the second two questions, customer data is imported into the CRM and prospects are given a tailored journey and next steps in the sales process.
Whilst it sounds simple on the surface, there’s a complex set of logic and multiple variations built into the back end to ensure each prospective customer gets exactly what they’re looking for. Further integration (not shown here) enables the CRM to link with the actions taken on the website and vice-versa to ensure a truly tailored experience for the prospect or customer.
Integrating this kind of complex functionality naturally takes a lot longer than the email sign-up and of course, therefore, increases the price of your site!
Without discussing and specifying this kind of integration upfront, either the agency or client could be in trouble when it comes to integrating this tech.
In summary, the reasons why our upfront costs are higher are that we take into consideration every single detail and element of the project that could increase time, project scope and cost. Without doing this, later down the line these costs are likely to be much more.
3. Results Led (and reasons why that’s good thing)
And finally, the most important part really – we are results led. We never set out to design a new website or digital product to just look nice. No, we focus on functionality.
That functionality prioritises the user experience. It helps your end users get what they want from your site, and you get the conversions you want.
We work through multiple stages before we even design your new site or digital product.
- User flows help us understand the journey through the site
- Wireframes help us design the best possible navigation for the user
- Design helps us bring that to life
- Content writing ensures your speaking to your audience with the right tone of voice
- Build takes time to add all the features and functionality you’re looking for
- Population brings the design, build and content together
- QA ensures that the site (or digital product) works on a range of devices, browsers, internet speeds and more. We have a meticulous 200-point checklist…
- Launch
It’s this methodical process that takes longer than other agencies, possibly costs more, BUT, guarantees results.
Through a clear user journey, conversion-led design and beautiful aesthetics our digital designs deliver results, every time.
Read more: How do we guarantee improved results?
So, are we worth it?
With these 3 reasons why in mind, we do believe our price truly reflects our value.
We’re transparent, experienced and results-led – what more could you want from a digital design agency?
Considering your own digital design project and think we fit the bill? Fill in our Project Planner and get in touch today!
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