What does a digital marketing agency actually do?

A digital marketing agency plans and executes the online marketing activity that drives traffic, leads and sales for your business. That covers search engine optimisation, paid advertising on Google and social platforms, content marketing, email marketing and website design and development.

What is a digital marketing retainer and how does it work?

A digital marketing retainer is an ongoing monthly arrangement with an agency covering an agreed scope of activity, including strategy, execution, optimisation and reporting, all for a fixed monthly fee.

How much does digital marketing cost?

It depends on the services, the channels and the scale of activity. A focused digital marketing retainer covering SEO and paid search for a Surrey business typically starts from around £1,500 per month in management fees, with ad spend on top.

How do I choose the right digital marketing agency?

Look for an agency that asks about your commercial objectives before talking about channels and tactics. Be wary of agencies that promise page one rankings in four weeks or guaranteed ROI before they've seen your account.

Do you work with businesses across Surrey, Guildford, Woking and Hampshire?

Yes. We're based in Camberley and work with businesses across Surrey, including Guildford, Woking, Farnham, Reigate and Epsom, as well as businesses in Hampshire including Fleet, Farnborough and Basingstoke.

Do you work with businesses outside Surrey?

Yes. Surrey and Hampshire are our primary markets but we work with businesses across the UK.

Can you manage digital marketing across multiple channels at once?

Yes, and it's usually more effective that way. SEO and paid search targeting the same audience reinforces your visibility at every stage of the buying journey.

Getting your business talked about, and heard when it matters.

Name: Clever Marketing
Rating: 4.8

Social media and PR do different jobs, but they work best when they’re planned together. One builds an ongoing conversation with your audience. The other gets you in front of the people who write about businesses like yours. Run properly, they reinforce each other.
We provide social media, media relations and communications strategy as one connected offer, delivered in partnership with a specialist PR consultancy for the media relations and communications strategy work, so you get dedicated expertise without managing separate suppliers.

Our approach

One message, working across every channel.

The businesses that communicate best don’t treat social media and PR as separate jobs. They start with a clear message, then use each channel to deliver it in the right way, to the right audience.

1. Strategy before activity.

We agree what you’re actually trying to achieve and who you’re trying to reach, before a single post goes out or a single journalist gets contacted.

2. Consistent messaging across every channel.

What you say on social should sound like the same business that’s quoted in the press. We build that consistency in from the start.

3. Genuine relationships, not just output.

Whether it’s community management or media relationships, this work is about real engagement, not activity for the sake of a report.

What we do

Three services. One joined-up story.

Good digital marketing isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things well.

Here’s what we offer, and how each service plays its part in getting you enquiries.

Social Media Management

Planned, consistently managed social media, with content, community management and reporting tied to real goals.

Media Relations

Getting your story in front of the right journalists and publications, built on genuine media relationships.

Communications Strategy

The plan behind everything else: what you’re saying, to who, and why, so every channel pulls in the same direction.

The difference it makes

How we make your social media and PR marketing work

We plan your social, PR and strategy as one, not three separate jobs handed to three separate people. Here’s what that means for your business.

A joined-up presence, not scattered activity.

When social media, PR and strategy are planned together, everything you put out reinforces everything else. No more messaging that contradicts itself across channels.

A presence that grows over time.

Consistent social activity and ongoing media relationships both compound. The longer this work runs properly, the stronger your presence becomes.

Trust that paid advertising can’t buy.

Editorial coverage and genuine social engagement build a kind of trust that advertising doesn’t. Together, they give your business credibility as well as visibility.

What our clients say

Businesses we've helped grow.
In their own words.

Great work is built on strong relationships and open collaboration. Over the years we’ve worked with businesses across a range of industries, and here’s what some of them have to say about partnering with us.

Nescot

“Clever Marketing balanced what the brand needed with what I, personally, wanted to say. They listened, then pushed back where it improved things. The result exceeded my expectations, came in on time and on budget, and is already delivering results. Even the college alpacas behaved on camera. A pleasure to work with, and it shows in the final product.”

AgiLab

“The Clever Marketing team is very active. They are quick to answer mails and are willing to work with you on your digital marketing projects. They offer a really good range of services such as writing blogs for you, website maintenance and design and helping you with social media.”

Cyan Solutions

“The team at Clever have been fantastic – they’ve completely exceeded my expectations. They’re a dream to work with and have understood what we wanted to achieve. Would 100% recommend – they’ve been a huge help with all things marketing – website redesign & build, branding, digital campaigns, copy & design.”

Andina Ingham

“Clever Marketing spotted that our website needed improvement and helped us build a new one, with ecommerce built in. We’re impressed with the result. They now handle our SEO and digital marketing too.”

Perspective Risk

“We were very impressed with the digital brochure Clever Marketing created for Perspective Risk. Visually appealing and easy to navigate, with interactive elements like clickable links and videos that added to the experience. Highly recommended.”

Hartley Law

“Clever Marketing has delivered on several projects aimed at generating more enquiries, with real impact on both quality and volume. The team are professional, responsive and genuinely care about results. No hesitation recommending them.”

Flyertech

“I’ve worked with Clever Marketing for the past few years. Brian Woodcock and his team designed and developed our Flyertech website, making the process easy from start to delivery. No hesitation recommending them.”

Toulouse Lautrec

“After 13+ years running a complex business, restaurant, live music and takeaways, we refreshed our website. Unlike my previous designer, Clever Marketing understood my business model first, then designed something that goes above and beyond.”

Farnborough 6th Form

“I have used Clever Marketing to assist with the design of our College Prospectus for the past two years and have been really pleased with the quality of their work. They took the time to listen and understand what we wanted to achieve and gave good advice and guidance. The whole process was very smooth and painless, I would recommend them.”

Druces LLP

“Have enjoyed working with Clever Marketing on the the design and build of our new website, and digital marketing. From the creative to the technical, they are an impressive team and, crucially, a pleasure to deal with day-to-day. Would use them again.”

Origen FS

“Having worked with Harry and the team for many years now, we always know that we can reach out with a project and get a quick response and a great piece of work. Everyone is so friendly and eager to help. Matched with competitive pricing its hard to see a reason to not rate them highly.”

WEL Medical

“I can’t rate the team at Clever Marketing highly enough! They have worked on a large number of projects for WEL Medical – producing some great work. They are a pleasure to deal with and always provide great customer service.”

Ardgowan Homes

“A great experience working with Colin in producing two digital brochures. We did not always have a clear idea of where we wanted to go with the brochures but the team patiently stuck to the task and we are 100% pleased with the results.”

Healix

“I worked with Clever Marketing on a website for a unique audience. The team were always available to discuss and amend, bringing expertise to guide what best suited our audience. A pleasure to work with, and we’d recommend them.”

Starflight Aviation

“Clever Marketing designed our company brochure and the results were outstanding. They understood our brand and audience, delivering a professional piece that exceeded expectations. Creative and a pleasure to work with.”

St Magnus

“Clever Marketing came highly recommended for our new multi-site website. Despite the complexity, they made it seamless, exceeded expectations and even helped with branding. Now working together on digital marketing.”

Wren Sterling

“Wren Sterling has worked with Clever Marketing since 2016, covering website builds, hosting, design and other projects. The team are responsive, commercial and pragmatic, working to tight briefs or solving problems creatively, so you feel in control and well advised.”

Carbon-Z

“We’ve worked with Clever Marketing for the past few months, with Brian and Harry designing our website and content. From start to delivery, they made it easy and helped our site stand out. No hesitation recommending them.”

OSS Recruitment

“Brian was helpful & knowledgeable and his team produced an excellent website for us. We are very pleased with the outcome and would recommed Clever Marketing to anyone looking for a new site or a re-vamp of their existing one.”

Premium Home Care

“Clever Marketing are the most pleasant, flexible and supportive digital agency I’ve used. Knowledgeable and relentless, they research your competitors and build websites with a real edge. Always recommend them for value for money.”

UseFrankly

“Harry and Nico provided amazing support with the marketing tech integration. They not only provided a solution to a problem but also walked me through their methodology. I would highly recommend using the ‘Clever’ agency in the future.”

SHR Recruitment

“We’ve partnered with Clever Marketing for almost 10 months, using their Google PPC campaigns for our recruitment business, and they’ve exceeded expectations, consistently high-quality enquiries, backed by thorough monthly reports.”

Shipnet

“Since partnering with Clever Marketing in 2022, they’ve managed our Google and LinkedIn PPC campaigns internationally, generating several new leads every month. Their ideas and dedication have made a real difference, an agency that delivers on its promises.”

Adveco

“We’ve worked with Clever for almost six years on SEO and digital collateral, including a full review of our marketing needs and a new website to improve customer experience and strengthen our brand. Excellent advice and support, delivered to budget and on time.”

Exportize

“Clever Marketing has been a game-changer for our online presence. From strategy through to execution, they delivered clear, impactful solutions that boosted our traffic and engagement across SEO, social ads, content, and analytics. A smart, professional team that makes digital marketing simple and effective – highly recommended!”

Louise Hendren

“I approached Clever Marketing to help me with our Google Ads Campaign. Brian, Harry and Nico were efficient, professional and great with communication at all times from start to finish during the setup. I would highly recommend them to any business looking to use a marketing company to enhance their services.”

MCL & ITS

“Clever Marketing come highly recommended. From print and collateral to an SEO audit and full website overhaul, they delivered outstanding results, grasping the defence sector’s technical nuances while meeting tight deadlines.”

Common questions

The questions worth asking before you choose a social & PR agency in Surrey.

Do we need social media, PR and strategy, or can we just pick one?

You can absolutely pick one. They’re built to work together, but each service stands on its own if that’s what makes sense for your business right now.

Who actually delivers the PR work?

Media relations and communications strategy are delivered in partnership with a specialist PR consultancy, so you get dedicated expertise in that area alongside the marketing work we handle directly.

How is this different to just running social media on our own?

The difference is usually consistency and strategy. Social media managed properly, with a plan behind it and someone actively monitoring engagement, tends to perform very differently to an account posted to occasionally.

Can this work alongside our existing digital marketing?

Yes, and it’s designed to. Messaging, content and campaigns work better when social, PR and paid marketing are aligned rather than running in isolation.

How long before we see results?

It varies by service. Social media engagement can build within weeks. Media relationships and broader communications strategy tend to show their value over a longer period, as relationships and consistency build.

The next step

Ready to bring your social media or PR needs together?

If you want your social media and PR working together instead of separately, the first conversation is the right place to start.

On our discovery call we’ll cover:

An honest look at how your current social media and PR activity holds together
Which of these services would make the most difference right now
What a joined-up plan across social, PR and strategy would look like
How this fits alongside your wider marketing