{"id":10618,"date":"2026-01-07T22:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T06:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/?p=10618"},"modified":"2026-01-09T01:28:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T09:28:00","slug":"where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Agency Revenue Is Heading: Fewer Big Retainers, More Mid-Market Retainers, and Longer Engagements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Recently, Rand and I released the results of the State of Digital Agencies survey for 2025. Our goal of this annual survey is simple &#8211; get a temperate check on the digital agency world and give folks a benchmark for how they\u2019re performing compared to their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you missed the launch post, you can catch up on it here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/the-2025-state-of-digital-agencies-its-still-rough-out-there-but-slowly-improving-and-is-ai-really-a-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The 2025 State of Digital Agencies: it\u2019s still rough out there, but slowly improving; and is AI really a threat?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that some of the charts and takeaways below may overlap with those in the post above. We\u2019ve included them here for completeness and to include all results related to client services and operations in one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below, we\u2019re focusing on all of the results from the client services and operations section of the survey.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, sentiment on this topic appears to be positive compared to 2024. Agencies are reporting that headcount has grown a little and that they plan to hire more folks over the next 12 months. Agencies are also reporting that they are generally working with clients for longer, which is a positive sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the post, you can also find information on the demographics of those who took the survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s get into the data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Agencies are retaining clients for longer and tend to work with clients for at least two years<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We asked respondents how long they typically worked with clients, with around a third (31%) saying they worked with clients for over three years, whilst a fifth (19%) said that they worked with clients for between 2-3 years.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426d675&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426d675\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"540\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-1024x540.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-1024x540.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-768x405.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-1536x810.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last.png 1942w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This appears to have improved compared with a year ago, with more agencies reporting that 36+ months is a typical client engagement length.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426db9c&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426db9c\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"551\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-2024-2025-1024x551.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-2024-2025-1024x551.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-2024-2025-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-2024-2025-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-2024-2025-1536x827.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-2024-2025.png 1910w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Generally this seems like a fairly healthy length of time that agencies are able to retain and work with their clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having said that, a decent chunk (25%) will work with clients for less than 12 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Dedicated account managers are most common at larger agencies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An ongoing question that many agency owners ask themselves is whether they should have dedicated account managers or not. The results were almost split down the middle, but tilted towards agencies not having account managers:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426e192&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426e192\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"879\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-1024x879.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-1024x879.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-300x258.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-768x660.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services.png 1232w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This does appear to change if we segment by agency size, with larger agencies leaning much more heavily towards needing account managers:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426e58a&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426e58a\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"554\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-Size-2-1024x554.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10624\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-Size-2-1024x554.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-Size-2-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-Size-2-768x415.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-Size-2-1536x831.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-staff-who-are-100-dedicated-to-Account-ManagementClient-Services-Size-2.png 1882w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As we can see, agencies that are bigger than 50 people are consistently saying that they have dedicated account managers. This isn\u2019t overly surprising given that as an agency grows, layers of management are often added. There is also more chance of larger agencies being multi-service, necessitating the need for someone to sit at the heart of these services and ensure effective delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">To time track or not to time track &#8211; that is the question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another perennial question for agencies is whether to enforce time tracking \/ timesheets with their team. Some agencies proudly tell the world \u201cwe don\u2019t track time\u201d whilst others aim to record every minute of their team\u2019s time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But which approach is most used?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It turns out that once again, agencies are fairly evenly split:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426eb8d&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426eb8d\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"777\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-work-1024x777.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-work-1024x777.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-work-300x228.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-work-768x583.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-work.png 1402w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>There is a slight tilt toward using timesheets, with 57% saying that their team does indeed record them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we segment by agency size, we do see a slow, but clear trend that with team size increasing, the higher likelihood that timesheets will be used.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426efe6&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426efe6\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-client-work-Size-1024x523.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-client-work-Size-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-client-work-Size-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-client-work-Size-768x392.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-client-work-Size-1536x784.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Does-your-team-record-timesheets-for-their-client-work-Size.png 1998w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This is a fairly common trend, with smaller agencies not seeing the need for timesheets but as headcount increases, this attitude changes and the agency can take a more numbers driven approach to operations and capacity planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For those agencies that do use time sheets, the majority (65%) also set utilization targets for their team.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426f443&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426f443\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"726\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-1024x726.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-1024x726.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-300x213.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-768x545.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team.png 1480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Once again, we see this trend become even stronger as agency size increases. The bigger the agency, the more likely it is that utilization targets will be set.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426f834&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426f834\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"540\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-Size-1024x540.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-Size-1024x540.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-Size-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-Size-768x405.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-Size-1536x810.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-have-utilizationbillable-time-targets-for-your-team-Size.png 1896w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The next logical place to go from here is to look at exactly what those utilization targets are &#8211; so we asked.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c426fc1c&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c426fc1c\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"543\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-1024x543.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10629\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-1024x543.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-300x159.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-768x407.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-1536x814.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work.png 1916w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The most popular utilization targets are 70-79% with 39% of agencies setting this as a target for a typical mid-level team member. This was followed by 35% of agencies setting a slightly higher target of 80-89% utilization of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, this did seem to correlate with the size of the agency, with utilization targets typically increasing alongside the number of people they employed.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c427018d&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c427018d\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"513\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-Size-1024x513.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-Size-1024x513.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-Size-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-Size-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-Size-1536x769.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/On-average-what-percentage-of-a-mid-level-team-members-time-do-you-expect-to-be-spent-on-billable-client-work-Size.png 2046w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The vast majority of agencies prefer to work on a retainer model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our survey confirmed what many of us would guess instinctively &#8211; 85% of agencies prefer to work with clients on a retainer basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, this is a slight increase compared to 2024 where 81% of agencies said that they primarily work on a retainer basis &#8211; perhaps a sign that agencies are looking for more consistent, reliable revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c42706af&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c42706af\" class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"979\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-1024x979.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10631\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.0459754460377064;width:585px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-1024x979.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-300x287.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-768x734.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis.png 1082w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This is generally true amongst most agencies, regardless of size. However it is worth noting that solo consultants and freelancers are much more likely to work on a one-off project basis.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c4270a9f&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c4270a9f\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"509\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-Size-1024x509.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10633\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-Size-1024x509.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-Size-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-Size-768x381.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-Size-1536x763.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Do-you-primarily-work-with-clients-on-a-retainer-basis-or-one-off-project-basis-Size-2048x1017.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The vast majority of agency monthly retainer budgets are $10k or less<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>86% of agencies reported that their average monthly retainer is up to $10k. To break this down further, Nearly half (49%) said that their average monthly retainer is between $1,000-$5,000, whilst 31% report that it sits between $5,000-$10,000 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c4270f07&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c4270f07\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"579\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-1024x579.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10634\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-1024x579.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-768x434.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-1536x868.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD.png 1850w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The next biggest segment was $25,000-$50,000 per month where 10% of agencies said that this was their typical monthly retainer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we segment by agency size, we can see that typically, the $5,000-$10,000 per month budget range becomes more common as agencies grow towards 50 people.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c427134e&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c427134e\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"535\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Size-1024x535.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Size-1024x535.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Size-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Size-768x401.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Size-1536x802.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Size.png 1996w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>To further break the numbers down by location, typically the super large retainers of $25,000 per month upwards are only reported in North America and Europe. Whilst the majority of smaller retainers are reported by agencies who primarily work in Africa, Asia and Central\/South America.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c427175c&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c427175c\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"508\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Location-1024x508.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Location-1024x508.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Location-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Location-768x381.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Location-1536x762.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-monthly-retainer-budget-in-USD-Location.png 2020w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Over half of agencies charge between $1,000-$10,000 for one-off projects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of agencies who typically work on a project basis, we can see that, similar to retainers, the budgets typically sit between $1,000-$10,000, with 54% of agencies sitting in this range.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c4271bd1&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c4271bd1\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"519\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-one-off-project-budget-in-USD-1-1024x519.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10638\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-one-off-project-budget-in-USD-1-1024x519.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-one-off-project-budget-in-USD-1-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-one-off-project-budget-in-USD-1-768x389.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-one-off-project-budget-in-USD-1-1536x778.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/What-is-your-typical-one-off-project-budget-in-USD-1.png 2006w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>It is worth remembering that according to our data above, only 15% of folks work on a project-basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Agencies are working with freelancers more often than a year ago<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of contractors and freelancers, a new question that we asked for 2025 was whether agencies have increased the number that they work with. With some uncertainty constantly surrounding agencies, we wanted to know if they\u2019re choosing to offset some risk by working with freelancers more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It turns out &#8211; yes, they are.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c42721a1&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c42721a1\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"565\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-number-of-freelancerscontractors-that-youve-worked-with-1024x565.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10639\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-number-of-freelancerscontractors-that-youve-worked-with-1024x565.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-number-of-freelancerscontractors-that-youve-worked-with-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-number-of-freelancerscontractors-that-youve-worked-with-768x424.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-number-of-freelancerscontractors-that-youve-worked-with-1536x848.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-number-of-freelancerscontractors-that-youve-worked-with.png 1884w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Whilst half said that the number of freelancers they work with has remained the same, nearly a third said they had actually increased how many they worked with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Over half of agencies said that the size of their team has remained the same as a year ago (but things are getting slowly better compared to 2024)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to headcount, 55% of agencies said that team headcount had stayed roughly the same.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c42726d3&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c42726d3\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"592\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-1024x592.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-1024x592.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-300x173.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-768x444.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-1536x888.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team.png 1816w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>21% said they\u2019d grown by up to 30%, whilst 16% said they\u2019d shrunk by up to 30%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only a small number reported sizable headcount changes overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This does appear to be another area where things have gotten slightly better for agencies compared to what they reported in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c4272bb0&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c4272bb0\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-2024-2025-1024x577.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10641\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-2024-2025-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-2024-2025-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-2024-2025-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-2024-2025-1536x865.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Over-the-last-12-months-has-the-size-of-your-team-2024-2025.png 1846w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Last year, 22% of agencies reported that headcount had grown. Whilst this year, we saw a very slight increase with 26% saying that headcount had grown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Very few agencies expect headcount to reduce over the next year<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, only a small proportion of respondents expect headcount to reduce over the next 12 months. Just 4% expect to do layoffs and 5% expect some natural churn that may lead to a smaller headcount overall.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c42730a9&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c42730a9\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-is-the-outlook-for-your-agency-in-terms-of-staff-headcount-1024x512.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10642\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-is-the-outlook-for-your-agency-in-terms-of-staff-headcount-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-is-the-outlook-for-your-agency-in-terms-of-staff-headcount-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-is-the-outlook-for-your-agency-in-terms-of-staff-headcount-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-is-the-outlook-for-your-agency-in-terms-of-staff-headcount-1536x767.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-is-the-outlook-for-your-agency-in-terms-of-staff-headcount-2048x1023.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>On the more optimistic side, 40% expect to hire more people whereas nearly half (47%) expect headcount to remain stable again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Even more client meetings are taking place over video calls compared to 2024<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>80% of agencies said that they run client meetings remotely via video call, a slight increase on the same question last year where 77% replied with the same answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Less than 10% said that they hosted meetings in person at their own offices, with a similar number hosting them at client offices.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;69e77c427363e&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"69e77c427363e\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Where-do-you-typically-host-client-meetings-1024x512.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Where-do-you-typically-host-client-meetings-1024x512.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Where-do-you-typically-host-client-meetings-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Where-do-you-typically-host-client-meetings-768x384.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Where-do-you-typically-host-client-meetings-1536x769.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Where-do-you-typically-host-client-meetings-2048x1025.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\taria-label=\"Enlarge\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.imageButtonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.imageButtonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This shouldn&#8217;t be too much of a surprise, it seems commonplace now for agencies to work with clients who they rarely meet in real life. Whilst a natural consequence of remote working, I do wonder how many agencies have leaned into this enough to ensure that relationships are as strong as they can be, despite potentially never meeting a client face to face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, some data on who took the survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who took the survey?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some top line demographics of those who responded to this year\u2019s survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Who-Took-the-Survey-1024x577.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Who-Took-the-Survey-1024x577.png 1024w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Who-Took-the-Survey-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Who-Took-the-Survey-768x433.png 768w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Who-Took-the-Survey-1536x866.png 1536w, https:\/\/images.sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Who-Took-the-Survey-2048x1154.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The survey includes agencies from a wide range of sizes, geographies, and services offered, but there\u2019s definitely concentration in small to medium sized (1-50 person agencies), North America and Europe, $100K-$5M revenue businesses, and SEO, SEM, Content, and Analytics. In the sections below, we\u2019ll break out responses from specific slices of these groups to illustrate key differentiators and illuminate useful patterns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recently, Rand and I released the results of the State of Digital Agencies survey for 2025. Our goal of this annual survey is simple &#8211; get a temperate check on the digital agency world and give folks a benchmark for how they\u2019re performing compared to their peers. If you missed the launch post, you can<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-startups"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Where Agency Revenue Is Heading: Fewer Big Retainers, More Mid-Market Retainers, and Longer Engagements - SparkToro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recently, Rand and I released the results of the State of Digital Agencies survey for 2025. Our goal of this annual survey is simple - get a temperate\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Where Agency Revenue Is Heading: Fewer Big Retainers, More Mid-Market Retainers, and Longer Engagements - SparkToro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recently, Rand and I released the results of the State of Digital Agencies survey for 2025. Our goal of this annual survey is simple - get a temperate\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SparkToro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/sparktoro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-08T06:06:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-09T09:28:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sparktoro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-1024x540.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paddy Moogan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sparktoro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sparktoro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paddy Moogan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Paddy Moogan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0be2c4279489f522cfd5c427e4aa3803\"},\"headline\":\"Where Agency Revenue Is Heading: Fewer Big Retainers, More Mid-Market Retainers, and Longer Engagements\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-08T06:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-09T09:28:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1521,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-1024x540.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Startups\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/\",\"name\":\"Where Agency Revenue Is Heading: Fewer Big Retainers, More Mid-Market Retainers, and Longer Engagements - SparkToro\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/where-agency-revenue-is-heading-fewer-big-retainers-more-mid-market-retainers-and-longer-engagements\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/How-many-months-does-a-typical-client-engagement-last-1024x540.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-08T06:06:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-09T09:28:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/sparktoro.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0be2c4279489f522cfd5c427e4aa3803\"},\"description\":\"Recently, Rand and I released the results of the State of Digital Agencies survey for 2025. 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