Pepper Marketing FAQ: What to Expect Working With Us
Thinking about hiring a marketing agency for the first time? Already a client and want to know how something works? This page covers what happens before, during, and after you work with Pepper, from your first conversation to what happens if you ever decide to leave. For specifics on any individual service, our services pages have you covered (;
Thinking About Working With Pepper
- What's it like to work with a marketing agency for the first time? *
It’s less complicated than it looks from the outside. This page walks through what happens before you sign on, what the first month looks like, how retainers and one-off projects work, and what happens if you ever decide to leave. You don’t need to have it all figured out before reaching out. Book a discovery call, tell us where things stand, and we’ll help you work out the rest.
- How do I know what marketing help I actually need? *
Start with whatever overwhelms you most; that’s usually a good sign of where support will make the biggest difference. On your discovery call, we’ll talk through your current marketing, your goals, and your pain points, and recommend where to focus first. One thing worth knowing upfront: your brand foundation, meaning your logo, visuals, and messaging, usually needs to be solid before a marketing strategy can do its job well. If that foundation isn’t there yet, we’ll tell you early rather than build a strategy on shaky ground.
- Where does Pepper offer services? *
Pepper is based in Kamloops, BC, and we work with businesses throughout British Columbia, Alberta, and across Canada. We also work with English-speaking businesses outside Canada, so location isn’t a dealbreaker if you’re the right fit otherwise.
Booking a Discovery Call
- Do you offer a free consultation, and is there pressure to sign up? *
Yes, we do, and no, there isn’t. Our discovery calls are free, with no obligation to decide anything on the spot. The point of the call is to understand your business and figure out together whether working with Pepper makes sense, not to pressure you into a package before you’re ready.
- What happens on a discovery call? *
Your discovery call is a 30-minute conversation about your business, your goals, and where your marketing needs support. Before we meet, we review the intake form you completed when booking, which helps us dig into the areas most relevant to you, whether that’s your website, social media, local visibility, branding, or past ad performance.
We’ll talk through what’s working, what isn’t, what you want to improve, and your budget so we understand what makes sense for your business. After the call, we’ll send a custom proposal based on our conversation, typically within 48 hours to one week, so you have something concrete to consider rather than a vague next step.
- How should I prepare for my first call with Pepper? *
No homework required, but a few things help the conversation go further. It’s useful to have a general sense of your goals, what’s overwhelming you most about your current marketing, and a rough comfort level on budget. Beyond that, come with questions. This call works best as a real conversation, not a pitch you’re sitting through.
Choosing How to Work With Pepper
- What's the difference between a retainer and a one-off project? *
A retainer is ongoing monthly support from our marketing team, the kind of work that builds and compounds over time, like social media, SEO/AIO, digital ads or overall marketing strategy. A one-off project has a defined start and end, like a website build, a brand refresh, or a photo shoot. Neither is better than the other; it depends on what your business needs right now. Some clients start with a project and move into a retainer once they see how we work. Others come to us already knowing they want ongoing support.
- How do I know if I need ongoing support or a single project? *
If your marketing needs regular attention to keep working—think social media, SEO/AIO, or ad campaigns—that’s usually a sign you need ongoing support. If you have one clear deliverable in mind with a natural finish line, like a new website or updated branding, a project is likely the better fit. If you’re not sure which camp you fall into, that’s exactly what your discovery call is for. We’ll help you figure it out rather than asking you to self-diagnose before we’ve even talked.
Getting Started & Onboarding
- What happens after I sign on with Pepper? *
For retainer clients, once your contract is signed and your first invoice is paid, you move into onboarding. This is where our team gets properly set up before any work goes live, so nothing gets rushed or built on guesswork. We review everything you’ve shared with us, develop a strategy for your specific services, organize your accounts, and prepare the work coming your way. It’s a working, building and planning month, not a waiting month.
One-off projects work differently. There’s no separate onboarding period; we move straight into the project itself once everything’s signed and confirmed.
- What do I need to provide to get started? *
It depends on which services you’ve hired us for, but onboarding generally involves completing a few questionnaires, sharing your brand assets, and giving us access to the relevant accounts and platforms. We’ll tell you exactly what’s needed for your specific services once you’re onboarding, so you’ll never have to guess what to send over.
- When can I start? *
New client start dates fall on the 1st or the 15th of the month for retainer clients. That gives our team room to set your account up properly, build out your strategy, and be ready to hit the ground running the moment your onboarding period begins.
For one-off projects, start dates depend on the project and our current capacity. This includes website projects, audits, design, branding, photography, and other standalone work. Once we know what you need, we’ll confirm the next available start date based on the scope and our team’s schedule.
- How long does onboarding take, and when will I see work happening? *
Retainer clients always have one month of onboarding, regardless of which services are included. That month is when the real setup happens: strategy, account organization, understanding your business as well as you do, and a lot of preparation, so that once execution begins, it’s built on something solid rather than assembled on the fly. One-off projects don’t follow this timeline since they move straight into the work, with their own schedule set from the start.
Working With Pepper on a Retainer
- How will I know what my team is doing each week? *
Your Project Manager keeps you in the loop through regular Slack updates on what’s currently in progress and what’s been completed. You also have access to the full team on Slack, so questions don’t have to wait for a scheduled strategy call. Nothing about your marketing should feel like a black box.
- Do I need to manage the people working on my account? *
Hell no, and that’s really the point of how we’ve built this. Outsourcing your marketing shouldn’t turn into managing a second department. You get specialists across the different areas your business needs, and your Project Manager coordinates all of it, connecting the pieces, managing deadlines, and making sure everyone on your account knows what everyone else is doing. You run your business, we’ll run your marketing.
- What does reporting look like? *
Full Access and social media management clients receive formal quarterly reporting, plus ongoing updates. Depending on what’s included in your package, that can cover social media, SEO, AIO, Google Business Profile, Pinterest, email marketing and digital ads performance. The goal is a clear, honest view of what’s working, what we’re seeing, and where we’re focused next, not a stack of numbers with no context behind them.
Working With Pepper on a One-Off Project
- How does a one-off project like branding or a website actually work? *
Before anything begins, we lay out the full picture: what the process looks like, what we need from you and when, when reviews or meetings happen, and the expected timeline to completion. You’ll know where things stand at every stage, not just at the start and the finish. The specifics differ by project type, so for the finer details on any particular service, the relevant service page has you covered.
- How long do one-off projects typically take? *
It depends entirely on the project. A Visual Identity project can move in as little as 3-4 business days, while a website build can take a couple of months. Because the range is so wide, we won’t give you one number that doesn’t actually apply to your project. What we will do is confirm your specific timeline upfront, so you’re never left wondering where things stand.
- Can a project turn into an ongoing relationship later? *
Definitely! A lot of clients start with a single project, whether that’s a rebrand, a new website, or a content shoot, and move into a retainer once they’ve seen how we work. There’s no pressure to commit to more than what you came in for, but the door’s open if you decide you want ongoing support down the line.
Communication, Feedback & Approvals
- Does all communication count toward my project or package? *
Yes, communication is considered part of your time with us, but that’s about transparency, not tracking. We want you asking questions, sharing ideas, and giving feedback; that’s part of working together well. The reason it counts is simple: when there’s an unusually high amount of back-and-forth, meetings, or revisions, more of your time naturally goes toward talking about the work instead of doing it. Our goal is to keep that balanced, so most of your investment goes toward the marketing itself.
- How much notice do you need for a task or request? *
We ask for at least three business days’ notice before something is due. That gives our team enough time to complete it properly, send it back for your review, make any changes, and still hit the deadline. If something urgent comes up, we’ll always do our best to accommodate it, but the three-day window is what sets everyone up for success. Larger requests may need more lead time, like 7-10 business days.
- How long do I have to review and approve something? *
It depends on what we’re working on. For time-sensitive work, like reviewing your content calendar, we generally need your feedback within 48 hours to keep things on schedule. Larger projects, like a website, work on a different rhythm. As a general rule, quicker feedback keeps things moving. When approvals take longer, the next stage often can’t start, which can affect your timeline and use up more of your available time.
- Can Pepper work alongside my existing team or other vendors? *
Absolutely. If you already have a Head of Marketing, Marketing Manager, internal team member, or another person involved in your marketing, we’re happy to work alongside them.
In some businesses, your internal marketing lead owns the bigger-picture plan and brings Pepper in to help execute it. In others, we help shape the strategy together, then our team takes on the areas where you need extra support, whether that’s social media, SEO, content, branding, websites, advertising, or a mix of services. We work as an extension of your team, so roles, responsibilities, communication, and ownership stay clear from the start.
Scope, Billing & Changes
- How does billing work? *
For retainer clients, billing runs on a 30-day cycle tied to your 1st or 15th start date. We send your invoice 7 days before that date, and payment is required before any work begins. For one-off projects, start dates are more flexible and depend on availability, but the same principle applies: invoice first, payment before kickoff, then we get moving.
- What payment methods do you accept? *
E-transfer, bank transfer, credit card, and cheque. Credit card payments carry a 2.99% processing fee.
- What if I need to move my start date? *
We get it, plans shift. We just need at least two weeks’ notice to shift your start date without issue. If you miss payment for your original date without notice, a $100 re-onboarding fee applies to secure a new one.
- Can I change my package or add services later after I complete my original contract? *
Absolutely! As your needs or budget change, we can adjust your package, but we need 30 days’ notice. You can’t reduce or change a package immediately partway through the current contract period, since our team needs time to plan for shifts in capacity, priorities, and account planning.
Pausing, Cancelling & Offboarding
- What is your cancellation policy? *
We ask for 30 days’ written notice to cancel once your contract is completed, which can be given via Zoom, Slack or email. We’ll always be sad to see you go, but we understand that businesses change, budgets shift, and sometimes work is seasonal. The notice period gives our team time to properly plan and transition your account rather than stopping abruptly.
- Can I pause instead of cancelling? *
We don’t offer an immediate pause option that stops services partway through a billing period. Pausing follows the same 30-day notice as cancelling, since our team needs that time to plan the transition properly either way.
- What happens to my accounts, data, and assets if I leave? *
They’re yours, because they always were. Accounts like Meta Ads, Google Ads, and Google Analytics belong to you from day one, not just once you decide to leave, so there’s no scramble to transfer ownership at the end. Everything created for you throughout the relationship—graphics and design files, photography and content libraries, Google Drive files, Canva graphics, marketing assets, and your account history—belongs to you as well.
- What do I keep after working with Pepper? *
Everything we made for you! That includes your creative assets, your content libraries, your account history, and any relevant campaign information. If you’re moving to a new agency, there’s no rigid handover deadline on our end; our focus is on making that transition as smooth as possible and getting you whatever access, files, or information you need.
- Can I come back to Pepper later? *
Absolutely, and this happens a lot! Businesses change direction, take breaks, adjust budgets, or want to try something different, and that’s completely normal. We often see former clients return, and we’re always glad to work together again.
What Is It Actually Like Working With Pepper?
- How involved do I need to be once Pepper takes over my marketing? *
You still have a role, but managing us shouldn’t become another job on your list. You’ll get regular updates on what’s happening, and your feedback matters, especially on anything time-sensitive, where a couple of business days keep things moving. Beyond that, your Project Manager handles the coordination, so you weigh in on the work, not run the operation behind it.
- How do you learn my brand well enough to sound like us? *
It starts during onboarding, when we meet with you via Zoom, gather your brand assets, existing marketing materials, and the background that helps us understand your business—not just your logo and colours—but how you actually talk to your customers, and who your customers are and how they purchase from you. From there, it’s an ongoing process. The more you share, the sharper that gets, but we’re not starting from zero and guessing our way there.
- What if I've had a bad experience with another agency before? *
That’s a fair thing to bring into a new relationship, and it’s worth knowing upfront how we’re built differently. There is no gatekeeping here whatsoever! Your accounts belong to you from day one, not just when you decide to leave. You’re not locked into a long contract with no way out; after your original contract is fulfilled, 30 days’ notice is what it takes. And you’re not signing up to manage a team of specialists yourself; that’s what your Project Manager is for. None of that erases a bad past experience, but it’s what we can actually point to.
- Will I still have access and visibility into my own accounts? *
Yes, always. Your Meta Ads, Google Ads, Google Analytics, and any other accounts we work in belong to you from the start, with your access intact the entire time you work with us, not just handed over when the relationship ends.
- What are Pepper’s working hours? *
Pepper works a four-day work week, which means our team is online Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST. We are offline Friday through Sunday and closed for Canadian statutory holidays. You’re always welcome to send your Project Manager a Slack message or email outside of those hours. We’ll pick it up when we’re back online the next business day.
Our four-day work week gives our team focused time to do great work while protecting the work-life balance we believe in!