Marketing Agency

Invoice Reminders for Marketing Agencies: Grow Revenue, Not Receivables

You drive ROI for your clients. Now drive your own collections efficiency with automated invoice reminders built for the agency billing model.

Marketing agencies have an average DSO of 52 days, with 30% of retainer invoices paid late. For every $1M in annual billings, agencies carry approximately $142,000 in outstanding receivables.
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What Marketing Agencies are saying

Real frustrations from real marketing agencies dealing with late payments.

We were floating $40K in monthly ad spend for a client who routinely paid at Net 60. When we told them we'd pause ads if they didn't pay within terms, they suddenly figured out how to pay on time. Funny how that works.

- Reddit user on <span>r/DigitalMarketing</span>

Biggest cash flow mistake we made as an agency: not separating ad spend billing from retainer billing. Now we charge ad spend in advance and retainer at Net 15. Game changer.

- Reddit user on <span>r/AgencyLife</span>

The marketing agency payment landscape

Understanding payment norms in marketing agency helps you set the right reminder strategy.

Net 30, monthly retainer billing
Typical payment terms
52 days
Average days sales outstanding
30%
Late payment rate

Common payment challenges for marketing agencies

These are the specific challenges that make invoice collection difficult in marketing agency.

1

Retainer clients treat invoices casually

Because the relationship is ongoing, retainer clients deprioritize monthly invoices. What starts as a few days late becomes a pattern of Net 45-60 payment without anyone addressing it.

2

Ad spend reimbursement delays

When you float ad spend for clients, late payment means you are financing their marketing campaigns out of your own cash. A $20,000 monthly ad spend paid 30 days late costs you real money.

3

Client procurement bottlenecks

Enterprise clients require PO numbers, vendor registrations, and multi-level approvals. An invoice without the right PO number gets rejected and you start the billing cycle over.

4

Project scope changes without billing adjustments

Campaign pivots, additional deliverables, and strategic changes are par for the course. But agencies often absorb the extra work without adjusting the invoice, then resent the client for paying late.

Invoice reminder templates for marketing agencies

Copy-paste templates tailored for marketing agency professionals. Adjust timing and tone to match your clients relationships.

Email Template1st of each month
Subject: Monthly retainer invoice: {{month}}, {{agency_name}}

Hi {{client_name}}, Attached is your {{month}} retainer invoice (#{{invoice_number}}) for {{amount}}. This covers: {{service_summary}} Payment is due by {{due_date}}. Please ensure your AP team has the PO number ({{po_number}}) referenced on the invoice. Pay online: {{payment_link}} As always, our monthly performance report will be delivered by the {{report_date}}. Best, {{your_name}} {{agency_name}}

Email Template5 days after due date
Subject: Payment reminder: {{month}} invoice is past due

Hi {{client_name}}, I wanted to flag that your {{month}} retainer invoice (#{{invoice_number}}, {{amount}}) was due on {{due_date}} and is now past due. We continue to manage your campaigns actively and want to ensure there's no interruption. Could you check with your AP team on the status? Pay online: {{payment_link}} Thanks, {{your_name}} {{agency_name}}

Email Template30 days after due date
Subject: Overdue notice: {{total_outstanding}} outstanding, {{client_name}} account

Hi {{client_name}}, Your account with {{agency_name}} currently has an outstanding balance of {{total_outstanding}} across {{invoice_count}} invoice(s). Per our master services agreement, we reserve the right to pause campaign activities and ad spend on accounts over 45 days past due. I'd like to avoid any disruption to your campaigns. Can we schedule a call this week to resolve the outstanding balance? Regards, {{your_name}} {{agency_name}}

SMS Template21 days after due date

Hi {{client_name}}, your {{agency_name}} invoice ({{amount}}) is {{days_overdue}} days overdue. To avoid campaign pauses, please pay here: {{payment_link}}

Skip the manual work: All these templates are built into ChaseBot and sent automatically when invoices are overdue.

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Free plan available. No credit card required.

Best practices for marketing agency invoice reminders

Follow these proven strategies to get paid faster while maintaining strong clients relationships.

Bill ad spend separately and in advance

Never float client ad spend on your credit card with Net 30 terms. Bill ad spend in advance or have the client set up their own ad accounts. Your margin should not subsidize their media budget.

Include work-pause clauses in your MSA

Your master services agreement should clearly state that campaigns, content production, and ad management may be paused on accounts more than 30-45 days past due.

Align billing with reporting

Send the monthly invoice at the same time as (or just before) the performance report. When clients see the ROI you are driving alongside the invoice, they are more motivated to pay.

Build relationships with client AP teams

Don't just know the marketing director. Know the AP clerk who processes your invoices. A quick email relationship with the right person bypasses weeks of internal routing.

How ChaseBot helps marketing agencies

Purpose-built to solve the invoice chasing problem so you can focus on your marketing agency work.

SMS reminders that get read

98% open rate means your clients actually sees the reminder. No more emails lost in spam or ignored in overflowing inboxes.

Auto-stop on payment

The moment your clients pays, reminders stop automatically. No awkward follow-ups after payment has been received.

Visual flow builder

Design your reminder sequence visually. Set the right timing for marketing agency payment cycles with drag-and-drop simplicity.

Real-time Xero sync

Connect your Xero account in 30 seconds. Invoice data syncs in real time. No manual imports, no outdated information.

Manual chasing vs ChaseBot

See how automating your invoice reminders compares to doing it yourself.

Feature
Manual
ChaseBot
Time per week
2-4 hours
0 hours
Missed follow-ups
Common
Never
SMS reminders
No
Included
Auto-stop on payment
Manual check
Automatic
Cost
Your hourly rate
Free / $29/mo

Know your state's late payment laws

Before setting late fees on your invoices, check the legal limits in your state.

Browse all 50 states

Related industry guides

Explore invoice reminder strategies for similar industries.

Frequently asked
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