Code of Conduct

At Credo, our mission is to help great businesses grow. We do this by providing a network of vetted marketing agencies and consultants (“providers”), a digital marketing jobs board, and a service to consult with businesses before they hire.

We believe that clients should not have to worry if the marketing provider that they sign a contract with will be able to deliver reasonable business results. They also should trust that they will be treated with respect and integrity by the providers they choose to hire. We also believe that everyone, regardless of budget, business type, lifestyle, background, or nationality deserves to be treated with the utmost respect.

At Credo we care deeply that the providers listed on Credo meet our high standards for work quality and client relationships. In order to become the trusted place online to go to find a marketing provider, we have a Code of Conduct and Terms of Service that all providers agree to before joining Credo.

What pros agree to by joining Credo

As stated, we care highly about the quality and professionalism of providers listed on the Credo platform.

By applying to be listed on Credo, pros agree that they will not do any of the following for clients that they acquire from Credo:

1. Anything outside of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines (even if it is requested by the client), including but not limited to:
   1. Link schemes, such as pay-to-play links or positive editorial coverage;
   2. Scraping of content from other sites for use on your own site without proper attribution or permission;
   3. Private blog networks or purchasing of links intended to manipulate search rankings;
2. Spam, including misusing rich snippets;
3. Engage in any behavior (such as hacking or bad links) intended to maliciously harm competitors.
4. Anything unlawful, including but not limited to violation of copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, confidential information, plagiarism, or hacking.

They also agree to all of the following:

1. To respond to all inquiries in a reasonable manner. Credo requests that all providers respond in a timely manner, taking into account holidays and other potential delays;
2. To schedule a call with each potential client to learn more about their needs;
3. To respond and interact with a high degree of professionalism;
4. If they decline to pitch the project, they will inform the client as to such and reasons for declining to pursue the engagement.
5. To be upfront with both Credo and the potential client about any client conflicts of interest ahead of accepting an introduction to a potential client.
6. To treat all potential clients with respect and professionalism, regardless of age, sex, race, color, ethnicity, creed, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation, religion, disability, location, business type, political affiliation, or anything else on which someone could improperly discriminate.

How Credo vets and continually assesses quality

Before a marketing provider is given access to join the Credo platform, they must:

1. Provide two current or past clients, including website and contact name/information. Credo uses this information to verify the client’s metrics and the work that was done;
2. Agree to this Code of Conduct;
3. If a Preferred agency, have a phone call with a Credo representative to go deeper into specific digital marketing strategies as well as sales and client management processes.

Once a client has been introduced to or contacted a Credo-approved marketing provider, Credo follows up with the client to ensure that they were able to connect, have conversations, receive proposals, and ultimately hire the right provider for their needs.

Once a client signs a contract with a Credo-approved agency, Credo follows up over time to ensure that the project is going or has gone well. Two months into the project, Credo asks the client to leave a public review on the provider’s public Credo profile.

If a project has gone badly, Credo follows up with the client to discuss what occurred. Credo then contacts the provider to hear their side and discuss the appropriate next steps.

If Credo determines that the provider was at fault and is not able to change, then the provider will be removed from Credo and no refunds given. If Credo determines that blame is shared between the two parties, the Credo provider is put on notice and watched carefully to ensure that the situation does not happen again.

If a Credo provider has three projects that do not go well for any reason, they are removed from Credo and no refund is given.

If a Credo provider has been found to have engaged in hate speech, targeted harassment, unlawful discrimination, or similar activities then they will immediately be removed from the Credo platform and no refunds given.

Credo will make reasonable efforts to comply with the vetting and review process described above. However, pros agree that Credo, in its sole discretion, may ultimately suspend or terminate an account (or any part thereof) or use of the service and remove and discard any content within the service, for any reason, including, without limitation, for lack of use or if Credo believes that the pro has violated or acted inconsistently with the letter or spirit of this Code of Conduct or the Terms of Service. In addition to this Code of Conduct, the Credo Terms of Service form an important part of Credo’s services and should be carefully reviewed.

Credo’s take on the digital marketing industry

The digital marketing industry provides incredible career opportunities to people who are smart, creative, and curious to learn while driving results for clients. The barrier to entry is low, which allows great opportunities to many who may otherwise not have them. This can also be problematic because it can be hard to know who the true experts are.

We believe that all businesses deserve the opportunity to only hire providers who can do the work that they say they are able to do. And we believe that all businesses should be able to trust that the work their marketing provider is doing is above the board, will work in perpetuity, and will not get their business in trouble because it violates terms of service or the law.

As such, we only approve approximately 25-30% of providers who apply to join our platform. We look carefully at every provider who has applied and as of July 2018 proactively reach out to the clients listed in their application to confirm that they are indeed a client and that they are very happy. We ask them the following questions:

1. What is the provider best at?
2. How well does the provider communicate the strategies and tactics they are using to grow your business?
3. Would you say the provider is one of the best hires you have ever made?
4. What results have you seen from the provider’s work?

Once both respond to us with satisfactory answers, and their website metrics are confirmed, we approve the provider to join Credo.

If you have concerns about any provider listed on Credo, please contact us at [email protected].

We hold all concerns in the highest confidence and will follow up with you to discuss them in more detail.