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Is it better to hire a digital marketing agency or a freelancer?
Digital marketing agencies offer tailored marketing services that help businesses implement and manage ongoing marketing campaigns and are suited for small to medium-sized businesses and larger companies. Freelancers can provide specific marketing advice or flexible project work, making them a good choice for companies that need one-off help on a project.
This article from WebFX examines the pros and cons of a digital agency versus a freelancer to help determine which option fits specific business needs.
Should you hire a digital marketing agency or freelancer?
- Freelancer: Suited for one specific skill or short-term project.
- Agency: Suited for ongoing, multichannel marketing and long-term growth.
If you need one expert, a freelancer is an option. If you need a team and a structured strategy, an agency may be the appropriate choice.
Is it more cost effective to hire a digital marketing agency or freelancer?
- Freelancers are usually more affordable for single, clearly defined tasks.
- Agencies can be more cost-effective when you need multiple services under one coordinated strategy.
The right choice depends on your scope, budget, and long-term goals.
Digital marketing agency vs freelancer: Pros and Cons
Hiring a digital marketing agency or a freelance marketer each has its own advantages and disadvantages. For one, while freelancer fees are more affordable than those of digital agencies, you get the collective expertise of different digital marketers with an agency.
On the other hand, digital agencies may have different experts on their team, but you don’t get to choose the people you’ll work with. When you’re hiring a freelancer, you get to pick the professional who understands your goals and the person you’ll work with based on their experience and level of expertise.
Digital agencies and freelancers differ in many ways in terms of the following:
- Skills and expertise
- Flexibility and structure
- Communication
- Network and resources
You can check out the table below for a summary of the pros and cons of a digital agency and a freelancer:
Courtesy of WebFX
Courtesy of WebFX
Let’s go through each one:
Skills and expertise
First on the list of pros and cons of a digital agency and freelancer, let’s look at how they differ in terms of skills and expertise:
Freelancer
Pros: Freelancers are typically experienced professionals who have worked in different companies. As such, they have a diverse perspective on marketing and doing business. They usually have specific skill sets and expertise in certain industries. For example, a former press release writer in the tourism and hospitality field can offer freelance content writing for hotels and resorts later on in their career.
When hiring a freelancer, look for someone who suits your needs. You can also consider a freelancer who has experience working in your industry.
Cons: Working with a freelancer means you’re limited to the insights and expertise of a one-person team.
In addition, while freelancers are well-rounded professionals, they usually have specific skills in certain marketing strategies. A graphic designer can create your ads, but they may not have copywriting expertise.
That said, finding freelancers with a broad range of skills is rare. You may need to hire multiple freelancers for a project requiring various skills.
Digital agency
Pros: Hiring a digital agency is like having an extended marketing team, because you’ll work with a group of marketers who are experts in their fields.
For example, let’s say you’re launching a new product for your medical equipment business and need search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) expertise. You can turn to a digital agency that offers both services. Full-service digital marketing agencies allow you to work with a team familiar with your business and industry across multiple service needs.
Cons: Digital agencies are experts in their fields, but not all are experienced in your niche. Even if a digital agency has had some experience in your industry, not every team member may have experience working on marketing campaigns in your industry.
That’s not to say that you must stay away from a digital agency with no prior experience in your niche, though. In fact, hiring an agency that hasn’t worked in your industry can bring in fresh ideas. Make sure you find an agency that’s willing to learn a new industry and collaborate with you to bring results.
When hiring a digital agency, discuss your goals, needs, and expectations with them. Digital agencies typically research their clients, but it’s still a good idea to brief them about your business, industry, and competitors.
Flexibility and structure
Do you need the flexibility of a freelancer, or do you need the structured processes of an agency to handle numerous, simultaneous projects? Here’s a look at the pros and cons of a digital agency and freelancer in terms of flexibility and structure:
Freelancer
Pros: Freelancers typically have a flexible schedule, which is one of the main draws of hiring them. If you encounter a social media crisis or issue later in the day, you can count on your freelancer to help you address it and brew a crisis communication plan.
Cons: Freelancers are a one-person team, and they may work with multiple clients. So even though they offer you a flexible schedule, they might be juggling different clients’ needs and requirements.
Digital agency
Pros: Digital agencies have established processes and structures in place. That’s not to say they rigidly implement them without discussing workflows with their clients.
Like freelancers, digital agencies also offer flexibility, but backed by certain processes to efficiently deliver your requirements. Unlike freelancers, digital agencies are a team of experts, so they can provide support when and where necessary.
They are also more likely to offer flexible payment arrangements for your one-off projects.
Cons: An agency may provide you with some flexibility, but it’s not as agile as a freelancer. For one, some digital agencies may only allow you to change your project requirements for a fee and with a revised deadline.
In addition, when you work with an agency, you work with a team of digital marketers. Finding a common schedule to kick off a new project with all of them can be trickier compared to working with a single freelancer.
On top of that, digital agencies typically only operate during business hours. If something happens with your marketing overnight or over the weekend, you may not get a response to fix it until the next time the team is in the office.
Communication
Now let’s look at how freelancers and digital agencies differ in terms of communication with clients:
Freelancer
Pros: Freelancers are often effective communicators because they aim to provide quality service and deliverables to retain their customers and build relationships. They will explain technical concepts to you to ensure you understand and that you’re both on the same page about your strategies.
Freelancers may communicate more informally through chat or messaging apps.
Cons: Some freelancers work from different parts of the world and may have a different time zone from you.
In addition, because of the less formal method of communication through chat apps, some updates may fall through the cracks. Freelancers do not have structured processes in place and may not have as many tools as digital agencies, so new updates and feedback on a campaign are usually delivered through messaging apps. When updates and messages pile up, it’s easy for small details to get ignored in lengthy conversations.
Digital agency
Pros: Communicating with digital agencies is typically more streamlined and made more straightforward for their clients. Agencies assign project managers to their clients, and these project managers are the customers’ single point of contact for any concerns.
If a customer needs to brief an agency about a new project, they speak with the project manager. When it’s time for the agency to submit a deliverable for their client’s review, the project manager does the job for the team. As a result, businesses need to liaise with only one key person.
Project managers may involve other team members when necessary or when more significant projects require everyone on the team to get involved from the start and see the project through.
Cons: While having a project manager streamlines the process, some businesses prefer to work directly with the digital marketer involved in their projects, say, for example, the graphic designer creating their digital ads.
Network and resources
Here’s a look at how different freelancers and digital agencies are in terms of their network and resources:
Freelancer
Pros: Freelancers have a vast network, as they have previously worked for different companies and had multiple clients. If they have experience working for a digital agency, they likely know other marketing professionals they can refer to their business contacts.
Cons: Freelancers invest in their equipment and software, but they likely have fewer resources and tools than a digital agency because they work independently. As a result, they may perform certain tasks more slowly and less efficiently compared to agencies, which have the tools to automate certain tasks.
For example, data mining for a performance report can be straightforward for agencies equipped with the talent and tools. Meanwhile, freelancers may do some manual work, downloading data from various sources to submit a report.
Digital agency
Pros: Digital agencies have time to network in training events and seminars, so their marketers are always updated on the latest trends. Agencies have dozens of well-connected employees, which makes for a vast network of connections. They also invest in equipment, software, and resources to work more efficiently.
Cons: Because they have more resources, digital agencies typically charge higher costs than freelancers.
How to choose between a digital marketing agency and a freelancer
Here are some tips to help you choose between a digital marketing agency and a freelance marketer:
Step 1: Identify your needs
If you need help with a one-off project that requires a specific skill set, such as copywriting, working with a freelancer may be the right choice.
If you want to run a long-term campaign and require support from multiple experts — from web developers to SEO specialists — a full-service digital marketing agency may be a better fit.
Step 2: Check their industry experience
Determine whether the freelancer or agency has experience working in your niche or a related industry.
For example, if you’re in heavy equipment rentals, working with someone who has previously provided services in that space may be beneficial.
Step 3: Read reviews from past or current customers
Look at reviews to understand what it’s like to work with the freelancer or agency. Consider their responsiveness, support quality, and overall client satisfaction.
Step 4: Ask about their performance results
During your exploratory call, ask about the results they’ve delivered. Did their campaigns drive sales and revenue? Did they increase brand awareness and consideration?
This story was produced by WebFX and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
