Freelancer or Marketing Agency: Which One Should You Choose?

Struggling to decide whether to hire a freelancer or an agency for your marketing needs?

Let’s make it clear: we’re not pitching freelancers against agencies. While a Mortal Combat style stand-off will make for a much more enraging reading (oops, I meant engaging), this doesn’t reflect reality.

If you are a small business that doesn't have an in-house team - nor wants one, the difficult part is knowing what type of hire you need at this stage: a freelancer or a marketing agency. No matter if you’re just starting out or are trying to fire up the scaling engine, you deserve to get the best fit, right?

To help you out, we’ll guide you briefly through the pros and cons of each type of hire, which will (hopefully) help you decide faster. Then, we’ll share some tips on how to choose.

Pros and cons of freelancers

The first obvious reason is because they’re cost-effective. Freelancers also tend to specialize and go very deep in a certain marketing area, living and breathing - say, paid advertising. But our favorite pro is communication. Most independent contractors are good with communicating specific needs and milestones so that you will always feel in the loop - it’s a matter of personal accountability.

On the flipside, freelancers may offer limited availability while they juggle multiple clients. And if they’re specialists in only one area, it often closes their minds to alternative solutions.

Pros and cons of marketing agencies

When it comes to the pros of agencies, they can offer more comprehensive services and can deploy a diverse skill set as needed. They can also quickly scale their services up or down based on project needs. Last but not least, agencies can rely on the combined expertise of their employees - this means not only different marketing specialities, but also experience across different industries that can bring innovative strategies. On the downside, cost is the first thing that turns off small businesses as it quickly adds up. Unfortunately, agency customers also suffer from slow and painful processes. Marketing agencies are also more prone to cumbersome operating procedures and communication lag.

Freelancers vs Marketing Agencies: the Stand-off

The ultimate decision which is the better hire boils down to a few questions about your immediate marketing needs: Are you experimenting and trying to decide which course of action to take? Maybe you already have built the foundation and are trying to scale? Are you executing a one-off campaign in a certain marketing domain, or do you need long-term dedication?

Choose a freelancer if:

• If you’re still in the experimentation phase or only need a one-off job, then a freelancer might be the better option - both due to the cost factor and because they will still be able to deliver quality work.
• If you need quick growth through a specific tactic (one you have already decided on), a specialist freelancer is a great option, as they are more agile and resource-effective.

Short-term, single-domain activities and one-offs are generally better suited to a freelancer.

Choose an agency if:

• If you’re in search of a strategic partner with lots of expertise in multi-channel growth and scaling up, an agency might be a better fit.
• If you require a more independent approach towards all stages of the process (no hand-holding).

Both options are open if:

• You already have a specific channel strategy in place, both options are a good fit as long as you monitor the results consistently.
• You already have a solid tactical foundation and have experimented a lot with clear outcomes.

You can think of it in terms of the scope and horizon of the marketing initiatives that you imagine.

And beware… Strategic thought is what separates good from bad agencies and good from bad freelancers. If they lack strategy, it’s chaos no matter what you choose.

We hope this framework is helpful. It’s always difficult to part ways with doing marketing on your own if you’re a small business or startup owner but it’s a necessary step for growth!