If you’re looking to develop a marketing strategy but don’t have a dedicated marketing employee or team in-house, you’ve probably been mulling over the pros and cons of hiring a marketing team versus an individual freelancer. Depending on the support you need, there are pros and cons to each approach. We at PRIME are a little biased that hiring an agency is the best choice, but we will explore both options so you can decide which is the right fit for your company.
Hiring a Team
Pros
Marketing agencies tend to hire multiple individuals who are experts in their fields to build their marketing teams, allowing them to work with a wide variety of clients that cover multiple industries. This offers a holistic marketing approach that is well-rounded and allows agencies to consult on all aspects of marketing strategy, which can be helpful if you operate in a specific niche.
Most agencies are well established and have dialed in their project management skills, making them the lower-maintenance choice compared to freelancers, who may require more frequent communication if they have less organized management systems. Many marketing agencies also offer retainer options to provide ongoing support to their clients to keep their marketing on track throughout each campaign.
Cons
Employing a team of experts to develop your marketing often comes with a higher price tag than hiring an individual. While the constant support of a retainer relationship with an agency is a pro, the cost of keeping it can be overwhelming, especially for a smaller company or startup.
Some larger agencies with an abundance of clients operate under tighter margins and may be strict with client feedback, limiting the level of communication that may cause you to be less involved in your marketing than if you hired a freelancer. Depending on your investment and the size of your company, this could lead you to feel that your business is a lower priority.
Hiring a Freelancer
Pros
Because freelancers are self-employed, they have less overhead than an agency and can offer their services at a more affordable rate.
Another plus to hiring a freelancer is that they are specialized in their field, so if you know exactly what you need for a project, they can often execute it much faster than an agency that has to run projects through an account manager and multiple employees.
Cons
While a freelancer’s expertise is a pro, it can also be a con if their area of expertise is too narrow. You wouldn’t want a graphic designer to build out your website if they weren’t fluent in HTML and able to provide the support needed.
Finding a good freelancer can pose a challenge, even for the most discerning employer. Between the time you have to spend combing through applicants or portfolios and onboarding them to your payment and project management systems, hiring a freelancer can be an arduous task. The good news is, once you find a good fit, you can often build rapport and can use them on an ongoing basis.
When it comes to deciding between hiring a marketing team or a freelancer, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. While the decision is ultimately up to you, hopefully, this gave you a better idea of the direction that may be the best fit for your company. If you decide hiring a team is best, we obviously think PRIME is the right choice. Feel free to connect with us and see why we will make an awesome team.
If you enjoyed this edition of PRIME Pulse, take a look at some of our other related articles:
- 5 Digital Marketing Goals to Set for the New Year
- The Ultimate Digital Marketing Dictionary
- 3 Questions to Ask When Courting a Marketing Agency
