When a business outgrows doing its own marketing, the choice usually comes down to a freelancer or an agency. Both can work well, and both can go badly. The right choice depends on what you need done, how much time you have to manage it, and how much risk you can live with.
We’re an agency, so we have a view, but this comparison tries to be fair about where freelancers are the better option.
Quick comparison
| Freelancer | Agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Often lower, especially for a single skill | Usually higher per month, but covers several skills |
| Skills | Deep in one or two areas | A team across ads, SEO, content, web and tracking |
| Your management time | Higher: you brief, coordinate and check the work | Lower: an account lead coordinates the specialists |
| Continuity | Depends on one person’s availability | Work continues if someone is sick or leaves |
| Communication | Direct with the person doing the work | Can feel distant at larger agencies |
| Accountability | Clear for their own piece of work | Clear across channels, if one person owns the account |
When a freelancer makes sense
- You need one specific skill, like a website build, a logo or a set of ad creatives.
- The work is a project with a clear end, not an ongoing program.
- You or someone on your team has time to brief, manage and review the work.
- You already know what needs doing and just need skilled hands.
A good freelancer with a clear brief can be excellent value for work like this.
When an agency makes sense
- Your marketing covers several channels that need to work together, such as ads, SEO, social media and tracking.
- You don’t have time to coordinate several freelancers.
- You need the work to go out reliably every week, not in bursts.
- You want someone accountable for overall results, not just their own task.
The hidden cost of several freelancers
Many businesses end up with one freelancer for ads, another for the website and someone else for social media. Each can be capable, but nobody owns the whole picture. The ads person blames the landing page, the web person blames the traffic, and tracking falls into the gaps between them. You become the project manager, and that is often the most expensive part.
Where some agencies fall short
Agencies have their own problems. At larger agencies, the senior person who sold you the contract may hand the account to junior staff you never speak to. Reports can focus on activity rather than results, and long contracts can make it hard to leave when things aren’t working.
A middle option: a dedicated team
Some agencies, including ours, work differently: one dedicated contact who knows your business and runs your marketing week to week, with specialists behind them for ads, SEO, content, web and video. You get the direct relationship of a freelancer with the range and reliability of a team. For lighter recurring tasks, a marketing virtual assistant backed by specialists is another option.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Who exactly will do the work, and who will I talk to each week?
- How will you measure results, and how do you set up tracking?
- What happens if the person on my account is unavailable?
- Can I see examples of similar work?
- Who owns the ad accounts, website and data if we stop working together?
- What is the notice period?
The answers will tell you more than any sales pitch.
How to decide
If you need a defined piece of work and have time to manage it, start with a freelancer. If you need ongoing marketing across several channels and don’t want to manage it yourself, an agency, ideally one with a single accountable contact, is usually the better fit. For the budget side of the decision, see how much a marketing team costs.
Weighing up your options? Book a discovery call and we’ll tell you plainly whether a dedicated team, a freelancer or an in-house hire is the better fit for you.
