Digital Marketing Freelancer vs Agency: Which is the Right Choice?

As a business owner, you already have a lot on your plate – sales, operations, working capital issues, etc. You are passionate about growing your business. You also know that marketing is a key catalyst for your sales. However, marketing has gone digital as your customers have gone online. This means that you need to focus on digital marketing to promote your products/services and your brand. In this article we will explore which is the better option for businesses – an agency or a digital marketing freelancer.

Digital marketing has its own challenges. Earlier marketing was simpler. You had limited channels for reaching your target audience – newspapers, television, radio and outdoor. But now you have dozens of options. And these are constantly changing and growing. In such a scenario, what should you do?

Digital Marketing Services: Options for Businesses

Businesses have the following options for their digital marketing services:

• Handle in-house
• Hire a digital marketing agency, or
• Work with a digital marketing freelancer

Handling digital marketing in-house is not a viable option for small businesses and start-ups. This can also be a challenge for traditional businesses that have just started on their digital marketing journey. You will not be able to execute your digital marketing strategy by hiring a couple of experts. You will need an army of professionals with expertise in multiple areas. These include Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing, etc.

Before we dive into a discussion of the pros and cons of digital marketing freelancer vs agency, let us understand these terms:

Digital Marketing Agency:

A digital agency is a firm you hire to outsource your digital marketing services. They can provide your business with a variety of digital solutions to promote your products or services online. Many advertising agencies have evolved into digital agencies to meet the changing needs of marketing in the digital age.

Digital Marketing Freelancer:

A freelancer works independently and not as an employee of a company. Freelance work is per job or task basis. A digital marketing freelancer is someone who provides digital marketing services to businesses on contract. They usually work from home.

In the rest of this article, we will cover the following topics.

• Pros & cons of engaging a digital marketing freelancer vs agency
• The right choice for businesses
• How can Your Marketing List help?

Engaging a Digital Marketing Agency:

A digital marketing agency can take complete responsibility for developing and implementing your digital marketing strategy based on your overall business goals. The advantages and disadvantages of engaging a digital marketing agency are listed below.

Advantages:

• Agencies can understand your business requirements, mission and values and come up with a long term digital marketing strategy for your overall brand image.
• A digital agency will usually offer a wide range of digital marketing services tailored to your unique needs.
• They have a team of digital marketing experts with experience of working on a large number of client projects.
• Agencies follow standards and processes and can provide quality assurance for their services.
• They usually have a structured communication and reporting process in place. You are likely to receive comprehensive reports on the project progress.

Disadvantages:

• A digital agency can be very expensive. They usually have high fees to cover the cost of full-time employees, high overheads and infrastructure costs. Many agencies have a minimum budget to even consider accepting you as a client.
• You might not be able to choose who you work with, unless you are a priority client. You might be assigned a junior person with very little experience. The top marketers of the agency are usually assigned to their larger clients.
• The members assigned to your account by the agency might not have the same accountability and commitment to your work as an individual freelancer.
• A digital agency might not be very flexible and agile. They usually assign their marketers to multiple projects with tight schedules. If there is any change in your scope of work or timelines, the agency can find it difficult to adjust since this might impact their other clients.

Engaging a Digital Marketing Freelancer:

Working with a digital marketing freelancer can be a great option for your business, if you can hire the right candidate. The advantages and disadvantages of engaging a digital marketing freelancer are listed below.

Advantages:

• Freelance digital marketing services are less expensive than a digital agency. You can identify a freelancer based on your specific requirements and budget. 
• A digital marketing freelancer will be more flexible and agile than an agency. This is very useful when the requirements are adhoc or there is a change in scope of work. Most freelancers usually work with a single client at a time. It is like having your dedicated in-house marketing specialist. You can usually communicate with a freelancer informally using WhatsApp. This will help you to be in regular contact during the project or campaign.
• Most digital marketing freelancers are keen to build their personal reputation. They are looking for referrals. As a result, they usually provide very good services with great dedication and commitment.
• A digital marketing freelancer can be highly skilled and experienced in specific areas. You can choose the experience and skills you wish to work with.

Disadvantages:

• Identifying and hiring the right digital marketing freelancer can be challenging. How do you reach them? You will need to first identify and shortlist a couple of potential freelancers. You will next have to explain your requirements to all of them, one by one. Even if you are able to select one, you still don’t have any assurance regarding the quality of the freelancer.
• Individual freelancers might not have the capabilities to understand your business objectives and come up with the right marketing approach.
• Digital marketing freelancers are specialized in their areas. An SEO expert might not be able to handle your content creation requirement. This means that you will have to engage more than one freelancer. Managing multiple freelancers working remotely can be a challenge.
• Digital marketing freelancers can sometimes be unreliable. What can you do if they disappear without a trace?

Which is the Right Choice for Businesses? Freelancer or Agency

We recommend a digital marketing agency for organizations with large marketing budgets. Such organizations usually have a long term digital marketing strategy. Implementing this strategy will require a wide range of digital marketing services by several marketers.

We recommend digital marketing freelancers for small and medium businesses and start-ups. Freelancers can also be the right option for traditional businesses that are beginning to use digital marketing. These organizations usually have very specific requirements like website development or email marketing. 

If you are interested in other digital marketing topics, please refer to our blog posts.

We have also created a glossary of digital marketing terms with simple definitions for you to quickly check the meaning of any unfamiliar term. You can check it out here.

How can Your Marketing List help?

Your Marketing List has been started specifically to address the following challenges of businesses:

• What digital marketing services do I need?
• How can I find the right resources for this?
• How do I ensure that I get quality work in time and within my budget?

Your Marketing List combines the advantages of both agency as well as a digital marketing freelancer. We do this through our following approach:

• We talk to you, understand your requirements, and match you to the right digital marketing freelancer from our large pool of top talent. You will enjoy the benefits of working with a freelancer without going through the pain of having to select one on your own.
• Along with digital marketing services like SEO, Content Writing, etc., we also provide Digital Strategy Advisory. We have over 80 years of marketing and business experience to support you with your digital strategy.
• If you require multiple freelancers to be managed as a single team, we will handle this. We will appoint an experienced freelance account manager for you. Don’t worry. You need not engage with the individual freelancers. Our account manager will be your single point of contact.
• You don’t need to worry about the quality of the freelancer. If you are not satisfied, we will find you a freelancer who is a better fit for your requirements.

If you are interested to learn more about how we can help you, do connect with us.

Other References

If you wish to dive deeper into this topic please refer to the following articles.

• 4 Reasons Why Hiring a Freelancer is Better Than a Digital Marketing Agency
• Digital Agency vs. Freelancer: How to Make the Right Choice