In today’s world, there are high expectations for business owners or marketing managers to juggle everything on their plate while trying to get performance and revenue above last year's numbers. It seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day or staff to complete the hundreds of tasks to do.
So when it comes to your company’s digital marketing strategy you put it on the back burner, saying ‘I’ll put that social media post up later’ or ‘I’ll send that newsletter out tomorrow’ but unfortunately it never gets done as you run out of time.
This is when people will want to take shortcuts with their marketing efforts. They will want to find the cheapest and quickest way to make money. We understand the struggles you face trying to get up in today’s economy and the temptation of taking shortcuts. This is where using a digital marketing agency or freelancer can help as they take the work off of your plate. But how do you choose which one to hire for your marketing?
In this blog, we’ll review the benefits and cons of using a digital marketing agency instead of a freelancer. And why you might want to choose agencies to help you with your marketing strategy.
Expertise and experience
Digital marketing agencies have a team of experts with a wide range of skills and experience in all areas of the marketing field. These can include but aren’t limited to SEO, PPC, social media, graphic design and videographers. With all the areas of marketing in their wheelhouse, they can provide you with knowledge and strategies to improve your company’s marketing.
Whereas a Freelancer may have expertise in one or two areas of the digital marketing field. As a one-person team, it is more difficult for them to be as you could say ‘dripping their finger in all the pies of marketing’. It’s hard to be an expert in every single aspect of marketing when it’s just one person doing the work. They might not have the same level of depth and experience as an agency would.
Scalability
An agency can scale its services to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. It can depend on the size and positions of the digital marketing agency but they are able to collaborate with their clients to not only do the work that’s required but go above and beyond. As well as having other staff members to do the work if another person is sick or on vacation.
Freelancers face the issue of having limited capacity, being a one-person team it is on them to ensure they meet client's expectations and produce work on time. This can be difficult for them to manage when they are sick or go on vacation, as no one is there to cover for them. With being limited in the work they can do, they don’t have the time to scale their services as a business grows.
Access to the latest tools and technology
There are so many new tools and technologies coming out nowadays that it can be hard to keep up with but not for a digital marketing agency. By being updated in the latest stuff they can provide a better service to their clients. It gives them an advantage in helping their clients achieve their goals.
The freelancers may not have the same level of access to the latest tools and technology as an agency would. A lot of programs offer team packages which can work out to be cheaper than the individual packages. This puts the freelancer at a disadvantage as they might not have the costs to be able to have all the newest tools to help their clients.
Better communication and collaboration
Digital marketing agencies typically have a formal process for communicating and collaborating with their clients. This process is made to streamline the sales onboarding process to ensure the clients get a clear understanding of how to contact the agency. This can be done by the more traditional approach of emails, phone calls and face-to-face. But nowadays, it is more done online by using platforms like Slack to communicate, Zoom to have kick-off meetings and Click-Up to collaborate ideas.
Freelancers on the other hand can have more of a causal communication process, and not necessarily have formal documents on the step-by-step process of talking to clients. This can be a good approach as the client is talking directly to the person doing the work to get a clear understanding on the expectations and guidelines of the scope. However, this less formal process can lead to misunderstanding and delays by not having a documented layout of the project with timelines and instructions.
Accountability
Agencies are typically more accountable to their clients than freelancers. They use their time effectively and delegate tasks to the right fit person for the job. It means that they will hold staff liable for any mistakes they make or miss deadlines.
With freelancers, they can not take accountability for their mistakes. Some have been found to disappear or fail to meet deadlines which can have a negative impact on their clients. By them leaving businesses in the lurch, they have no idea what their hard-earned money is being spent on. Which can be incredibly frustrating.
Cost-effectiveness
Yes, digital marketing agencies may seem more expensive than freelancers but it doesn’t work out to be in the long run. Businesses might have to pay more money for their marketing but they are guaranteed quality work. The team will ensure they produce the best standard of work for the amount their clients pay as it will be more cost-effective in the long run.
The freelancer seems like the most cost-efficient choice but in the end, you are paying for work made by a team of one. With them not having a team of experts in multiple fields, the latest tools and time capacity you might be getting the best value for your dollar. You will be getting quicker, more efficient and effective results from a reliable agency.
Picking the right one for your business
It all really depends on what results you want to get from your marketing. As you’ve read digital marketing agencies and freelancers both have benefits and cons. With these in mind, you need to do your own research to find the right fit for your company. It’s best to look at the content they are doing to promote their business. Search on your preferred engine (Google or Bing), scroll through their social media and talk to other companies to collect data. By conducting your own evaluations of the different companies out there to can gain a better understanding of which one will be the best fit for your business.
No shortcuts in this marketing race
With today's cost of living crisis, we can understand that marketing may not be your top priority but it should be. Marketing can take your business off the track in terms of sales and profit. Whether you do your own marketing or seek out help from a digital marketing agency or freelancer, it’s important to keep in mind your goals on what you want the business to achieve.
If you do decide to go with a digital marketing agency, of course, Refuel Creative is here to help you with all your marketing needs. Don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss how we can improve your business’s digital marketing and get the results you want.
