So, you’ve made the decision to outsource your marketing. Great! But, like so many others, you're probably wondering what is better for your business – a freelancer or an agency?
Running a business is hard and many business owners face the extra challenge of splitting time between line management, daily operations, finances, supporting customers, selling and – let’s not forget – finding time to promote the business!
If you don’t want to hire a permanent member of marketing staff, or you simply need an extra pair of hands for a particular project, then outsourcing the work is a great solution for your business.
Many businesses have made their marketing teams redundant over the last year so they may already have an idea of what they need for their business, they just need someone to execute the work.
We all have deadlines of ‘yesterday’ but sometimes you really, really need help urgently. Whether it’s drafting up a 500-word article, resizing images, help with a presentation or proofreading a client pitch, there will always be someone willing and able, but who is most likely to come to your rescue – a freelancer or agency?
Agencies that have a lot of clients will struggle to squeeze in what they regard to be sporadic, tit-bits of work because they have a pre-committed schedule. Freelancers, on the other hand, have the ability to work flexibly and responsively to your requests (but please do not try to phone at 4am).
OUTSOURCING MARKETING ON A SMALL BUDGET
On the whole ‘you get what you pay for’. However, this does not mean that if you spend less on outsourcing your marketing you won’t see a return on investment.
Agencies tend to be a collection of mixed ability and varying talent that work collaboratively to produce good quality work that will definitely add value to your business. This will mean that you are paying premium prices for other services such as account management, project management, reporting and you may even find a little retention fee on your invoice too. If you go with an agency you will undoubtedly end up paying more.
Freelancers, on the other hand, charge by the project (this will normally involve negotiating a fixed rate for the entire project), by the hour, or charge a day rate. Whilst freelancer rates will vary wildly depending on skill level, experience and specialism, freelancers are usually, with their significantly lower overheads, the cheaper option.
In my experience, small businesses operate in a reactionary environment and therefore need suppliers that can offer a personal, cost-effective and flexible service.
If you’ve already made the decision to use a freelancer for your marketing then get in touch with me today so we can discuss your business goals and see where I can best offer value to your company.