The Right Marketing For You: Agency, Freelance or Hire In-House?
Knowing the right marketing for you whether it’s agency and freelancer or in-house marketer. Depending on what stage you are in your business, you would need different types of marketing roles and functions.
The common mistake businesses make is that they hire experts without a roadmap and/or they outsource to agencies too late or too early in the process.
To set the tone, let’s presume that all of the following options are already equipped and knowledgeable of AI (artificial intelligence) tools.
If they fail to upskill and reskill then immediately knock them off our choices since that’s where the marketing field and workplace are going.
1. Agencies
This comes in different forms depending on your needs. There are advertising agencies, end-to-end marketing agencies, PR (public relations) firms and many more. The idea of hiring an agency is to outsource a certain function or project to a different organisation.
For example, if you want to run a campaign about mental health awareness through a podcast, it is reasonable to have an agency do this for you. This will make the process easier because they know their craft and you will save time to execute.
Although most of these engagements are transactional, you can opt to continue with their services but this usually has a higher price point.
2. Freelancer/s
The cheaper alternative to agencies is freelancers. For narrow tasks, you could easily find specialists who can get the job done.
There are user-friendly platforms for hiring freelancers but these companies are not liable for any losses that may occur between you and the freelancers. You can onboard as fast as 1 week without heaps of paper trail and contact them whenever you want.
However, this also comes as a risk for your business since freelancers are only regulated by themselves so be vigilant with their work ethic and contracts.
3. In–House Marketer
Directly hiring a marketer is the most cost-effective option when looking at long-term returns.
You have to know that before you get someone to be a part of your team, you’ve already done visioning as marketing when done right begin with strategy before communications.
Picking which social media platforms to use or what challenges to roll out for your audience are all parts of the comms. Marketing as a whole is rooted in where your organisation is going.
This is why Fortune 500 companies still outsource to ad agencies and production companies for their commercials even when they have a full-time marketing team.
So what’s the right marketing for you?
- If you’re just starting and need an expert opinion and execution, learn from a freelancer. Unless you have a deeper pocket then you can go straight to hiring an agency. Be reminded that you need a “growth” marketer or agency to do this.
- If you’ve been in business for years and looking for a revamp in your marketing strategy, you may need a full-time marketer in your team. Depending on the size of your organisation, you can get someone from a Social Media Manager (SMM) to a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
- If you’re taking your organisation from good to great, you’d need all 3. Given that you are willing to invest and take risks—because it will take a lot of testing—hire in-house for strategic roles and outsource campaigns to freelancers and agencies depending on how big the scopes are.
In summary, it is important to sit down with your stakeholders first and assess the current situation of your business then look at where you want to take your business. Only then you can find the right marketing roles to integrate into your goals.
Now you know the right marketing for you whether it’s agency and freelancer or in-house marketer. If you’re looking for help in jumpstarting your marketing initiatives, you can talk to our experts on this link or contact us here to know if you are ready to hire full-time or outsource in the meantime.