Marketing is the heartbeat of online businesses. In this digital world, how you market your products can make or break your success.
To ensure success, most businesses outsource their eCommerce marketing efforts to experts. Just because they may not know how to DIY, so they rely on professionals.
Now that’s where agencies and freelancers come in. And choosing between the two is not easy feat.
Both have their unique flavors and appeal, but the decision ultimately boils down to your business's appetite for success. Don’t worry, we’ll bring more clarity to this.
Understanding Your Advertising Needs
Assessing the scope and scale of your advertising campaign
Before you dive headfirst into the arms of an agency or serenade a freelancer with your business dreams, let's take a moment to size up the battlefield:
How extensive is your eCommerce advertising campaign going to be?
Are we talking about a discreet marketing operation or a full-blown digital campaign?
Consider the scale of your ambitions. This helps you figure out if you need the agility of a freelancer darting between pixels or the mighty arsenal of an agency with a full battalion of creatives, strategists, and analytics wizards.
Identifying specific goals and objectives
Now, let's zoom in and get personal with your goals and objectives. What's the endgame here? More sales, brand awareness, or perhaps both?
Specify your goals. If you're crystal clear about your objectives, you're not just shooting arrows in the dark; you're painting a target for your chosen marketing expert—be it a freelancer or an agency.
Remember, clarity is your compass. So, know what you want and how you want it.
Pros of Hiring an Advertising Agency
Expertise and specialization
This pretty much applies to both agencies and freelancers. However, in any case, it also depends on your ability to find the perfect fit.
If you search right, you’ll find agencies that know what they’re doing. Agencies that breathe marketing and think about it every minute of the day (that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point, right?).
Access to a diverse skill set
Agencies bring a diverse skill set to the table. They usually have everything under their sleeves to make a marketing campaign successful.
Need a pinch of copywriting flair? A dash of graphic design, perhaps? Agencies assemble teams with a variety of talents, ensuring your campaign isn't left hanging halfway through the process.
Scalability and flexibility
An agency is a team of professionals. This unity gives them the advantage of immense scalability and flexibility in their marketing efforts.
For instance, if you need to dial up the intensity of your marketing campaigns during the holiday season, an agency can do that for you effortlessly because they have a whole team to adapt to the required changes.
A freelancer, on the other hand, would struggle in this case.
Cons of Hiring an Advertising Agency
Higher costs
Much like hiring a team of skilled mercenaries, the expertise of an agency comes at a price—one that might be heartier than a pirate's chest of treasures.
Agencies, with their impressive fleets of specialists and vast experience, often demand a chunkier price. It's an investment, no doubt, but one that may give budget-conscious buccaneers a moment of pause.
If you’re operating on a tight budget, the agency's bill might feel like a cannonball to the hull.
Potential for communication challenges
With agencies, the chain of command can get a tad lengthy. Your message might pass through the hands of different crew members, and by the time it reaches where it should reach, it could be lost in translation.
But keep in mind that not all agencies work like this. We as a marketing agency has been in the field for over 4 years now. There are no secrets with us. If a client wants to communicate, they can communicate with whoever they want to communicate.
And just so you know, we’re open to working with new businesses. If you’d like an expert to take care of your marketing efforts, feel free to talk to us and we’d be more than happy to help.
Less personalized attention
Agencies, while powerful, might lack the personal touch of a freelancer who knows your brand like the back of their hand. Because for an agency, you’re not their only source of income. You’re more like a piece of the pie and the agency has other clients to tend to.
This often creates trouble in the relationship. However, like I said before, not all are same and it entirely depends on how you hire a marketing agency. Because there are smaller agencies in the market, like us, who choose to work with only a few businesses to keep their focus on point.
Pros of Hiring a Freelancer
Cost-effectiveness
Freelancers often come with a more modest price tag because they’re more like a one-man army. Like a shrewd trader in a bustling marketplace, freelancers offer their expertise without the weighty overhead costs.
Don’t let that fool you, though. They will charge you for the value they’re able to provide. Just that it won’t be as high as an agency.
Direct communication and collaboration
Unlike the intricate hierarchy of an agency, working with a freelancer means you have direct access to the person responsible for your marketing goals.
Freelancers eliminate the need for messages to pass through a fleet of intermediaries. It's a one-on-one conversation where your ideas don't get lost in the fog of corporate structure.
So, if you fancy the idea of a close-knit crew where every voice is heard loud and clear, a freelancer might seem like the right choice.
Personalized attention to your project
Unlike agencies, where your business might be just one among many, freelancers usually work for your brand and yours alone.
They don't just know your brand; they feel its pulse. Because they immerse themselves in the essence of your project, giving it the personalized touch it deserves.
Cons of Hiring a Freelancer
Limited expertise in certain areas
While freelancers bring a unique flavor to the marketing feast, their skill set can sometimes resemble a ship with a few missing planks.
I’ll give you a great example. Let’s say your freelancer is a Facebook marketing expert. More specifically, they’re solely a media buyer.
If they’re good at what they do, they’ll be effectively managing your marketing campaigns on Facebook. However, when it comes to creating graphics or writing a piece of copy, they’ll be helpless.
That means freelancers, with their independence and specialized talents, might not cover all the nooks and crannies of your marketing needs.
Potential for workload and time constraints
A major flip side of the coin is the potential for a time and workload crunch.
Time is precious in eCommerce, and freelancers, though nimble, might not always outrun the clock. Because let’s face it, they usually get things done alone and at times, the time they have at hand might just not be enough.
That’s when missed deadlines show up.
Conclusion
So that’s it. A quick comparison of hiring an agency vs a freelancer for eCommerce marketing.
Now that you know the pros and cons, we suggest you to weigh them against each other to make an informed decision.
In case you’re still looking for a reliable marketing partner, we’d be happy to take a look at your business and help you out with our proven marketing techniques.
You can book a FREE ad strategy call with us and we’ll take it from there.
Good luck!
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