Marketing agency, freelancer or in-house: which suits your business?
Marketing agency vs freelancer vs in-house comes down to three things: how much work there is, how many skills it needs and how much managing you can do. Choose a freelancer for one clear skill, an agency for several at once, and an employee when there’s steady full-time work.
Cost matters, but it’s the second question. The cheapest option on paper is the one that stalls when nobody has time to run it.
Marketing agency vs freelancer vs in-house at a glance
| Compare | Agency | Freelancer | In-house |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suits | Several channels running at once | One defined skill or project | Steady full-time work, mostly of one kind |
| You pay | A monthly or project fee | By the hour, day or project | Salary plus on-costs |
| You provide | Briefing and approvals | Briefing, review and coordination | Direction, training and management |
| Main risk | You’re a small account, or the seller isn’t the doer | One person is a single point of failure | Hiring one person and expecting six skills |
When in-house suits
An employee learns your business in a way outsiders rarely match. They hear customer questions first-hand and can film in the shop on a slow Tuesday. If there’s a full week of work, mostly of one kind, a hire is often the right call.
Price it properly, though. Beyond salary, the government’s hiring guide lists super at 12 per cent on top of wages, leave entitlements and workers compensation insurance, plus tax and record-keeping duties. Add software, training and your own time managing them.
The trap is the job ad. One marketing coordinator can’t be a strategist, designer, videographer, ads specialist and analyst. A junior hire left alone tends to fill the calendar with activity. If you go this way, plan for support. Our training and strategy work exists for that: it teaches existing staff to run things well.
When a freelancer suits
A good freelancer is excellent for a defined job: a set of ads, a copy project, a batch of reels. You often deal directly with the person doing the work, with no account manager in between. Three things need sorting early.
- Capacity. One person means one point of failure. Illness or a bigger client can stop your work.
- Classification. An ABN doesn’t settle it. The ATO looks at factors like who controls how the work is done, and you may owe super for a contractor paid mainly for their labour, even when they quote an ABN.
- Ownership. For most commissioned work, the author keeps copyright unless you agree otherwise. Put ownership of the files, footage and designs in writing before work starts.
When an agency suits
An agency makes sense when several things need to line up and none is a full-time job on its own. Your ads, search, social and video can share one plan, and you get a spread of skills without hiring each one. Someone should still be there when a person goes on leave, though it’s worth asking how that works.
There’s a price for that. The fee covers overheads and margin as well as hours. You’re one client among several. The person in the sales meeting may not be the person doing your work, and some agencies subcontract. An agency also knows only what you tell it, so expect to give it regular time. Our checklist for comparing agencies covers what to verify before you sign.
A fourth option: mix them
Often the answer sits between the three. Keep a coordinator in-house who knows the business, and bring in outside specialists for ads, SEO or production. The knowledge stays inside, and you rent the skills you only need part of the time.
It works well if one person owns the plan. Without that, you get three suppliers and no direction. A written plan helps here, and a 12-month marketing plan gives everyone the same map. If your outside help is on the east coast or overseas, check the working hours overlap too. Perth runs two or three hours behind Sydney, depending on the time of year.
A quick way to decide
If outside help looks right, our services page sets out what we do, so you can see which parts fit.
- Add up the hours. List the marketing work for the next six months. A full week of one kind points to a hire. Scattered hours across several skills point to outside help.
- Count the skills. One skill suits a freelancer. Three or more suits an agency, or a mix.
- Be honest about your time. None of these works with no input from you. If you have very little to give, pay for more senior help, whichever route you take.
- Imagine they leave tomorrow. Every account, login and file should stay with you. If it wouldn’t, fix that first.
Frequently asked questions
Is a freelancer cheaper than a marketing agency?
Often, for a single skill. An agency can work out better value when you need several skills together, since you’d otherwise be hiring and coordinating each one yourself. Compare quotes on the full job, including your own time.
When should a small business hire a marketing person?
When there’s steady work to fill most of a week and someone able to direct it. Before that point, part-time or outside help usually fits better.
Do I have to pay super for a marketing contractor?
You might. The ATO says that if you pay an independent contractor mainly for their labour, they can count as an employee for super purposes, even with an ABN. Check before you start.
Can I use an agency and an in-house marketer together?
Yes, and it often works well. Keep one person responsible for the plan, and be clear about who does what, so work doesn’t fall between you.