3 Differences Between A Social Media Freelancer and A Digital Marketing Agency

Currently, social media has become an essential tool in business marketing. The correct management of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn can scale your brand awareness efforts at lightning speed.

However, many small businesses and big corporations don’t know how to use these tools effectively, creating the need to hire experts. Some digital experts create agencies and employ a team of people to create, publish and manage content across different platforms. Other experts prefer to work independently.

How can you determine whether your company should choose between agency vs freelancer?

Digital Marketing Agency

Social Media started as a way to connect people from around the world with their friends and family. Communication is now global, creating tremendous opportunities for business owners and marketing teams to reach their target using tools such as Facebook Ads, Google AdWords and running YouTube pre-roll Ads.

While the barriers to entry, in terms of access to these platforms, are extremely low, the skills and labor required to make the entire process work are not so easy to come by. 

Digital agencies start with a strong assessment of their client, their clients’ overall marketing goals and then they come up with an integrated strategy in support of the goals. The agencies tap the best talent to form a team that will manage the day-to-day, communicate reporting and offer suggestions on how to improve. 

Social Media Freelancer

A freelancer is an individual expert with a set of skills that offers their services independently. Oftentimes, freelancers are highly skilled in one or two areas of a particular industry and possess general knowledge about different platforms and strategies like writing content or managing the social media ads features.

3 differences between freelancer and agency:

• Advice and support. A freelancer can explain the benefits of digital marketing at a high level. They can also provide information about how to use a specific strategy, within their expertise. On the other hand, an agency can provide customized plans, based on an integrated approach in direct relation to the specific vision you may have on how to promote your business.

• Compromise and results. An agency is committed to the job, submitting complex deliverables on an agreed-upon timeline. They manage a team of employees so they can get more done in a shorter period of time. Freelancers also provide results on schedule but are more flexible on the delivery times. They work alone and therefore, have human limitations.

• Prices. An agency is by far pricier than a freelancer but an agency can perform more tasks in a shorter period of time. Also, an agency offers many experts and provides different services. Whereas freelancers can work in their homes, and charge only for the service they provide.

As you can see there are pros and cons for both the agency model and the freelancer model. The most important takeaway is that before you choose either, it is always a best practice to discuss internally what your goals are and how you will measure them. 

In general, freelancers are a good option for new businesses, while an agency is usually better for more seasoned organizations that are interested in strong growth.