Pros and Cons of the ‘Tri-dent’ of digital marketing – agency, an in house team, or a freelancer

The world is now like one big supermarket, where you have aisles and aisles of products and services available at your disposal. There are 100 different types of cereals, biscuits, and whatnots. Similarly, there are a hundred different types of means to fulfill all your needs. But this plethora of options can sometimes become too overwhelming. How do you choose the right from wrong? It may not matter while choosing a brand for your morning cereal but trust us when we tell you it matters when you have to choose between amateurs and experienced marketers for your business.

For all the great, budding entrepreneurs out there, we know how hard it is when you have a fantastic business idea and you want it to soar through the market to help you become the next Ambani of India. But the most important aspect of any successful business is the marketing section. You may have not one but 10 incredible ideas to grow your business and what you will provide through it.

If you are unable to reach out to the audience, to establish your brand, and make your presence known in the market, it may be difficult to step out of your small office. This is where digital marketing comes in.

Just like in any other sector, digital marketing has spread its root across the world and grown into an incredible network of marketers. You may again find a huge number of options for your digital marketing needs when you start searching for one in the market. This is where the holy tri-dent comes in.

A digital marketing agency, an in house team, or a freelancer? That is the magical question of the hour!

Here are a few tips to help you make the right decision in between digital marketing agency, an in house team, or a freelancer

As a business owner or manager, you may be juggling ten thousand things at the same time. You have a hoard of responsibilities on your shoulder and you may sometimes feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day, for you to be able to get through your pile of work. In such situations, it can become extremely troublesome to follow up with the marketing progress of your business. One of the most important pieces to building a successful business is making sure that you have an incredibly strong marketing approach. Who you choose to build your marketing strategy will make all the difference. Every business is unique, your goals, resources, company culture, and leadership team should influence which solution makes the most sense for your organization. Therefore, you must be very practical when it comes to choosing which promises the most returns.

We bring you a completely unbiased view of the three most popular marketing sources and what their pros and cons are in regards to various aspects of your business marketing. These tips will help you make the right decision in the future for any marketing needs.

Cost-Effective

This is the first thought that comes into any entrepreneur’s head when someone suggests digital marketing. Not another hole in my pocket! This will be your first thought when you think of investing in digital marketing. That is why we are here to give you a list of which of three sources can offer you the most cost-effective services and make sure your business climbs the ladder of success and not on a pile of notes!

Digital Marketing Agency

With a professional, marketing agency, the solution is very simple; you just pay for exactly what you need. Agencies charge you based on each project or service that you avail. There are no hidden costs and you are sure you will get what you asked for and of course the excellent quality of work since you will be dealing with the experts in the marketing industry.

In-House Marketing Team

The in-house marketing team can actually prove to be more costly as compared to hiring an agency or a freelancer. You will have to hire an entire team because one person cannot carry out all the functions which will add to your cost of the company. And then there is the dreaded search for excellent employees who have the appropriate knowledge to help your business grow. You may have to account for a number of hidden costs while planning to hire an in-house marketing team.

Freelancers

Freelancers have proven to be the most affordable source of digital marketing, as they work on a project basis and only have themselves to feed! But that does not mean that they are the most cost-effective option. Freelancers are usually people who specialize in one aspect of digital marketing, say content writing. But a content writer can help you with lead generation or SEO or vice versa. They also tend to juggle several projects at one time and may not pay the kind of individual attention to your project as expected.

Project Management

Business start-ups are usually hard-pressed on time when it comes to their marketing needs. They are so focused on business development that they unknowingly tend to neglect this important aspect. Whether you decide to outsource or build in-house, considering your bandwidth for involvement in project management should be a major factor.

Digital Marketing Agency

A marketing agency can prove to be a life-saver for you. They take the marketing responsibility of your shoulder but make sure they are in sync with your goals and business vision. They offer end-to-end project management, where you don’t need to be involved in every step of the way; you can just enjoy the show at the end. The agencies have a team of subject matter experts who know exactly what they are doing. This allows you more time to focus on the creative process of your business.

In-House Marketing Team

The major pros and cons of hiring an in-house team are that they will be completely dedicated to your business goals and dreams and will be in on the day to day activities which will help them modify their marketing strategies. However, you will also have to be involved in the entire creative process thus increasing your weight of responsibilities.

Freelancers

Freelancers are somewhere between the end to end management of an agency and the complete involvement of an in-house team. To start with, freelancers need your guidance and direction to begin a new project. They rarely work on developing your strategy, but rather put into action the plan you’ve developed. Whereas with an agency, the process can be as hands-off as you wish and they will also provide complete transparency in their work progress and marketing methods

In terms of your digital marketing needs, it is always advisable to have clear goals regarding your marketing strategies well in advance. This will help you to make the right decision while choosing a source. If you want to take your business to the next level, a marketing agency is your saviour. Their biggest boon is their knowledge and expertise of the field and their flexibility to customize the marketing strategies based on business prospects. In our next segment of the holy trinity of digital marketing, we bring you some detailed information about the skills and time-management aspects of each marketing source.

Read the second part of the blog here – Pros and Cons of the ‘Tri-dent’ of digital marketing – agency, an in house team, or a freelancer