Content Creation Agency Vs Individual Freelancers- Which Is Best?
Content marketing makes up more than 86% of marketing strategies in 2018 – but it can be hard to find the in-house resources to deliver regular content that sells.
Outsourcing marketing tasks, such as blog writing and SEO or PPC analysis, will help your in-house team to remain focused on core daily tasks.
It makes sense to hire a professional who can deliver expert knowledge and help your content marketing strategy deliver the ROI it deserves.
There are advantages to hiring both freelancers and agencies, but one may be more suitable for your business than the other. Keep reading to find out whether you should opt for a solo freelancer or a content creation agency to help your business.
Deciding When to Outsource
Before you get started, it’s important to understand why you’re considering outsourced teams instead of hiring in-house staff.
It’s important to have core staff who work the 9-5 every day at your office. They keep your business running, and have their sole interests based on the success of your company. They don’t have other clients to attend to each day: their business is your business.
However, outsourcing means you can delve into a wealth of expert knowledge without paying overheads such as taxes, workstation running costs, and vacation pay.
You also only pay for the time a supplier is required. In-house staff are paid every day whether they achieve their targets or not. An agency or a freelancer, on the other hand, can be hired for a specific job or project.
There is no wasted time: an outsourced supplier focuses only on the job they have been hired to do.
The Differences Between a Freelancer and a Content Creation Agency
The main difference between a freelancer and an agency is the number of people involved.
An agency will often offer a turnkey package. Anything you can’t do with your in-house team, a content agency is likely to offer as part of the service.
A freelancer, on the other hand, is a single operator with in-depth knowledge of their area.
when you’re deciding which business model suits your needs best, you should also consider the following factors:
The Cost
Typically, a freelancer will cost you less than an agency. A freelance worker will invoice you for the work completed, whereas a content agency will usually work on a monthly retainer rate.
This means a freelance hire is cheaper, as you have the benefits of an additional member of staff without the employee overheads such as taxes. There is no free time paid for, either: you’re billed only for the time worked.
An agency is more expensive due to the higher operating costs of running a full team. However, consider the other factors such as experience, knowledge, and availability, before opting for a freelance hire just because they are the cheaper option.
The Experience Pool
An agency team will have several specialists such as a writer, a PPC expert, an account manager, and a PR representative. You’re paying to use the full knowledge of all of these members of staff, without the cost of hiring them in-house.
The wealth of experience in the agency team is enhanced by the portfolio of each team member beit-mirkahat.com. They will be able to use their personal real-life experience to enhance your marketing strategy. While a freelancer will also do this, their experience is limited to just their own working knowledge instead of a full team.
If you’re looking for in-depth experience for content that improves your conversion rates, then a freelance writer may be the best route for your business.
The PPC, the PR, and the content design that an agency can offer are all extras to delivering great writing that impacts your bottom line. View here to find out more about why content writers are the keystone in any agency or freelance model.
The Personal Contact
One of the big advantages of working with a freelancer is the guaranteed one-to-one contact.
An agency will often provide you with one point of contact, but you may receive communications from other people in the team at different stages of a project. This can become confusing, and also impact on your own productivity as you may need to repeat yourself between team members.
A freelance worker will be the only point of contact for your project. They will have an in-depth understanding of your brand, your mission, and your project.
The Availability
While a freelance worker will have a deep working knowledge of your business and the project, they will have commitments to other clients. This means that you may not be able to get hold of them when you need to.
An agency team, however, will always have somebody readily available to speak to when you need them. They may not have such an in-depth knowledge of your project as a freelancer would, but they will be able to respond more quickly than an individual.
In addition, an agency team can tackle multiple tasks in one go. For example, one SEO expert could be working on keyword analysis while another could be designing your new website. A freelance worker only has one pair of hands, so projects can take more time.
The Resources
Freelancers often work with limited resources. This is because they will invest in the software and other resources that are most relevant to their niche skill.
For example, it is unlikely that a blog writer would pay a hefty monthly subscription to advanced design software. Conversely, a graphic designer would have little need for SEO tools.
A freelance worker doesn’t need to invest in a wide pool of resources: businesses hire them for their specific niche and skills. A company that is in need of a wider range of support would benefit from hiring an agency, instead.
An agency invests in all of the resources a business may require. A customer will benefit from a broader pool of software, technology, and industry subscriptions, than with a freelancer.
The Portfolio
A freelancer will be able to show you examples of previous projects that they have worked on with other clients. This will give you a clear idea of their standard of work, as you know it will have been produced exclusively by them.
An agency, on the other hand, will have a much broader portfolio to offer you. A team may present you with some impressive names on their swipe file, but be sure to ask whether people assigned to your project have personally worked on any of the portfolio samples that have impressed you.
The benefit of an agency with a large portfolio is that you know you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. Even if people on your assigned team haven’t worked on the name-drop projects the agency use in their portfolio, they will be led by someone who did.
How to Choose a Content Agency
Choosing a freelancer is more personal than selecting an agency. It’s just as much about the chemistry and similar work ethic as it is about experience.
An agency, on the other hand, will be more about the efficiency of delivering a project: the relationship may be more businesslike, but it gets done.
If you’ve decided that an agency is the route for you, check out this list of essential things to look for when choosing the best content creation agency for your business.