Marketing Agencies vs Freelancers vs In-House... Which Is Best for Social Media Marketing?

When it comes to social media marketing, businesses have several options that include; hiring a marketing agency, working with a freelance marketer or building an in-house marketing team. Each option has its pros and cons, and the right choice depends on your business's specific needs in terms of budget limitations as well as business goals and objectives.

How can you implement social media into your business strategy?

Social media has a profound impact on your brand's identity and authority within the industry. Not only does social media provide your business with a voice and a platform, it also brings personality to your company and a direct form of communication between your business and your audience. Social media can help you to achieve certain business goals and objectives by being able to build connections with new and existing audiences.

Implementing social media into your business strategy often requires having an expert alongside you, whether that's with an in-house team or outsourcing via an agency or freelancer. Each option comes with it's own benefits and drawbacks but choosing between the 3 entirely depends on your specific business and what is right for you.

What are the pros and cons of a marketing agency/ in-house team/ freelancer?

Choosing to outsource your marketing or keep it in-house with a dedicated team purely for your company can be a difficult decision as there are multiple factors contributing to the success of your marketing efforts, with the team being the most important one.

Each member of your team whether outsourced or based within your company has a key role in representing your brand and social media marketing is no exception, having the right person in your team is crucial and there are certainly pros and cons for each option depending on what you are looking for. Some of the key things to consider are:

1) A comprehensive range of expertise

Bringing in a new member of your team also brings a wealth of experience and expertise in certain areas that you may currently be struggling in. By partnering with a marketing agency you are likely to have a team of expertise within that industry, whether that is a social media marketing agency with dedicated strategists, content creators and paid ads specialists or a larger agency with different departments including graphic design and web development.

Whilst outsourcing to a large team may be helpful, it can also be difficult to manage and if there is one area in particular that you need help with, you can gain access to expertise in specific areas with the help of a freelancer. Many freelancers choose to specialise in specific areas of marketing such as organic social media, paid advertisements or influencer marketing. If you are aiming for a high level of expertise within your marketing team, outsourcing is generally the best way to achieve this.  However, while there are many talented freelancers, the market is also flooded with less experienced individuals and finding a freelancer with the right skills and a proven track record can be challenging.

Issues with expertise can arise with an in-house team as, unless you are willing to hire an entire team of specialist staff members, one or two in-house staff members may struggle to keep on top of the latest industry updates, whilst also managing several areas across your marketing strategy.

2) Scalability and flexibility for future opportunities

While it may seem daunting to consider future campaigns when you're focusing on the current ones, it's important to think long-term when you're considering your in-house or outsourced marketing team.

Freelancers and agencies have the capabilities to match your business's growing needs and can easily scale their marketing efforts to launch new products, expand into new markets or increase your online presence by quickly adjusting their resources and strategies. In contrast to this, scaling an in-house team can be time-consuming and costly and the team may struggle to keep up with increased demands during rapid business growth.

In this instance, a hybrid approach offers flexibility, allowing you to scale up or down depending on the needs of specific projects by temporarily bringing in an agency or freelancer as needed, thus avoiding the long-term costs of hiring full-time staff.

3) Budget considerations

As agencies are able to offer a wide breadth of services and have overhead costs to consider, they generally tend to charge more than freelancers, which can have a significant impact on smaller businesses and the opportunities they have access to, due to limited budgets. The overheads of an agency also include access to premium tools and software for platform management, analytics and automation which can give your campaigns an edge by leveraging the latest technology and data insights, which is something to consider utilising your budget on.

In-house teams can also come at an expense as they require salaries, benefits, training and tolls which can quickly add up for business on a smaller budget. For budget friendly options whilst still gaining a high level of expertise, freelancers tend to be the preferred option. Freelancers have lower overheads and can offer competitive rates, making them a great option for startups or small businesses, looking to maximise their budget.

By keeping only essential functions in-house and outsourcing specialised tasks, businesses can manage costs more effectively, benefiting from expert input without the expense of a full-service agency.

4) Industry Knowledge

One of the biggest considerations is how integral you want your services to be within your team. While investing in a dedicated industry expert, well-versed in certain skills, it's important to understand that they won't have the in-depth, personal knowledge of your company that can help to power your brand story and share it with the same passions.

Whilst this bridge can be gapped with the use of effective communication between your company and an outsourced marketer, having an in-house marketing team will be able to focus solely on your business and learn the intricate details of what you do as well as what you offer, that they can use as promotional material.

This also delves further into the personal relationship you want to build with your marketing team. Agencies often struggle to provide the same level of personalisation across services that could be offered by an in-house team or a freelancer. This is due to a lack of direct communication with the people who are doing the work for your account, as there are often Account Handlers involved in managing the communication between the team member and the client account. Whereas, you are more likely to speak to a freelancer directly, as well as an in-house member of staff and can tailor your strategies to be more in line with your business goals and input your own company processes whilst still managing the strategy using outsourced methods, with a freelancer.

Which one is better for Social Media Marketing?

The choice between an agency, freelancer or in-house team entirely depends on your business’s unique needs and resources. Below is a summary of the above points and how each of these can be applied to social media marketing specifically. Each of the following offer:

Marketing Agencies:

You need a comprehensive, multi-faceted social media strategy that combines with your overall, outsourced marketing strategy.

You have the budget to invest in a full-service solution.

You want the security of working with a team that has access to a range of tools that could provide greater insights into specific campaigns.

Freelance Social Media Managers:

You’re working with a limited budget but still want specialised expertise.

You need a flexible and agile approach that fits into your marketing strategy.

You prefer direct communication with the person handling your social media.

In-house teams:

You want full control over your social media strategy.

You need a team that deeply understands your brand and you are willing to train to the specific workings of your company.

You’re looking to integrate social media closely with other business functions.

Ultimately, the best choice will depend on your specific goals, the complexity of your social media needs and your available resources. For many businesses, a hybrid approach, using a combination of in-house staff for brand management and freelancers or agencies for specialised tasks, can offer the best of both worlds.

In the fast-evolving world of social media, flexibility and adaptability are key components of a team; therefore, choose the approach that allows you to respond to changes quickly, stay ahead of trends, and, most importantly, connect with your audience in meaningful ways.

The Pros and Cons of Hybrid Approaches

Combining the strengths of in-house teams with the flexibility of freelancers or agencies, a hybrid approach is becoming increasingly popular. This model allows businesses to capitalise on the benefits of each approach while mitigating their respective downsides.

It provides the flexibility of maintaining an in-house team for brand management whilst leveraging the specialised skills of agencies or freelancers for specific campaigns or projects.

However, managing a hybrid approach can be complex, requiring clear communication and coordination between in-house and external teams. Any error in communication can cause a misalignment in goals or expectations and can lead to inefficiencies or inconsistent messaging. Without carefully considered strategies, a hybrid model can sometimes result in duplicated efforts or confusion over responsibilities.

What Is The Future of Social Media Marketing Teams?

The landscape of social media marketing is continually evolving, as is the way businesses decide to structure their marketing teams. As digital platforms become more complex and integrated with other business functions, the future will likely see a shift towards more dynamic, flexible team structures.

Within the marketing industry, we are expecting to see the following:

• Increased Reliance on Hybrid Models

As businesses strive for agility, the hybrid model is expected to become more prevalent, allowing companies to adapt quickly to changing trends, market conditions and consumer behaviours by combining in-house knowledge with external expertise.

• Technological integration

With the rise of AI and automation tools, future social media marketing teams (whether in-house, freelance or agency-based) will need to integrate advanced technology into their workflows. This shift will require teams to continuously update their skills and embrace new tools to stay competitive.

• Specialisation and niche expertise

As social media platforms diversify and audience segmentation becomes more precise, there will be an increased demand for niche experts. Freelancers and specialised agencies may see more opportunities as businesses seek out tailored expertise for particular platforms or audience segments.

If you're looking to find out more about what route is right for you, get in touch by emailing emily@simplymademarketing.co.uk.