Freelance vs. Digital Agency, ¿Which to hire?

Digital strategies have become in recent years, the mainstay of many companies and enterprises; its influence is such that it has opened the doors to endless possibilities to attract more and more potential customers for all types of businesses; however, when you are at the beginning of the process can always arise a central question: What kind of professionals to hire for the project, a Digital Agency or a Freelance service? If this is your case, don’t worry, in our article we will help you to solve this doubt.

The basis of any digital and online marketing project depends largely on the professionals who will execute the necessary activities to take a business to the next level. There are those who bet more on Digital Agencies, while others prefer the versatility of Freelance services, a group of professionals that, by the way, is increasingly booming. However, the choice of one or the other depends on some factors that we will explain below.

First step: What do I need for my project?

Before choosing your digital service provider, you should first ask yourself some questions. Being clear on the basics will help you make the best decision, so think about the following:

• ¿What budget do I have?

The budget you designate for your project will define the scope of what you can or cannot hire. Undoubtedly, the market is quite competitive, but when it comes to prices, Freelance service collectives are ahead, since they offer affordable prices especially for entrepreneurs and SMEs, compared to Digital Agencies whose costs are managed according to a specific fee, generally non-negotiable.

• ¿What kind of activities will be executed in the project?

Digital strategies are available to all projects and businesses; however, not all of them need the totality of such strategies, that is, each project is different, starts from a different point and has particular characteristics, although they share the same purpose: to grow, expand in the market and finally, to sell.

In a few words, your project may initially need advice and execution in branding issues and a full digital SetUp, or you may have advanced a long way and only need a positioning strategy, reach or diffusion. Depending on your needs, you should consider whether you require a group of professionals, as in the case of freelance collectives, or an entire Digital Agency.

• ¿How urgent is the execution of my project in terms of time?

Every project has some execution times and must follow a process, but, if you need speed and quality, Freelance services take the crown again, because these professionals usually spend much more time in the execution of activities in favor of the results and requirements of the client; however, if time is not a problem and your project can move forward gradually, Digital Agencies are usually an option, since their employees must alternate to several projects, meet fixed working hours and execute activities under production schedules.

Once the previous questions are clear, let’s go to the second step;

Second step: Analyze its characteristics.

Freelance services or collectives:

These professionals separately offer the execution of specific activities, i.e., you can find a freelance designer that only supplies your need for the creation of graphic pieces for social networks, websites and others, but together they compose collectives that unify expertise to develop a project autonomously, where they are responsible for managing their time, work, quality and results. Among its characteristics we find:

• The costs of services are usually more competitive in the market and more affordable, so they are ideal for entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises.
• Generally you pay for results, not for hours of work.
• You can find from an independent professional to supply one of your needs, as well as collectives that are composed of various professionals who are assigned according to your requirements and the specifications of your project.
• You get quality results and excellence.

Digital Agencies:

Agencies are companies specialized and dedicated to offer digital marketing services in a wide range of areas of expertise; likewise, they have the necessary tools and human capital required to execute various projects alternatively. The Agencies are characterized by:

• They have a multidisciplinary team for the total execution of a project.
• They have the necessary platforms, tools and systems to adapt them to the needs of large projects.
• Their costs are usually high.
• The costs are established according to a fee.
• The execution of the project is coupled to a predefined schedule.

Taking into account the above points you can choose the best option, remember, both parties have trained professionals and experts, the quality will always be optimal, but the main difference is in the execution times, costs and platforms. Therefore, analyze your project, define what you need and choose the option that best suits your goals.