Benefits of working with an agency and why you might consider it:
You need the support of more people
You are running multiple channels
You are spending a lot per month – in the range of $50,000 to $75,000 a month on Facebook or Instagram. This is not a hard and fast rule but a freelancer may be better if your monthly spend is less because the average fees of an agency is $2500 to $3000/month if they are any good.
The complexities of ad buying is not something you have time to think about in the growth of your business
Good questions to ask agencies
How many accounts do each of your account managers run?
How is your agency structured?
Some agencies grow aggressively and they try to add on too many accounts onto one account manager and the quality inevitably decreases
If the account manager is managing spends of $50,000 or higher, they shouldn’t be managing more than 4 or 5 accounts.
How do you communicate? How often?
Can I talk to some current clients? If the agency won’t let you talk to a current or former client, it should be a huge red flag. The agency should be able to address this question without breaching any non-disclosure agreements with their clients.
Freelancers/Consultant
If you’re a brand that’s spending money on Facebook or Instagram and you want someone that’s more nimble or if you want to test the waters of working with somebody else, a freelancer is a great option
Potentially less costly than an agency
Freelancer can feel like an extension of your team but you don’t need a full time person to do that role at this time
Questions to ask Freelancers
What level in the pecking order is my company relative to your other clients? In other words, how much attention am I going to get?
During the hiring process, focus on the quality of the freelancer’s work. Give them tasks that involve actually doing the project you’re hiring them to do (paid test task)
You don’t need someone to interview well, you need them to do the job well
Don’t pay a freelancer/consultant to run ads that will compete against yours, as this will only cannibalize your own results.
Ask the freelancer about their long term goals to ensure that they are aligned with yours.
In-house
Bringing people into the organization to run media buy
Good option if you plan to have that person being the point person long term
If you have a long term horizon, it may be best to train someone in-house because the return on that is going to be high.
Lots of brands try to find a senior media buyer for that role, but this is difficult because lots of demand and not enough qualified people who can fill that role
A better option may be to hire someone with some social media experience and train them and let them grow into the role over time
Bringing someone in with lots of experience doesn’t’ always work because different organizations have different systems and what worked in their former organization may not work in yours
You need someone to come in and replicate 80% of the results you’re getting – from there, if you have the right person, they can try things on top of what you’re already doing and grow and learn
So, what to choose?
based on spend
based on what the long term goals of your company are
Based on the needs of your business
Traps
Recognize that it is hard to find one person or agency to do everything
Check your own desire to want to abdicate responsibility for success on a marketing channel to somebody else
Summary
If you are not in a position to bring someone in-house, you may choose to work with a freelance consultant for a period of time and then bring someone in-house and eventually, as your needs grow, that in-house person can then direct an external agency and hold them accountable
Finally, the choice between in-house, agency or freelancer will depend on what the core function of your company is. Is your business a product based business or essentially a marketing company? If you’re a marketing company, an in-house agency may be necessary.
Unofficial Show Notes 