Article

How to hire the right creative and marketing professionals.

When it comes to marketing and brand development, should you invest in freelancers, an agency, an in-house team, or a fractional partnership? This is our guide to hiring the right supportive team for your business.

Business leaders at laptops researching how to hire creative and marketing support

Business leader at a laptop researching how to hire creative and marketing support

There comes a time when your growing business suddenly becomes unruly— when you’ve built a smart and passionate team, developed services and products that are innovative and highly-marketable, and you’re ready to expand your reach.

But there is a gap between where your company is now and scaling it.

If you’ve experienced frustration and roadblocks when it comes to winning more of your ideal customers, it is likely not the quality, ingenuity, efficacy, or commercial potential in your services or products holding you back, but the brand and marketing strategies being used to sell them.

This is where hiring the right brand and marketing professionals can have a massive impact on improving stagnant growth.

These professionals come in many forms, from getting your admin assistant to create and schedule social posts, to hiring freelance graphic designers, writers, and specialists, to partnering with agencies that provide a host of professionals to manage your marketing efforts, or even bringing on full-time marketing staff who become part of your team.

But which path is right for your organization right now?

We have created a comprehensive pros and cons list of different routes you can take as you step into your next stage of growth. This analysis takes into account where your organization is right now: your team size, budget, current marketing assets and strategies, and the major objectives you aim to achieve.

Freelancers

You can find freelancers on websites like Fiverr and Upwork, through word of mouth, by browsing LinkedIn, and on portfolio sites like Behance. These are skilled professionals who work alone, but are often open to collaboration with others.

Cost-effective.
Most freelancers come at an affordable price. And because you’re investing in a single individual to plug the gap in a project, it means that your full-time employees can take on the remainder of the work and collaborate with the freelancer, saving costs.
Hire for a specific, pressing need.
Let’s say you’re running a booth at an upcoming event, and you need a poster designed ASAP. A freelance graphic designer is perfect for this project. They will ask for your brand assets and the copy, and design a poster with a fast turnaround.
Develop a relationship.
The longer you work with a freelancer, the more they understand your needs, your brand, and your culture. Many companies who hire a good freelancer never want to let them go! They can become the perfect “outsider” professional who can also mingle with your staff.
Tactical but not strategic.
Freelancers typically focus on execution, which means they rely on your direction. Their scope is narrow and they usually handle multiple clients. Because of this, you can end up managing a group of freelancers who do not collaborate with one another, resulting in deliverables that aren’t cohesive and don’t deliver on quality or precision. If your time is spent managing and requesting re-dos from your freelancers, it’s a sign that you have grown out of them.
The “wild west” of professionals.
Freelancers come in all shapes and sizes. For example, you might be hiring a trained graphic designer with ten years of experience, or you might be hiring a high-school student who does graphic design on the side. Finding, vetting, onboarding, and working with freelancers can be time-consuming and frustrating when you have to move on from one that isn’t working out.
Outsider support.
Freelancers have an entirely outside perspective. Once you provide the scope, the information, and the assets they require, they will simply execute on it. This can be a weakness when you have a broader strategic vision that you aren’t seeing reflected in their work. If this is happening, it is a sign that more internal, core branding work is required.

Agencies

Agencies offer a comprehensive team of professionals to work with you on strategy and execute on marketing efforts, including website development, blogs, ads, SEO, and design to ensure a consistent, ongoing marketing effort.

Comprehensive services.
Agencies have access to a vast array of talent and skill to execute on your projects. This is a big uplevel from managing several freelancers that do not communicate with one another; in agencies, creative professionals work as a team on your behalf.
Full execution on your objectives.
Agencies ensure that your marketing efforts are rolled out consistently and at a high-quality. Because they take on this role, there is no need for you to manage your own marketing team, freeing you up to do what you do best.
Develop a relationship.
Agencies are not a one-stop shop for a specific project, but an ongoing relationship. As they come to understand your business and brand, they can adapt their strategy and serve you better.
High cost.
Agencies usually work on a monthly payment schedule. When you pay an agency, you’re paying for all of the skilled professional labour within a particular package, as well as their overheads. This results in a flat fee that can be quite high for many growing businesses.
Outsider support.
Some agencies offer branding services and brand identity support, but most focus on getting more eyeballs on your company. This means that if you’re not confident in your brand identity, your vision, your ideal audience, and your objectives, then the agency’s efforts will have less impact than you’re hoping for. It’s important to have these core brand pieces nailed down before paying agencies for marketing.
Less flexibility in packages.
Agency packages are comprehensive, and may include more services and add-ons than you need right now.

In-house team

A compelling option is to hire your own in-house marketing team: full-time salaried employees to fill out a team that supports your business’ growing needs. You have full control of outputs, timelines, team availability, and resources on your own.

Comprehensive services.
You’re in total control of who you hire, which means you get your own customized team to fill your needs. Like an agency, your staff works together as a team, which adds cohesion that a group of independent freelancers do not.
Insider support.
Having an in-house team means investing in dedication and specific expertise, which is valuable for companies with a strong brand and a big vision. Your team works solely on creating and developing your company’s brand and marketing your business. While agencies have many clients they serve, your in-house team only serves your company.
Dedicated efforts to upholding consistency.
With a team focused on your brand and marketing, there is no more hodge-podge, half-baked, or chaotic deliverables. There is no need to coach outsider professionals in the tone and objectives of your business. Having an in-house team means investing in professionalism and brand consistency.
The highest cost.
Of all the options, hiring an in-house team is the most expensive. It requires paying anywhere from 3-10 or more staff members a full-time salary, something that growing businesses often can’t justify yet.
Internal gaze.
Yes, this is also a con! When your team is entirely inside the business, it means they sometimes miss the forest for the trees. Because your internal team isn’t working in the marketplace with other organizations, their scope can become limited to what they experience from within your company. While you may have a team of dedicated workers, you might lack flexibility, initiative, out-of-the-box thinking, and the ability to pivot.
Requires strategic clarity and ongoing management.
Hiring an in-house marketing team means onboarding, training, and managing more humans. If your company is ready for this, great! But if not, this step can feel like far too much effort for what you are receiving.

Fractional partners

Fractional partnerships are a compelling option for growing businesses who have outgrown freelancers and want to take their marketing to the next level, but aren’t ready for an agency to take the reins, or to hire and train an in-house team.

Flexible, comprehensive services to fill objectives.
We offer a single point of contact in the form of a creative lead that oversees a team of highly-trained professionals. Instead of offering one-size-fits-all packages, including work you don’t necessarily need right now, we customize your support based on what you do need, keeping things targeted and affordable.
Outsider-Insider support.
We are integrated with your team more than a group of freelancers, but we are also here to see your business from the outside and help you take it to the next level. We take the time to understand your innovative approach and become well-versed in your brand, in order to make strategic and tactical marketing decisions in collaboration with your leadership team.
Does not require management.
Our creative lead helps your leadership team identify brand and marketing priorities, plan out the coming weeks, months, and year, and then manage the timely, skillful execution of your marketing projects. We’ve got your back.
More expensive than freelancers.
Although fractional partnerships like ours are often more affordable than agencies or hiring an in-house team, we run a higher cost than your typical collection of independent freelancers.
The focus is on brand development & marketing.
We’re perfect for a company that wants to clarify, develop, grow, and launch their brand to a bigger audience. This means that if you already have an established, successful brand complete with strategy, messaging, design assets, and other important materials, and your goal is to get more eyeballs on your business, an agency might be a better way to go.
Not as useful if you already have an in-house marketing team.
If you already have a comprehensive in-house marketing team that has created a brand you’re confident in, then you may be in need of different support as you grow.