Before you can pick an agency, a freelancer, or hire someone in-house, there's a more basic question worth answering honestly: which of the three actually fits your business right now? Each option has real trade-offs, and the right answer changes depending on your budget, how complex your marketing needs to be, and how much time you personally have to manage it.
Quick proof before we get into it: we've turned $3,609 into $40,408 in tracked ad revenue for one client—a 23x ROAS in their first 7 days, sustained at 11.5x over the following weeks. Keep that in mind as a benchmark while you weigh the options below against what each realistically costs.
Bringing on a full-time or part-time marketing hire who works exclusively for your business.
Businesses with an established, substantial ad budget (often $10,000+/month in spend) where dedicated, full-time attention justifies the cost, and where marketing has become central enough to the business to need someone embedded full-time.
An independent contractor managing your accounts alongside their other clients.
Very small budgets, a single-platform need (just Google Ads, or just Meta Ads), or businesses that want to test the waters with paid advertising before committing to a bigger spend.
A team handling strategy, execution, and reporting across one or more channels.
If you've already got an agency and results aren't there, it's worth diagnosing why before assuming the whole model is wrong for you—see why aren't my ads getting sales and signs it's time to fire your marketing agency for the deeper breakdown.
Businesses that need multi-channel expertise, don't have the internal bandwidth to manage campaigns themselves, and have a budget that supports genuine full-service management rather than a bare-minimum package.
Is it cheaper to hire in-house or use an agency?
For most small and mid-sized budgets, an agency is cheaper than a full-time in-house hire once salary, benefits, and overhead are factored in—in-house only becomes more cost-effective at higher, more established ad spend levels.
Can I start with a freelancer and switch to an agency later?
Yes, and it's a common path. Many businesses start with a freelancer to test paid advertising at a lower cost, then move to an agency once budget and complexity grow past what one person can effectively manage.
What's the biggest risk of hiring a freelancer?
Limited bandwidth and no backup—if they get overloaded with other clients or become unavailable, there's no team behind them to keep your campaigns running smoothly.
What's the biggest risk of hiring an agency?
Inconsistent attention—agency quality varies widely, and smaller accounts sometimes get less priority than larger ones. Asking directly about account management structure and who specifically will be working on your account helps surface this before signing.
Do I need all three eventually?
Not necessarily. Many businesses stay successfully with an agency indefinitely; others start with a freelancer and never need to change. The right setup depends on your specific budget and complexity, not a fixed timeline everyone follows.
There's no universally “best” option—only the one that fits your budget, complexity, and bandwidth right now. If you want a straightforward, no-pressure read on which setup makes the most sense for where your business is today, we're happy to walk through it.
👉 Contact us here for a free breakdown of what would actually make sense for your budget, or learn more about how we work on our homepage.
