Choosing a setup
Each one is the right answer for some businesses. Here's how they compare on cost, speed, skills and who answers for the result, including the cases where hiring an agency like us is the wrong move.
The short version: agencies trade some control for range and speed, in-house hires trade range for focus, and freelancers are great at one thing when someone manages them.
Tap a column to focus it
| How you pay | A monthly retainer or project fee. Ad spend is paid separately, straight to the platforms. | Salary, benefits, payroll taxes, software, training and the time it takes to recruit. | By the hour or by the project. |
|---|---|---|---|
| What pushes cost up | More channels, more content and more locations. | Every new skill is usually another hire. | Rush jobs, changing scope and juggling several freelancers. |
| Speed to start | A few weeks to onboard and launch. | Often a quarter or more to hire and get someone up to speed. | Days, if the right person has room. |
| Skills you get | Strategy, media buying, video, design and CRM under one roof. | Whatever the person you hire is strongest at. | Usually one specialty, often done very well. |
| Who manages the work | The agency runs it day to day. You approve, give feedback and review the numbers. | You or your marketing lead. | You, including handing work between freelancers. |
| Who owns the result | One team answers for the whole path from ad to sale, if you set it up that way. | Full control. They work only for you. | They own their deliverable. Nobody owns the final number. |
| When someone leaves | The agency covers it. Make sure accounts and assets are in your name. | Their knowledge leaves with them unless it's written down. | You start the search again. |
| Biggest risk | A junior account manager and a plan copied from the last client. | One person stretched across six jobs. | Going quiet mid-project or not having room when you need them. |
Most businesses don't need to pick one forever. They need the right one for the next year or two.
Right when
Wrong when
Right when
Wrong when
Right when
Wrong when
We'd rather say this now than six months into a contract. If any of these sound like you, we're probably not the right fit yet.
A logo, one video or a site with nothing after it. A good freelancer or a studio will do it faster and for less.
Ads make a good offer grow. They can't fix one that isn't selling, and spending to find that out gets expensive.
The first weeks go into testing ads, pages and follow-up. If the budget only covers a few weeks, wait until it covers more.
We'll happily lower your cost per lead, but we judge the work on what a paying customer costs you. If those two goals clash, we'll pick customers.
We set up the texts, emails, reminders and pipeline. Your team still runs the sales calls.
If you have a strong marketer and just need a plan, hire us as consultants instead of handing everything over.
The setups that work best usually combine two of these, with one person inside who owns the number.
Your marketer does the work. A consultant brings the plan, the outside view and a monthly look at the numbers.
Our consulting →Your team owns strategy and day-to-day. Freelancers cover the overflow, like editing or design.
The agency runs the channels. Someone inside owns the relationship, the offer and the sales team.
Growth Partner Program →Three lines from our reviews that speak to this choice, copied as written.
“They have a wholistic and full-service approach rather than having too narrow of a scope to not see the big picture.”
“Figuring out how to run ads on your own is like trying to learn another language but optimizing and retargeting within budget is even more difficult.”
“JC is also not afraid to give clear and honest feedback.”
It depends on how many skills you need. One marketer costs a salary plus benefits, software and the months it takes to hire them. If you need ads, video, design and CRM work, that's several people in-house, or one agency. Compare the full cost of each setup next to what a new customer is worth to you. Our guide on what a marketing agency costs goes deeper.
Yes, and many are very good. It works best when someone on your side manages them and the rest of the path, the content, the landing page and the follow-up, is already handled.
When the work is steady enough to keep a person busy full time and someone can manage them. Moving parts of it in-house later is a normal step, and it's easier if the accounts and assets have been in your name all along.
Yes. Consulting is built for businesses with a marketer or team already in place: we set the plan and review the numbers, and they do the work.
Ask who runs your account day to day, how they report results in dollars and not just clicks, who owns the ad accounts and how long the contract runs. Our guide on choosing a PPC agency has a full list of questions.
You should, whichever setup you pick. Ask about it before you sign with anyone.
Book a growth audit. 45 minutes on your offer, ads, follow-up and numbers. If an agency isn't the right setup for you, we'll tell you on the call.