By Vicky Sidler | Published 6 December 2025 at 12:00 GMT+2

If you’ve ever tried to hand off your digital marketing, you’ve probably ended up somewhere between “it’s fine, I’ll do it myself” and “why is my intern trying to learn SEO on YouTube?”

You’re not alone.

According to several years of watching small businesses flail their way through this, the problem is rarely laziness or lack of ambition. It’s overload. You’re supposed to run a business and also stay on top of Google updates, video editing, lead magnets, AI, and whatever Meta broke this week.

So when it comes time to get help, the big question is: do you hire an employee, find a freelancer, or go with an agency?

Let’s break it down.

TL;DR:

• Employees are reliable but expensive and often under-skilled

• Freelancers are flexible but inconsistent and hard to manage

• Agencies offer integration and scale, but they lock you into contracts

• Choose based on volume, complexity, and your ability to manage the moving parts

👉 Need help getting your message right? Download the 5-Minute Marketing Fix

Table of Contents:

What Counts As “Digital Marketing” Anyway?

Digital marketing isn’t just posting on Instagram. It’s your website, your blog, your Google listing, your email sequence, your social media, your PPC ad, your SEO plan, your lead magnet, and sometimes your sanity.

Here’s the problem. Most small businesses split these into separate silos. But content, SEO, and social media only work when they talk to each other. If your blog writer isn’t talking to your ad manager, your leads leak out somewhere in between.

That’s why choosing the right support matters more than just hiring someone who’s “good at computers.”

Option 1. Hire an Employee:

You get loyalty, consistency, and someone you can yell to from across the office.

The catch? Most employees can only handle part of the work. Unless you’re ready to hire a full team—writer, designer, strategist, PPC tech, and maybe a psychic—you’ll end up asking one person to wear too many hats.

I’ve seen it. One poor soul hired as a “marketing assistant” ends up writing blog posts, editing videos, designing brochures, posting on six social channels, running paid ads, managing the CRM, and ordering cupcakes for the year-end party.

Eventually, they burn out or leave, and you’re back to square one.

Option 2. Find a Freelancer:

Cheaper than an employee, easier to scale up or down. Freelancers are perfect if you know exactly what you want and don’t need to micromanage.

But here’s the downside:

• The good ones are busy

• The new ones are risky

• And if you want SEO, social, and content? You’ll need three different people

Most small businesses end up cobbling together a team of freelancers that you, the business owner, have to manage. That’s fine if project management is your love language. If not, it gets messy.

Plus, good freelancers eventually get snapped up. And they don’t owe you loyalty. If they land a bigger client, you could be ghosted mid-project.

Option 3. Work With an Agency:

Agencies bring integration. They already have a team. They already know how to connect your content strategy to your SEO goals to your Facebook ads. They can scale with you and keep your message consistent across platforms.

You get:

• One point of contact

• One invoice

• A team of specialists

That’s the upside.

The downside? Most agencies come with long-term contracts. If it doesn’t work out, or if your budget takes a knock, you might be stuck. And many agencies operate like vending machines. You pay, they produce, but no one stops to ask if the strategy still makes sense.

That’s why we built Strategic Marketing Tribe to operate differently. No long-term contracts. No bloated retainers. Just messaging, websites, and marketing systems that do what they’re supposed to do—work in the background while you run the business.

So, What’s Right For You?

If you need long-term, day-to-day help with internal marketing systems, an employee might work.

If you need one-off deliverables and can manage multiple people, freelancers might work.

If you want scalable, integrated marketing that connects across channels, an agency might be your best bet.

The right answer depends on your time, budget, goals, and how allergic you are to admin.

But no matter who you choose, you’ll need a clear message that ties everything together. And that starts with one sentence.

So be sure to download the 5-Minute Marketing Fix. It’s the fastest way to write a one-liner your whole team (or agency, or freelancer) can use to keep your brand consistent.

👉 Download it free here

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2. The 10 Best Types of Content for Small Business Marketing

Not sure what kind of content you even need help with? This post breaks down what works best for small businesses so you can focus your hiring decisions on the formats that matter most.

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FAQs on Hiring for Digital Marketing

1. What is the biggest risk of hiring one in-house employee for marketing?

Most digital marketing roles require different skill sets—writing, strategy, design, SEO, ads, and more. Asking one person to do it all often leads to burnout, bottlenecks, or mediocre results. You’ll either need to invest in a full team or accept that some areas will get less attention.

2. Are freelancers reliable enough for long-term marketing support?

Sometimes. The best freelancers are flexible and affordable, but they aren’t tied to your business. If a bigger client comes along or they get too busy, you might lose them with little warning. It’s smart to use freelancers for one-off or clearly scoped projects, not as your entire marketing team.

3. Isn’t using an agency more expensive?

It can be—but it can also be more efficient. Instead of paying multiple freelancers or employees to cover different roles, an agency gives you a coordinated team. You get strategy and delivery under one roof, which often saves time, improves results, and reduces admin.

4. How do I know which option is best for my business?

It depends on what you need and how much control you want. If you prefer tight control and have the time to manage people, a team of freelancers or employees might work. If you want done-for-you marketing that runs without constant input, an agency may be a better fit.

5. Can one option handle everything—SEO, content, social, and ads?

Rarely. One person usually can’t cover everything at a high level. Freelancers tend to specialize. Employees might be generalists but lack depth in key areas. Agencies are typically the only option built to deliver all these services in an integrated way—especially for businesses that want to grow.

6. What’s the easiest way to keep all my marketing aligned?

Start with a clear message. No matter who’s helping you—freelancer, employee, or agency—everyone needs to be working from the same playbook.Download the 5-Minute Marketing Fix to create a one-liner that keeps your marketing consistent.