Ad agencies tend to be large teams of both account managers and creatives. Account managers are assigned to specific clients, where they project manage internal creative employees with one specialty, such as designers, public relations experts, videographers, and third-party vendors.
Large ad agencies are more expensive because they hire staff with a huge range of specialties. Agencies also invest in employee benefits, software licenses, equipment purchases, and office space.
Hiring an agency can cost anywhere from $175 to $350+ per hour.
Consultants and freelancers have niche specialties. They are a more affordable choice because they do not have high overhead.
At Paper Raccoon, my rates start at only $85 per hour. My specialties are advertising, copywriting, web content, and photography.
Freelancers are project managers and creatives.
I’m responsible for all pieces of the puzzle with full oversight into your business needs; there’s one clear communication stream.
Freelancers like myself are nimble and address feedback quickly; I manage only one schedule (my own!) and provide expertise without extensive, multi-partner feedback cycles.
Both agencies and freelancers work on ad-hoc and long-term projects.