Articles·Marketing

Marketing agency vs. freelancer vs. doing it yourself vs. a system: which fits a small insurance agency?

Chris Cordon · 3 min read
A woman looks at four blue doors labeled Agency, Freelancer, DIY, and System. A laptop and phone tripod lean by the DIY door, and warm light glows under the System door.

A freelancer wins when you need one thing built fast. A marketing agency wins when you have the budget for a team and the patience for a retainer. Doing it yourself wins when you’ll actually do it. A built system wins when you want content going out every week without a marketing person on payroll. Most small agencies are choosing between the last two.

How do the four options compare?

Marketing agencyFreelancerDo it yourselfDoBetter system
CostMonthly retainer, often $2,500 to $5,000Hourly or per projectSoftware subscriptions and your eveningsFixed fee after a $1,500 discovery
Time to startWeeks of onboardingDaysTonightA landing page in a week; the full system in stages
What it handlesThe channels in the contractThe one thing you hired forWhatever you get toPages, LinkedIn, email, video, graphics, in your voice
Who maintains itThe agency, while you payNobody, once they leaveYouYou press the button; I keep it tuned
What it can’t doSound like youKeep goingKeep goingRun with nobody touching it

When is a freelancer the better choice?

A freelancer is the better choice when the scope is small and clear. I’ve watched a freelancer come in, do a mood board, and build an agency a website in a couple of weeks. The scope was tiny, and it was exactly what they needed. If you need one asset and nothing after it, hire the freelancer.

When is a marketing agency the better choice?

A marketing agency is the better choice when you have a real budget, more than one channel to run, and someone at your agency with time to manage the relationship. Agencies are good at ads and at scale. They’re less good at sounding like an owner who has sold benefits for 17 years, because they haven’t.

When is doing it yourself the better choice?

Doing it yourself is the better choice if you’ll actually do it. Canva, ChatGPT, and a phone camera are enough to start, and plenty of owners have. The problem is week six. The post doesn’t go out because a renewal blew up. Then week seven. Then it’s been three months. If you know that’s you, that’s fine, and it’s useful to know before you spend money.

When is the carrier’s marketing help the better choice?

Never, in my experience. I’ve never seen a carrier produce anything substantive or of value when it comes to marketing assets for an agency. Take the co-op dollars if they’re offered. Don’t wait on the program.

When is a built system the better choice?

A built system is the better choice when you want content going out steadily and you don’t want to hire for it. The system creates the assets and the content. A person, me at the start and then you, steers it. Given the right preparation and customization, one agent can write the article, turn it into a newsletter, cut the long video into short ones, and post it where your clients are. Somebody still presses the button. Nobody has to write from scratch.

Quick answers

Can I combine these?
Yes. A freelancer for the website and a system for everything after it is a common pairing.
Will the system sound like me?
It’s built from what you actually say, on calls and on camera, so yes. That’s the part I spend the most time on.
What if I already have a marketing agency?
Then discovery starts with what you pay them and what the system could take over.
Do you run ads?
No. Ads are what agencies are for. The system makes the things people find on their own.