Marketing SaaS software is crucial to attracting and retaining customers in a competitive market. Companies need to choose the right marketing partner to maximize their growth potential.
The common dilemma is to choose between a full-service web marketing agency (like Digital 64), an agency specializing in one area (SEO, SEA, etc ...), or a freelancer.
The Digital 64 teams will guide you through this decision, exploring the pros and cons of each option!
Definition and roles of the various players
First of all, we're going to define the different market players very clearly, so that you can better understand what we're talking about.
Consumers often don't know how to differentiate between global and specialized webmarketing agencies.
Webmarketing agency
A webmarketing agency offers a full range of services, from SEO (search engine optimization) to social networking and website design. These agencies are multi-skilled and have a team of professionals with diverse skills to cover all aspects of your digital marketing.
Besides, Digital 64 is like a complete webmarketing agency.Specialized agency
Unlike a generalist webmarketing agency, a specialist agency concentrates its efforts in a single area (e.g. SEO, website creation, or B2B prospecting). These agencies have in-depth expertise in specific strategies, offering a more targeted approach and solutions tailored to companies' needs.
Freelance
A freelancer is an independent professional offering web marketing services. Freelancers are often flexible and can adapt quickly to their customers' needs. They offer a personalized approach and potentially lower costs, but they don't have a team behind them to handle assignments.
Cost comparison
Now that you've understood the difference between webmarketing agencies, specialized agencies and freelancers, it's important to talk about the costs of these services.
Webmarketing agency
Web marketing agencies generally have a flat-rate or monthly fee structure. Costs vary according to the range of services offered, but they often offer good added value thanks to their comprehensive range of skills.
Specialized agency
Specialized agencies have rates tailored to the niche services they offer. Although the cost may be higher, the return on investment is often greater, thanks to their specific expertise in developing effective strategies.
Freelance
Freelancers generally charge either by the hour or by the project. Although costs may be lower than those of an agency, the quality of services may vary. Freelancers often offer pricing flexibility and can adapt to the tighter budgets of startups.
Expertise and specialization
Web Marketing Agency
Web marketing agencies offer a wide range of skills. Their 360-degree approach can benefit companies looking for a complete marketing presence.
Specialized agency
With their specialized expertise, specialized agencies are better suited to meeting the precise needs of companies. These agencies understand the specific challenges of the sector and can offer precise and effective solutions.
However, specialized agencies can often only meet one type of need.
Freelance
The expertise of freelancers can vary greatly depending on their experience and specialization. A good freelancer can offer a tailor-made approach and in-depth industry knowledge, but finding the right partner may require more research and vetting.
How to choose? Our advice
Finally, it's clear that the various players capable of providing you with services can be tailored to your needs.
The best choice will depend on your company size, marketing maturity, budget and time available.
Here's what we often notice:
- Staff: 1 to 3 people
In the early stages, when starting up a business, the entrepreneur has simple needs and a very limited budget. It's best to surround yourself with one or two freelancers for specific projects. For example, a designer for the graphic charter and logo, and a webmaster for the website.
- Workforce: 4 to 100 people
Next, the company needs to accelerate. It's looking for shortcuts to growth. The entrepreneur needs strategic and operational support.
That's where the Digital 64 value proposition lies.
If the company doesn't have a Marketing Director, we can play the role of outsourced Marketing Director for a few months to get the ball rolling.
If the company already has an in-house Marketing Director, Digital 64 will provide operational support to validate certain aspects of the strategy and accelerate operations.
3. Number of employees: over 100
Once the marketing strategy has been launched and validated, it will be interesting to test out different agencies specializing in a specific field. The aim will be to go one "step further" in terms of results on a marketing channel: SEO, SEA, outbound, affiliation, etc.
Conclusion
So if your company employs between 4 and 100 people, we advise you to contact us to find out more about our offer.
A specialized agency won't be flexible enough when it comes to assignments, and a freelancer may be short of resources. A webmarketing agency is therefore the ideal compromise between know-how/skills and available resources!