17 Tips for Hiring and Working with an Agency

Freelancers and Agencies: What’s the Difference?

When hiring remote talent, you generally have two options. First, you can hire freelancers or self-employed individuals that sell their services to clients. Second, you can hire an agency that’s made of a network of freelance professionals who can work on any project you can think of.

The key difference between the two is the way you transact with them. With freelancers, you typically communicate directly with an independent contractor. He or she sets the rate and your payments go directly to the freelancer.

With agencies, on the other hand, you tend to communicate with a project manager or with the owner of the agency to discuss proposals and contracts. They then distribute to several freelancers within their network. You pay the agency itself and not a specific agency member. The service provider then takes care of paying the individuals in their group depending on the rates they’ve negotiated among them.

While both have their own merits, freelancers are better suited for small-scale and low-budget projects or tasks. Meanwhile, if you need a mixed skillset or if the project is large, complex, and requires an efficient group of skilled individuals, then agencies will work perfectly for you.

Tips for Hiring and Working with Agencies for Every Aspect of Your Business

Graphic Design

Tip 1: Be Clear About What You Need and Want

Whether you need to create a branding for your company or if you need a facelift, you need to work with an outstanding graphic design agency to realize your vision for your company.

Let’s get this out of the way first:  You need to be clear about your goals from the get-go if you want things to run smoothly in the design process.

Don’t just say “I want a cool new banner for my website”. Avoid using subjective language like this when defining the scope of the project. Instead, be clear about what your needs and wants are. If your goal is to increase brand awareness through rolling out an online advertising campaign using new designs then say so. This way, they can create visually-arresting collaterals that reflect your goals.

Tip 2: Show the Agency Some Design Pegs that Reflect Your Goals

Don’t be afraid to show design agencies some inspiration they can draw from. This shows them your preferences and expectations for the project. Look through Pinterest and social media for finished pieces you think are relevant to your brand. You can also mention some brands you wish to emulate so the agency has a better understanding of the aesthetic you want to pursue with every design project.

Customer Service

Tip 3: Opt for Variety

There are boutique agencies out there that offer virtual customer contact solutions for small to medium businesses. Choose one with representatives who are skilled at handling a wide variety of call types including acquisition/sales, lead generation, appointment setting, customer service, account management, technical support, billing/collections, and retention/sales.

Tip 4: Don’t Be Afraid to Have Your Current Customer Service Process Assessed by Professionals

Unsatisfied customers can tarnish your brand significantly. If you think your customers aren’t happy then there’s a chance you’re not doing enough or you’re doing something wrong. Look for an agency who can assess the quality of customer service you provide and let them suggest solutions on how to make your customers’ experience more pleasant.

Digital Marketing

Tip 5: Choose the Best Value and Not the Best Price

Digital marketing plays a crucial role in the growth and scalability of modern businesses. When it comes to hiring an agency for this aspect of your business, you should be looking at which service provider can offer the best value rather than which offers the best price.

The cheapest rate may seem to be the most viable option for you at the moment but in the long run, the kind of services an agency offers outweighs low costs.

Tip 6: Ask Them About the Strategies They Use for Their Business

If you’re going to trust an agency to run digital marketing campaigns for your brand, then you must know what their approach is for their business. Are they practicing what they preach? Do they believe in their services enough to apply it in their business?

Advertising

Tip 7: Provide the Agency with a Proper Brief of Your Company

Advertising agencies will be able to work better on the right messaging for your brand if they know exactly what you are all about. It’s always a good practice to introduce the ad agency to your goals, your target audience, products, company history, and competitors. This gives them focus and clarity when creating ad copy and art as well as when determining the right media channels for you.

Tip 8: Hire an Ad Agency that Aligns with Your Values

This allows you to foster a harmonious and long-term partnership.

Amazon

Tip 9: Hire an Agency to Handle Big Things like PPC Management

Competition is stiff on the Amazon marketplace. This is why your store needs to stand out from the rest. One critical aspect of this is PPC management. A dedicated agency can help you improve your campaigns, set an appropriate budget, and create an optimization strategy that fits your business goals.

Tip 10: Ask the Agency if They Can Guarantee #1 Rankings

If an agency says “yes” automatically to this question, then be wary of them and their tactics. There are too many variables that go into Amazon’s ranking algorithm that it’s practically impossible to guarantee top spots.

Instead, an agency that specializes in Amazon optimization should be focused on ROI and on keywords that will generate clicks every month.

Tip 11: Ask the Agency About How they Follow Amazon’s Rules

Amazon is strict when it comes to its rules and guidelines — even more so than Google. Reputable agencies will stay away from any trickery that can jeopardize your Amazon store.

E-Commerce

Tip 12: Consider an Agency’s Experience and Past Clients

An agency’s client list says a lot about the quality of work they put out. If they have notable clients, then chances your e-commerce strategy is exceptional and may work for you too.

Don’t hesitate to look at an agency’s website and navigate to their portfolio page to get a glimpse of their past projects. This can give you a comprehensive view of the type of agency you’ll be entrusting your business to and the quality of deliverables they produce.

Tip 13: Look at Their Approach to Working in Projects

When you’re working with an agency, it’s important to understand how they will be approaching the project you’re handing to them. Make sure that you are comfortable with how they do business. Do they ask for a project brief from you and provide a corresponding estimate? Do they give you updates as the project progresses?

Web Design

Tip 14: Choose a Web Design Agency that Incorporates a CMS in their Work

A competitive web design agency understands the value of content management systems in a company. The right web design agency will help you choose an appropriate CMS for your business goals and will build a UX around it to ensure value to the customer.

Tip 15: Talk About Your Preferred Communication Style

You can’t afford to chase around your web designer whenever you have a question. The agency should have proper protocols when it comes to communicating with you.

Web Development

Tip 16: Ask them About the Components that Your Website Should Include

This one’s another trick question for the agency you’re considering. They shouldn’t dive into specific elements head-on. They should first ask you about you, your business, and the industry you are in before suggesting anything.

Tip 17: Pick a Firm that Understands SEO

Web development isn’t solely about building a website for your business. A reputable agency should also have a clear understanding of SEO and how it can benefit your website as well as your business in general. The agency should exhibit an understanding of the principles of SEO and how it can be used in the code, copy, and content of your website.

Why Opt for an Agency?

There’s no shortage of projects for your business that an agency can effectively handle for you. However, you’re probably wondering why you would choose to work with an agency instead of an individual freelancer.

For starters, agencies are an excellent choice if the project size, scope, and complexity are too large for an individual to handle within your timeframe. While individual freelancers can take over smaller projects, tasks that require robust coordination are better left to agencies and their network of freelance professionals.

Agencies can also scale up and down depending on the project volume and you don’t have to worry about filling in the required talent for any of your bigger projects. They have the necessary connections that can get you the people you need. They also have the mechanisms to scale back down without any hassle once the project dwindles.

If your projects require a mix of skills to get done, then agencies can serve you better than individual freelancers. For example, if you need an e-book, you’re going to need a writer, a graphics guy, a photographer, a layout artist, and somebody well-versed in distribution. Furthermore, if your project requires multiple levels of planning, development, and execution, then a dedicated group of individuals provided by an agency will benefit your company.

If your projects are time-bound and if you need to get things done faster, an agency can provide a larger pool of professionals who can fast track the delivery of the project.

Working with an agency also affords you a level of problem-solving you won’t normally get with individual freelancers. Agencies are often made up of a large network of skilled professionals who can come up with smart solutions for your company’s needs.

Finally, if you’re looking for a long-term partnership with an entity you can trust, then you’re better off onboarding an agency for your projects. A good agency aims to deliver high-quality results since this ensures that they can secure more future projects. It’s a good opportunity to take advantage of especially if you’re looking for top-notch results.

Two Factors to Keep in Mind when Hiring and Working with an Agency

There are, of course, certain things you need to consider when hiring and working with an agency.

Chief among this is the cost it entails. If you’re a small online business, you might be wary of the steep prices that come with hiring an agency for your projects. After all, agencies have bigger overhead to cover and they offer a more specialized service than your average freelance professional.

Secondly, some agencies have offices where their operations are based so there might be some traveling involved particularly if you’re in the earlier stages of a project. However, there are tools you can use that will allow you to coordinate with their project manager with ease. There’s always instant messaging, email, and conference calls.

Find the Right Agency at FreeeUp

Digital agencies are fast becoming the new norm because they provide a modern solution to modern problems in this technology-driven business sphere. Agencies effectively amplify both the quality and quantity of work that individual freelancers can offer to you.

If you’re looking for an agency that can help propel your business to greater heights, then look no further than the FreeUp marketplace.

Here at FreeeUp, you can easily request for an agency you’re looking to hire. Simply provide a budget and the details of the work you need and we’ll connect you to a qualified agency within one business day.

Every week, we pre-vet boutique agencies who have 2 to 15 freelancers who can provide high-value services while still being able to provide a personal touch to clients. The agencies on the marketplace are pre-vetted to provide you with options that have a strong track record.

To get started, schedule a meeting to discuss the type of agency you need for your business and we’ll help you find a match.