Freelancers, agencies and in-house employees are priced differently: freelancers by the hour or on retainer, agencies at higher hourly rates, employees on salary plus benefits and hiring costs. This post covers what each costs, where to find marketers and what to evaluate.
Having a marketing team for your startup so that you can grow your business is key. No matter how novel your idea is, or how strong your products are, your company will fail if you can’t get the attention of your intended audience.
Working with an experienced marketer can matter a great deal for early-stage startups. Unfortunately, many of these small businesses don’t have the funds to recruit their own in-house marketing team.
The good news is that if you hire a consultant, you can still benefit from senior marketing expertise. Whether you’re looking to get some quick help or fill a full-time position, this article will discuss how to hire a marketer for your startup.
How much is it to hire a marketer?
Without prior experience, making your startup’s first marketing hire can be tricky. You might first wonder “How much does it cost to hire a marketer for my startup?”.
The answer depends on the format. Freelancers, agencies and employees are priced differently, and each is covered below. Rates also vary with experience and specialty, so get quotes from a few candidates.
Early-stage startups may prefer to keep small marketing projects in-house, so that they can develop their own voice and identity. As your startup grows, however, you’ll find that your daily marketing tasks have grown alongside it, becoming too time-consuming for you to manage alone.
If you’re looking to start small, you can hire a freelance digital marketer. This person is typically an independent consultant with one or more specializations who has previous experience in marketing. Having an affordable marketing expert on call is useful when you need help with a specific issue or project.
The cost of hiring a freelancer will vary depending on the person’s rates, experience, skill set, and availability. Freelance marketers may charge by the hour, by the word, or by the project. If you need recurring help, they may also charge a monthly retainer fee, which guarantees that the freelancer will be available to work a given number of hours per month.
Entrepreneur magazine has published ranges for what US freelance marketers charge, both by the hour and as a monthly retainer. Rates change, so check current figures and compare them with quotes from candidates.
If your marketing needs stretch beyond a single freelancer, you may look into working with a digital marketing agency. So why should you hire a marketing agency instead of a freelance marketer?
- Agencies offer access to multiple marketing professionals, each with their own specializations and skill sets. This also gives agencies the capacity to rapidly scale up if you have an urgent project.
- Using an agency tends to provide a more stable working relationship, with a designated project manager and check-in meetings.
The benefits of using a marketing agency tend to come at a higher price, however. A 2019 survey by marketing expert Jason Falls found that $125 to $150 per hour was the most common hourly rate, charged by 27 percent of marketing agencies. 36 percent of agencies charged over $150 per hour, and the remainder charged below $125 per hour. Rates have likely moved since then.
What if you want to bring your marketing capabilities in-house by hiring one or more employees? An internal marketing team provides greater reliability and connectivity with the rest of the organization. However, it will take time to build and can be too expensive for early-stage startups.
ZipRecruiter publishes current salary data for startup marketing managers, so check it for today’s range. You’ll also need to pay for any employee benefits, insurance, and payroll taxes, as well as the costs of hiring, onboarding, and training.
How do you hire a marketer?
Whether you want to hire a freelance marketer, an agency, or an employee, you need to vet potential marketing partners and make sure that there’s a fit. So where can startups find skilled professionals for their marketing roles?
The first place to look is to ask your connections in the startup community. Marketing is an essential business function, and any startup founders past the seed stage should be able to point you to people they’ve worked with.
Besides your personal network, you have multiple options to hire marketers for your startup:
- The best marketers are excellent at selling themselves, so social media websites such as X and LinkedIn are good sources of potential hires for marketing jobs.
- You can also connect with job candidates at marketing conferences, whether virtual or in-person.
- Job search websites such as Indeed and Wellfound are good places to post an ad with job descriptions for open marketing positions.
- Targeted ads on websites such as Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Google can help you expand your search radius and reach more people who work in marketing.
Last but not least, you can also find a marketing partner on one of the online marketer marketplaces. These include general freelancing platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr, as well as specialized platforms for freelance marketers such as MarketerHire.
What should you look for when hiring a marketer for your startup?
Of course, not all marketers are created equal. So what factors should you consider when hiring a marketer for your startup?
The most important step is to think about the types of marketing capabilities you need for your business. Hiring a marketer for your brand strategy will be very different than a marketer who can help you gain X (formerly Twitter) followers for your startup. The types of marketing functions include:
- B2B marketing, including content marketing, search engine optimization, white papers, and case studies.
- Product marketing, including email marketing, landing page optimization, and effective social media marketing.
- Brand marketing, including brand identity, logos, voice, and messaging.
- Communications, including public relations, media strategy, and thought leadership.
Ideally, you’d find a marketing partner who can help with all of these tasks—but this may not be a feasible goal. When just starting out, the best strategy is likely to hire a well-rounded, experienced marketing professional with one or more specialties in the marketing channels where your business has already seen success.
Other factors to evaluate when hiring a marketer include:
- The necessary level of experience (measured in years, technologies, previous work, etc.) of your marketing partner
- The channels by which your target audience is currently finding your products
- The successes and failures of your existing marketing campaigns
- The skill sets (and gaps) of your internal employees
- The marketing budgets and campaigns of your biggest competitors
Founders Network is a peer mentorship community for tech startup founders. If that fits where you are, request an invitation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a freelance marketer?
Freelancers may charge by the hour, by the project or on a monthly retainer, which guarantees a set number of hours. Rates vary with experience and specialty, so get quotes from a few candidates.
Should a startup hire a freelancer or an agency?
A freelancer suits a specific issue or project. An agency gives you several specialists, capacity to scale quickly and a project manager, at a higher price.
Where can startups find a marketer to hire?
Ask your startup community first, then try X and LinkedIn, marketing conferences, job boards like Indeed and Wellfound, targeted ads, or marketplaces such as Upwork, Fiverr and MarketerHire.
What should you look for when hiring a marketer?
Decide which capabilities you need first: B2B, product, brand or communications marketing. For a first hire, the post suggests a well-rounded, experienced marketer with specialties in channels where you've already seen success.
