At CIS Agency, one question we often hear is: “Should I hire an agency or work with a freelancer for my business?”
The answer isn’t always simple.
Many small business owners mistakenly believe agencies are only for large companies with big budgets. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Most agencies, including CIS Agency, are committed to helping smaller businesses grow while staying within their budget.
Deciding to hire an agency—and choosing the right one— requires careful consideration. Agencies come in many forms, specializing in areas like marketing, photography, social media, web design, graphic design, and public relations. While many agencies aim to cover multiple disciplines, most have a few key areas where they truly shine.
Understanding the variety of agencies out there is just the first step. The next is to recognize why partnering with an agency can be a game-changer for your business. Agencies bring expertise across specialized skill sets, helping businesses develop and grow their brands in the most impactful way. A good agency doesn’t just create and execute marketing campaigns; it also measures their success across multiple platforms—a service we at CIS Agency pride ourselves on providing.
For some businesses, hiring an agency with a wide range of skills can feel intimidating, especially when working with tight budgets. As a result, some owners turn to freelancers for individual tasks, instead of engaging a full-service agency. While this might seem like a cost-effective solution in the short term, freelancers often come with limitations that may not fully meet a business’s broader goals.
At the end of the day, investing in the right agency can deliver long-term benefits, providing the expertise, strategy, and results that truly help businesses thrive.
TIME - In an agency, everything revolves around time: the time it takes to answer an email, complete a graphic design, or finish a web project—time is tracked and measured constantly. And as the saying goes, time is money. That’s why agencies strive to respond promptly, often as quickly as possible or within the timeline they’ve promised.
Freelancers, on the other hand, operate with less pressure and more flexibility. Their schedules vary widely—if you're their only client, you may receive swift responses and turnaround times. However, as they take on additional clients, you might find yourself waiting longer for their attention.
RESPONSE - The core of our business at CIS Agency is responsiveness. We are responsive to every email, phone call or text message from you. You, as our customer, are our top priority, and staying in communication with you is rule number one. Freelancers may have different priorities - and may not offer the 24-hour turnaround we offer.
OUR COMMITMENT
CIS Agency is committed to delivering quality marketing services, working tirelessly to ensure every project is completed on time and exceeds expectations, no matter the challenges. Our team takes pride in understanding each client’s unique needs, crafting tailored strategies that drive results. From concept to execution, we focus on collaboration, innovation, and attention to detail, ensuring every campaign not only meets goals, but also leaves a lasting impact.
In contrast, relying on a freelancer can come with risks. If they’re unresponsive, fall sick, encounter an emergency, or face personal issues, those problems can quickly become yours. With CIS Agency, you’ll never have to worry about that—we’re here to get the job done, as promised.
ALL IN ONE PLACE - Imagine you’ve hired a freelancer to create the perfect graphic design—whether it’s a stunning logo or visuals for your website. It’s no small task, and they deliver exceptional work. But once the project is complete, you realize you need more: professional photos of your store, engaging content for your website, a brand-new site design, or help managing your social media presence. The opportunities are endless, but your freelancer specializes solely in graphic design. Now, you’re stuck searching for additional freelancers to tackle each of these tasks.
At CIS Agency, we do things differently. Our team is here to provide answers, solutions, and expertise to meet all your creative and marketing needs in one place. And if we don’t already have the solution, we’ll find one—or create it for you.
STRATEGY - Did you see our last blog post about creating a Marketing Strategy? At CIS Agency, we always work in one direction - all of our actions drive to one common goal. The strategy we develop with you will reach across your website, your SEO, your social media posts. Every design, every picture, every post we create has a clear purpose and all of this combined melds together for the perfect finished project! Take note that when you hire a freelancer he/she may create great things - based on your exact requests: “Take out this, add this, use this color, move it in the other direction, I don't like the picture, change the font”, etc. They will do exactly as they’re asked, even though what you are asking may not be the most helpful for your business or your brand. This is the very reason many companies have a lack of cohesiveness, look unprofessional, or look like they are lacking direction.
We work diligently every day for our clients - to provide great support, with a strategic direction, with a quick turnaround, so you can spend less time focusing on marketing and more time growing your business in other ways. That is what an agency brings to the table.
We hope you appreciate the job we do at CIS Agency every day to make your company and your brand stand out and shine!
Contact CIS Agency
Tel | 616.347.6300 | service@wearecis.com | www.wearecis.com/connect