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DIY, freelancer,
traditional agency
or Creative Edge?
Four ways to organise your marketing. Below is an honest account of where each one wins and where it costs you money. Including where we are not the best choice.
Four options side by side
| Do it yourself | Freelancer | Traditional agency | Creative Edge | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | €0 in fees, but your own hours | €300 to €1,500 per month | €1,500 to €5,000 per month | €200 to €1,100 per month |
| Hidden cost | Your time. Count 10 to 20 hours a month | Coordinating several freelancers | Account management and hours you never see | None. One rate, prices published online |
| Time to start | Immediately, but things take long to finish | 1 to 2 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks, often with a pitch and strategy phase | Website live in 5 to 7 working days |
| Point of contact | You | One person, but a different one per specialism | An account manager; you rarely speak to the doers | One fixed contact who also does the work |
| Breadth | Whatever you can do yourself | Usually one specialism, deep | Everything, at the matching rate | Website, ads, SEO, content and automation |
| Depth in one specialism | Limited | Highest of the four | High, a team per discipline | High on our four domains, not on everything |
| Availability | When you have time, so rarely | Variable, depends on their diary | Fixed, through a ticket system | Fixed marketing days per month, scheduled ahead |
| Execution or advice | Everything yourself | Mainly execution | Plenty of advice, execution billed on | Execution, with strategy included |
| Reporting | Whatever you track yourself | Variable, often on request | Extensive, sometimes too extensive | Monthly report with enquiries and cost per lead |
| Continuity | Stops when you get busy | Risk on illness or if they stop | High, but with changing faces | Fixed team, processes and documentation |
| Notice period | Not applicable | Often monthly | Often 12 months | 6 months, after a 6 month minimum term |
| Guarantee | None | Rarely | Rarely | 30 day money back on eligible services |
| Best choice when | You have time, patience and a small budget | You have one clearly defined task | You have a budget from €5,000 a month and several brands | You want ongoing results without coordinating it yourself |
Prices are indicative and exclude VAT. Our own rates are published in full on the pricing page.
When not to call us
You want one campaign, once
A freelancer is cheaper and faster. Our approach is built on continuous adjustment, and that needs time to pay off.
You have a national media budget
If you work with television, out of home and several brands at once, that belongs with a traditional agency and a media team.
You are looking for the lowest price
There is always someone cheaper. We compete on results and on being clear about what things cost, not on rate.
What doing it yourself really costs
Doing it yourself looks free. Count 15 hours a month at your own hourly rate, and add the revenue you did not make because you were tinkering.
At an internal rate of €50 that is €750 a month in time, with no guarantee of results and no reporting. Work it through with the ROI calculator or the budget planner.
Outsourcing marketing
Can I combine options?
Yes, and it happens often. Some clients keep social media in house and outsource the website, ads and measurement. We then agree clearly who does what, so there is no double work and no gaps.
Why a six month minimum term?
Because the first months are build-up: measurement, pages, creative and testing. Stopping after two months means paying for the build and harvesting nothing. For one off campaign projects that minimum does not apply.
What happens to my accounts if we stop?
Everything stays yours: website, ad accounts, email list, image material and documentation. We hand it over and remove our access.
How is this different from an AI agency?
We are not an AI agency. AI is a tool that makes us faster and cheaper, especially for imagery, video and follow up. The work is done by people, and that stays that way.
Not sure which option fits?
30 minutes. We say honestly whether you belong with us, with a freelancer, or whether you are better off doing it yourself.