When considering digital marketing services for your business, one decision you will have to make on the way is choosing between a digital marketing agency and consultant (in fact, you most likely clicked on this article to help with that exact decision!).
While both agencies and consultants aim to grow your website’s traffic and revenue, their approach, structure, and relationship with clients differ significantly.
- Digital marketing agencies typically consist of multiple people skilled in different aspects of digital marketing, account managers, developers, admin staff and directors.
- Digital marketing consultants on the other hand are just the person skilled in digital marketing, covering admin duties themselves.
To help you decide between the two, I’ll compare both against seven key factors that are important to businesses deciding between choosing an agency or a consultant:
- Variety of Skills
- Cost-Effectiveness
- Resources
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Personalised Service
- Quality of Work
1. Variety of Skills
Winner: Agency
Digital marketing agencies are often composed of a multi-talented team, bringing together digital marketing technicians, coders, strategic planners and writers.
Their collective know-how is particularly useful for complex digital initiatives.
For firms looking to cover multiple bases with one partner, agencies are an attractive choice.
That said, for more focused projects centred solely on SEO or PPC, the full scope of agency resources may be unnecessary.
2. Cost-Effectiveness
Winner: Consultant
Agencies can provide competitive rates, but it’s worth remembering they also carry the costs of office premises, management teams, and support staff.
Independent consultants generally avoid these overheads. You’re paying for their skills and experience, not the extra layers that come with an agency structure.
All things considered, digital marketing consultants often represent the more economical choice.
3. Resources
Winner: Agency
Thanks to their team-based structure, agencies are often ideal for handling more complex or high-volume projects.
They have the capacity to assign various specialists to different areas of your digital marketing simultaneously.
So, if your campaign demands a coordinated team effort, an agency could be the more suitable option.
4. Adaptability
Winner: Consultant
Agencies typically follow structured systems, which help coordinate large teams but can slow things down when changes are needed.
Even if your main contact is responsive, broader adjustments can take time to flow through.
Consultants offer a more bespoke service and can respond to changes without delay.
In fast-moving digital markets, that flexibility can be crucial.
Let’s say you want to tweak your digital marketing focus mid-campaign – a consultant can often do so quickly, while an agency might need to run it through internal processes.
5. Communication
Winner: Consultant
One of the most significant benefits of working with a consultant is having a single, consistent point of contact.
This eliminates the frustration of being passed between account managers or dealing with staff turnover, which can be common in agencies.
With a consultant, communication is often more straightforward, efficient, and personal as you will be talking to the person actually doing the work, not an account manager or new member of the team.
Clear communication not only saves time but also helps to build a stronger working relationship.
6. Personal Service
Winner: Consultant
Consultants rely on strong results and client satisfaction to sustain their business, so they’re often more personally invested in your success.
They don’t have directors or departments pulling them in different directions – their energy is focused squarely on helping you achieve your goals.
That level of personal accountability can make a big difference.
Whereas agencies may divide their focus, consultants treat each client as a top priority.
7. Quality of Work
Winner: Equal
Consultants and agencies both have the ability to deliver strong digital marketing campaigns.
Agencies may draw on a mix of experts, but that often involves delegating tasks to more junior staff as part of their development.
Consultants, however, usually manage the full project themselves, which means your strategy benefits from a more personal, detail-oriented approach.
Final Score
- Agency: 3
- Consultant: 5
Conclusion
Both Yoga digital marketing agencies and consultants have their strengths.
While agencies bring extensive resources and a variety of skills, consultants may offer a more cost-effective, adaptable, and personalised approach.
If you’re ready to experience the benefits of working with a Yoga digital marketing consultant…read more