Why GTM Leaders Are Quick to Hire Full-Time, But Slow to Hire Agencies
It’s a pattern I see time and again as a growth marketing consultant. CEOs and CMOs will sign off on a $250K+ Director of Marketing hire with little hesitation, yet drag their feet when it comes to bringing on a vendor. The rationale? It comes down to perceived control and the illusion of ownership when hiring someone full-time. Yes, the story is nuanced and there are many cases where a team would benefit from having a full-time in-house marketer, where there is a true need.
Let’s break down why this happens, what companies are missing, and how both companies and freelancers can play this market to their advantage.
The Hidden Costs and Risks of Full-Time Hires
On paper, a full-time Director of Marketing brings focus, alignment, and deep institutional knowledge. The reality is that hiring full-time is not as simple or as cost-effective as it seems.
Hidden Costs Beyond Salary
The true cost of a $250K Director isn’t just salary. You’re also paying for benefits, taxes, equipment, onboarding, and often, expensive ramp-up time. Factor in recruiting fees, severance, and the risk of a bad hire, and your “$250K” Director can easily cost 2x that number in their first year.
Full-time hires take months to onboard and ramp up, especially in complex growth environments. You might not see meaningful ROI for at least 12+ months.
Skill Set Limitations
No single Director of Marketing can be a “Swiss Army knife” across paid media, SEO, creative, analytics, and martech. You’ll likely end up supplementing them with agencies or freelancers anyway. You might try to hire a $7K freelancer on retainer in an effort to do more things. You always knew you needed a do-er, rather than just-a-strategist.
If the hire doesn’t work out, you’re facing months of lost momentum and a painful restart.
Why Agencies and Freelancers Are a Smarter First Bet
Test, Learn, and Scale
Hiring an agency or freelancer allows you to “try before you buy.” You can test their approach, see real results, and scale up or down as needed, without the sunk cost of a full-time salary.
If the fit is right, you can always convert a high-performing freelancer to a full-time role later, with far less risk and more data to back your decision.
Flexibility and Focus
Freelancers are often more invested in outcomes, since their reputation and next contract depend on your satisfaction.
You get specialized expertise exactly when you need it—whether it’s launching a new paid media channel, optimizing conversion rates, or running experiments that your in-house team doesn’t have bandwidth for.
Cost Efficiency
You pay for outcomes, not overhead. No benefits, no long-term commitment, no office politics.
Agencies and freelancers can ramp up in days, not months, and are used to delivering results fast to justify their retainer or project fee.
Due Diligence: The Non-Negotiable for Any Hire
Whether you’re hiring a $250K Director, a boutique agency, or a solo freelancer, the process should be rigorous.
Check for relevant experience: Have they driven growth at your stage and in your industry? Don’t hire someone if they’re completely at a different stage. For example, if you’re an early-stage startup, it might not make sense to hire someone from big tech.
Ask for case studies. Look for specifics that correspond to what you’re looking for.
Assess communication and transparency. The best partners proactively share learnings, data, and recommendations.
Start with a project. Before you sign a 12-month retainer or employment contract, run a 30–90 day pilot to evaluate fit and results.
Why Freelancers Win—And How to Stand Out in Paid Media
For companies, freelancers are the ultimate try before you buy. They bring hyper-focused expertise, flexibility, and a performance mindset. If they crush it, you can always make them a full-time offer.
For freelancers: The paid media space is crowded, but differentiation is possible:
How to Position Yourself as a Paid Media Freelancer
Niche Down: Specialize in a vertical (e.g., SaaS, DTC, B2B), a platform (e.g., LinkedIn Ads, TikTok), and a business outcome (e.g., pipeline generation for Series B SaaS).
Show Proof: Build a portfolio with concrete case studies, metrics, and testimonials. Don’t just say you ran Google Ads. Show how you improved CAC, scaled spend profitably to $500K/month, booked more meetings for your clients, or generated more revenue.
Be Visible: Invest in your own paid ads, participate in Slack communities, and publish thought leadership your Linkedin company page, personal page, and blogs.
Leverage Referrals and Reviews: Ask every happy client for a testimonial. Referrals remain the #1 driver of high-value freelance work.
Stay Current: Paid media evolves weekly. Share your perspective on new platform changes, creative trends, and algorithm updates.
Final Thoughts
CEOs and GTM leaders shouldn’t default to hiring a full-time just because it feels safer. In today’s market where agility, efficiency, and results matter most, starting with a freelancer or agency partner is often the best move to de-risk. You get to test, learn, and scale with flexibility, and only go all-in when you’ve found the right fit.
For freelancers, the bar is higher than ever, and now’s your time to shine. Show your impact, and make it easy for clients to say yes to a trial project. The companies that value speed, expertise, and results will always have a seat for you at the table.
About the Author:
Jer Chung is a Growth Marketing Consultant and is the Founder & CEO at Ads by Jer, helping Series B to IPO companies scale revenue quickly through paid media, experimentation, and world-class marketing strategy.
If you’re weighing the pros and cons of your next marketing hire, or want to discuss how a flexible growth model can unlock revenue faster, let’s connect.
Feel free to connect with me on Linkedin.
Prefer to chat live? Book a coffee chat with me here.
