How to Get Marketing Help You Can Trust (After Getting Burned Before)

Freelancers vs. agencies? Here’s how to know what kind of help you need.

I paid someone $5,000 to fix my marketing and they disappeared after two months

A client told me that three weeks ago.

She’d hired a “marketing consultant” who promised to build her entire funnel. He took half the money upfront, sent two emails asking basic questions, then ghosted her completely.

When she finally tracked him down, he said he was “overwhelmed with other clients” and would refund her “eventually.”

She never saw that money again.

Sound familiar?

Here’s what I’ve learned after 15 years helping small business owners get marketing help that doesn’t end in disaster: Most people hire based on what someone promises—not what they need. And that’s where everything falls apart.

Why getting marketing help feels like playing Russian roulette

You know you need help with marketing.

The question is: what kind of help?

Someone to run your social media? Write your emails? Build your website? Create a strategy? All of the above?

So you do what most business owners do: You search “marketing help for small business” on Google. You post in a Facebook group. You ask other entrepreneurs who they use.

Within 24 hours, your inbox is flooded.

Freelancers pitching Instagram management. Agencies offering “full-service solutions.” Consultants promising to “transform your business.” Each one sounds confident. Each one has testimonials. Each one claims they can solve your problems.

You pick the one who seems most credible—or the one who’s offering a done-for-you package because honestly, you’re too tired to figure it out yourself.

Three months later?

Nothing’s working. Worse, you don’t even know why it’s not working. And when you try to ask questions, you get vague answers about “building momentum” or “needing more time.”

According to the 2024 Keap State of Business Growth Report, the top three challenges entrepreneurs face include finding time to get everything done, managing processes efficiently, and building customer loyalty. But here’s the part they don’t mention: hiring the wrong help doesn’t save you time. It costs you more.

The good news?

You don’t need to become a marketing expert to make smarter hiring decisions. You just need context—and the right questions to ask before you hand over money.

Builder vs optimizer (and why this matters more than credentials)

There are two types of marketers in the world.

Builders love starting from scratch. They create systems, develop strategies, build funnels. They thrive on blank pages and chaos. They’re the architects.

Optimizers need something to work with. They tweak, refine, test, and improve what already exists. They love data, iterations, and incremental wins. They’re the mechanics.

Hire the wrong one? That’s where the trouble starts.

A builder will look at your existing marketing and want to tear it all down. They’ll tell you everything is broken and you need to start over. An optimizer will feel stuck if there’s nothing to improve yet.

It’s like hiring an architect when you needed a plumber—or vice versa.

I’ve seen this play out dozens of times. A business owner hires someone to “fix” their email marketing. The person they hire is a builder. Within a week, they’re recommending a complete platform migration, a new lead magnet, and a total messaging overhaul.

Meanwhile, the business owner just wanted someone to write better subject lines.

Marketing is a system (and most people hire for the wrong part of it)

Marketing isn’t magic.

It’s a system. And every system has stages:

1. Research your market and competitors – Understanding what already exists and where the gaps are
2. Identify your ideal customer – Getting crystal clear on who you’re talking to
3. Create an irresistible offer – Packaging your solution in a way people want to buy
4. Choose and execute the right tactics – Deciding between email, content, ads, social media
5. Measure and optimize your results – Tracking what works and doubling down

Each of these stages needs different expertise. Some people specialize in messaging and positioning. Others are tactical executors who run ads or write content. Some focus exclusively on conversion optimization.

That’s why clarity matters.

If you don’t know where you are in the system, you’ll keep hiring tacticians who aren’t equipped to fix the real problem.

I once worked with a client who’d hired three different social media managers over two years. Each one posted consistently. Each one used hashtags. Each one created graphics.

None of them generated a single customer.

Why?

Because the problem wasn’t social media execution. The problem was positioning. Her offer was confusing. Her messaging was vague. No amount of Instagram posts was going to fix that.

She needed a strategist—not a social media manager.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index, 72% of small businesses expect increased revenue in 2025. But here’s the disconnect: most are investing in tactics (social media, ads, content) without fixing their strategy first.

Agency vs freelancer vs employee (what’s right for your stage)

Let’s talk about the three main options for getting marketing help.

Freelancers work best for testing and projects

A freelancer is great when you want to try something new without committing to a full-time hire. Running a test ad campaign. Setting up your email automation. Writing blog posts for three months to see if content marketing moves the needle.

Freelancers are flexible. They bring specialized skills. They don’t require benefits or office space.

But here’s what they’re not: long-term solutions for ongoing execution. If you find yourself constantly managing and directing a freelancer, you’re creating another job for yourself.

Agencies give you a team (but they come with systems you have to follow)

An agency makes sense when you need multiple skillsets working together. Designers, writers, strategists, ad managers—all coordinated under one roof.

The trade-off? Agencies work within their systems. They have processes. They have templates. They’re not going to customize everything to your exact preferences.

If you’re the type of business owner who needs total control over every detail, an agency will frustrate you.

But if you can trust their process and give them room to execute, agencies deliver results faster than trying to coordinate five different freelancers yourself.

Employees make sense when you’ve validated the channel

Hiring someone full-time only makes sense when you’ve already proven the marketing channel works—and you need consistent, daily execution.

Don’t hire an in-house marketer to “figure it out.” That’s an expensive experiment.

Hire them when you know exactly what needs to happen and you need someone to own it completely.

Your strategy dictates your hire (not the other way around)

Here’s where most business owners get it backwards.

They hire someone first—then let that person decide the strategy.

That’s like buying a car before deciding where you’re driving.

Your marketing strategy should dictate who you hire. Not your to-do list. Not someone’s availability. Not what’s cheapest.

If you’re doing content marketing, you need someone who understands editorial strategy, SEO, and nurturing leads over time. They should think in months, not weeks.

If you’re focused on direct marketing, you need someone obsessed with conversions, landing pages, and persuasive copy. They should think in clicks, not impressions.

If you’re running paid ads, you need someone who can optimize campaigns, read data, and iterate quickly. They should think in ROI, not reach.

Same channel. Different rules. Different hires.

I’ve watched business owners hire content writers to run their ad campaigns. I’ve seen direct response copywriters struggle to write long-form blog content. I’ve seen SEO specialists try to manage social media.

Every single time? Mediocre results.

Not because the person wasn’t talented. Because they were the wrong fit for the strategy.

Ask better questions, hire better marketers

Stop asking, “Can you do social media?”

Start asking these instead:

• What part of the marketing system do you specialize in? – This tells you if they’re a strategist, tactician, or specialist
• Are you a builder or an optimizer? – This reveals their natural strengths and work style
• What’s your process? – Anyone without a clear process is winging it
• Can you share a case study for a project similar to mine? – Generic success stories mean nothing. You want specific, relevant results
• How do you measure success? – If they can’t define success metrics, they can’t deliver results

Pay attention to their answers.

Builders will talk about frameworks, systems, and starting fresh. Optimizers will ask detailed questions about your current setup and what’s already working.

Run from anyone who claims they “do it all.” Marketing has too many specialties for one person to master everything. The best marketers know their lane—and stay in it.

According to Guidant Financial’s 2025 Small Business Trends Report, lack of capital remains a top challenge for small businesses. You can’t afford to waste money on the wrong hire. Ask the hard questions before you sign a contract.

Hiring the right marketer isn’t enough (you have to let them work)

I’m about to tell you something uncomfortable.

If you hire someone with a process—you have to let them use it.

You’re not paying for their time. You’re paying for their system. Their experience. Their expertise.

I once had a client who hired me to design her offer and messaging. She said all the right things during onboarding. She seemed ready to commit to the process.

Then she hired two more people—for the exact same thing. Without telling me.

Suddenly, there were three of us working on one deliverable. Each with a different process. Each giving conflicting advice. She couldn’t decide which direction to take, so she tried to blend all three approaches.

Total chaos. Missed deadlines. Mixed messages. Confused audience.

She was too afraid to choose one path—so she tried everything. And it all failed.

When you find the right expert, trust your hiring decision. Follow the process they recommend. Give feedback, but don’t create chaos by pulling in conflicting opinions halfway through.

If you can’t get on board with their system? Don’t hire them in the first place.

The truth about marketing help that no one tells you

Most marketing problems aren’t execution problems.

They’re clarity problems.

You hire someone to “fix your marketing” when what you need is clarity about your offer. Your positioning. Your customer. Your strategy.

No amount of social media posts will fix a confusing offer. No email sequence will save weak positioning. No ad campaign will work if your message doesn’t resonate.

Before you hire anyone, ask yourself:

• Do I know exactly who my customer is?
• Can I articulate my offer in one sentence?
• Do I have a clear outcome I’m trying to achieve?
• Have I chosen a specific marketing strategy (not just tactics)?

If you answered no to any of those questions, you don’t need a freelancer or an agency yet. You need strategic clarity first.

Otherwise, you’re just paying someone to execute bad strategy—and wondering why it’s not working.

How to know if you’re ready to hire (or if you need to wait)

You’re ready to hire when:

• You’ve validated that a specific tactic works (even if you’re doing it badly)
• You have a clear outcome you’re trying to achieve
• You can articulate what you need in 2-3 sentences
• You’re willing to trust someone else’s process
• You have budget to invest for at least 3-6 months

You’re NOT ready to hire when:

• You’re hoping someone will “figure out” your marketing for you
• You don’t know what’s working or what’s not
• You’re still experimenting with offers and messaging
• You want to micromanage every decision
• You’re expecting instant results

Hiring someone before you’re ready doesn’t save time. It wastes money.

According to the 2025 EverCommerce Service Small Business Insights Survey, 75% of small business owners are optimistic about growth—but only when they invest strategically. Throwing money at marketing without clarity is not a strategy.

What to do right now if you need marketing help

Start here:

Step 1: Identify the one area of your marketing that needs the most attention right now. Don’t try to fix everything at once.

Step 2: Decide if you need a builder or an optimizer. Are you starting from scratch or improving what exists?

Step 3: Determine your budget and timeline. Be realistic about what you can invest—both financially and in terms of your own time.

Step 4: Ask the right questions before you hire. Focus on process, experience, and fit—not just price.

Step 5: Commit to one approach for at least 90 days. Don’t hire multiple people for the same thing. Pick one and stick with it.

Getting marketing help doesn’t have to feel like gambling. It feels that way when you don’t know what you’re looking for.

But when you know which stage you’re in, which type of marketer you need, and what questions to ask? Everything changes.

You stop wasting money on the wrong people. You start seeing results from the right ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Additional Reading

 

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Source: http://diymarketers.com/get-marketing-help/