Companies with no marketing department
The owner has neither the time nor the expertise to run campaigns, so they bring in someone to handle promotion from start to finish.
How much does it cost to hire a marketer, and how do you avoid a bad hire?
If you're asking how much does it cost to hire a marketer, you likely want to dodge two traps as well: a recruiting process that drags on for months and lands the wrong person, and an agency retainer that grows faster than the work. Here's what each option costs, how a matched hire works and what keeps you in control.
Free, no obligation. A senior project manager walks you through the analysis.
Free analysis in 24 hours
Send us your website. Within 24 hours, you'll get a written analysis comparing your marketing with your competitors'.
Key takeaways
The short version
Before you read on
- We match you with a marketer within 24 hours, so you skip weeks of recruiting and never have to teach a newcomer your industry.
- Your specialist fits your industry and task, gets vetted before joining us and works under a project manager with 15+ years in marketing.
- Independent marketers in the US typically charge $50 to $150 per hour, with senior specialists at $150 to $250, or roughly $1,000 to $3,000 a month for steady part-time work.
- The same manager stays on every assignment and steps in if scope or quality ever becomes a point of disagreement.
Worth knowing
How hiring a marketer through us works
Most companies decide to hire marketing person hours when they need one specific skill, like Google Ads, social media or SEO, and can't afford weeks of recruiting. We shrink that wait to 24 hours. You tell us your industry, scope and budget, and we match a vetted specialist who fits all three.
You don't have to create a salaried position with the fixed costs that come with it. Pick project work or a steady monthly arrangement, and we'll bring in someone who has already shipped work in a similar field. Every marketer passes a portfolio and reference check before joining us, so nobody learns your market on your dime. You also review each stage with the manager before the next one begins.
A senior manager with more than 15 years in marketing stays on every assignment, owns the schedule and settles any question about scope or quality. You won't sort through profiles, and you'll always know exactly who to call. Our marketing management page shows what that coordination looks like when several specialists work for you at once.
Checklist
What to settle before we match a specific person
Talk through these points with the project manager before anyone is picked.
Checklist
- The main goal, such as more sales, more inbound inquiries or a bigger social media audience
- Whether you need one skill, like Google Ads, or a broader plan that spans several channels
- The monthly or hourly budget you can put behind the work
- Whether you want a one-off job or an arrangement that runs for several months
- What industry experience and portfolio your specialist should bring
- Who on your team will review results and sign off on each stage
Step by step
Hiring a marketer, step by step
Step 1
Tell us the task and the budget
Fill out a short brief or talk with the project manager about scope, industry and budget range. That first conversation is free.
Step 2
A specialist matched within 24 hours
The manager pairs you with a marketer or a small team that fits your task and the hourly rate or project budget you gave us.
Step 3
Agree on scope, then start
Before any work begins, the senior project manager sets the stages, sign-off criteria and pace with you and the marketer.
Step 4
Work starts and each stage gets reviewed
Your marketer works to the schedule. You and the manager sign off on each stage, checking it against the scope and quality you agreed on.
Who it's for
Hire marketing for small business teams and other common situations
Here are the situations where this setup comes up most often.
Teams weighing a first marketing hire
Before opening a permanent position, the company tries a trial arrangement to lower the odds of an expensive mismatch.
Businesses with seasonal peaks
They need an extra set of hands for campaigns ahead of the busy season, without signing up for a full year of payroll.
Organizations covering for a staff marketer
During parental leave, or in the gap after someone quits, campaigns still need a person to keep them running.
Small local businesses
A clinic, a repair shop or a restaurant brings in a marketer for a few hours a week to manage its Google Business Profile and social accounts.
Side by side
Full-time marketer vs contractor matched through us
Recruiting a staff marketer usually takes 4 to 8 weeks once you add up the job post, interviews and the notice period at their current employer.
You meet your matched specialist 24 hours after you reach out.
A salaried position means fixed pay, payroll taxes and paid time off, even in months when there isn't enough work.
You pay for delivered work or an agreed number of hours per month, with no employment overhead.
A bad hire sets off another recruiting round, a notice period and several lost months.
If the fit isn't right, the manager brings in a different marketer without restarting the whole search.
Finding someone online on your own usually means betting on a portfolio nobody verified.
Every marketer we match has a verified portfolio and references, and a senior project manager reviews each stage of the work with you.
Worth knowing
What bringing in a marketer costs: market ranges
Hourly work
US freelance specialists usually charge $50 to $150 an hour, and senior paid media or SEO experts often ask $150 to $250. Specialty, seniority and how complex the task is set the exact rate.
Steady monthly support
Roughly $1,000 to $3,000 a month for a few hours a week, for example running your social channels and basic campaigns.
One-off project or campaign
Quoted after a free consultation based on scope, whether that's a marketing strategy or a product launch campaign.
What you can count on
Protections you get whatever your industry or budget
Every assignment comes with the same safeguards, no matter its size or sector.
A specialist who fits your industry
We choose the person for your industry, tasks and budget, not whoever happens to have an opening this week.
Vetted before day one
Portfolio, references and a conversation about live campaigns all happen before a marketer joins us, however many specialists your project needs.
A manager who keeps things fair
An experienced project manager resolves questions about scope and keeps the schedule on track.
You pay for delivered work
There's no standing access fee. Money changes hands only for work that was agreed on and delivered.
In short
Matching, references and oversight at a glance
24 hours
to match a specialist to your industry and tasks
References
verified before a marketer joins us
15+ years
of experience behind the manager who oversees the work
FAQ
Questions companies ask us
Short answers. The free analysis call covers anything specific to your company.
01How long does it take to hire a marketer through you?
The project manager matches a specialist or a small team within 24 hours of your request, and the first call to confirm the fit is free. Want a wider view first? Order the free marketing analysis and you'll get a PDF within the same 24 hours.
02How do the costs of a staff marketer and a matched contractor compare?
A salaried position carries fixed pay, payroll taxes and paid time off regardless of workload. On the US market a matched marketer usually bills $50 to $150 an hour, or roughly $1,000 to $3,000 a month for part-time support, and you pay only for work that actually gets delivered.
03How can I bring in a marketer without creating a new position?
Choose project work or a steady monthly arrangement. Scope and stages are agreed in writing, and we handle the paperwork, so you never open a payroll position or deal with HR formalities.
04What if the marketer doesn't meet expectations?
Your manager reviews every stage and steps in when quality or pace falls below what you agreed on. They'll sort out any disagreement and can bring in a different specialist, passing along the full project history so the work picks up where it left off.
05Can I hire a digital marketer for a single project?
Yes. Besides ongoing monthly work, you can bring someone in for a one-off task like a marketing audit or a launch campaign, quoted after a free consultation.
06Who handles billing when several marketers work for me?
We do. No matter how many specialists join your project, you get one set of documents and one contact, and the project manager tracks who did what.
07Should I hire marketing manager staff or start with a contractor?
If your workload is steady and runs at roughly full time or more, a staff marketing manager can pay off. If it swings, or you're still testing channels, a contractor lets you find out what the role really requires before you commit to a salary.
Free analysis
See where your marketing stands, then decide what to do next
Send us your website. Within 24 hours, you'll get a written analysis comparing your channels with your competitors', plus a call with a senior project manager who has run marketing for 15+ years.
- Analysis within 24 h
- No obligation
- PDF covering 5 competitors
- Team picked by your PM