Does a consultant also execute?

Some do, some don't. What matters is knowing what you are buying: decisions, execution or both. In my case, I help decide and coordinate whoever executes; I don't do day-to-day management of social media or ads.

Is an agency always more expensive?

In monthly fees, usually yes. In real cost, it depends: the right agency for your moment can be worth the price, and a freelancer without direction can be expensive in lost time.

What if I already work with an agency?

An outside view can help you see whether the work is aligned with your goals and what to ask for differently, without replacing anyone.

Can I work with a consultant and an agency at the same time?

Yes, and it often works well. The consultant helps decide and evaluate, the agency executes. What matters is that each knows their role and one person is responsible for the decisions.

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Decisions·3 min read

Updated 1 November 2026 · Andreia Cirne

Agency, freelancer or marketing consultant: which to choose

They look the same from the outside. They solve different problems. The expensive mistake is asking one of them to do the other's job.

When a business decides to get help with marketing, the first question is usually who to ask. Agency, freelancer and consultant look like equivalent options, and the choice ends up being made on price or on whoever replied first. A year later, the conclusion is that marketing doesn't work. Often it did. It was just asked of the wrong person.

The freelancer: specialist hands

A freelancer does one thing well: design, photography, video, social media management, ads, a website. It is the right choice when you know exactly what you need and someone decides what to do. It isn't the right choice for setting strategy, because that isn't what they are hired for.

The agency: execution at volume

An agency brings several specialisms together and produces at scale. It makes sense when there is a budget, a volume of work and someone on your side who sets priorities and judges results. For a small business, the risk is paying for structure you don't use and receiving a monthly package of tasks nobody connects to your goals.

The consultant: decisions and direction

A marketing consultant helps you decide: what is holding things back, what comes first, how to measure. They may coordinate whoever executes, but their value is in judgement, not in the number of posts. It makes sense when you don't know what to do, or when you have already spent money on execution without results.

How to choose

A simple rule:

If you don't know what to do, start with a consultant or a diagnostic.
If you know what to do and need a specialism, hire a freelancer.
If you know what to do and have the volume and budget, an agency may make sense.
If you want to do it yourself, look for hands-on training.

Common mistakes when choosing

These are the mistakes I see most:

Choosing on the monthly fee alone.
Hiring an agency to solve a decision problem.
Asking for strategy from someone hired to execute.
Bringing in several freelancers with nobody coordinating them.

An example

A clinic hires an agency to run its social media. After six months there are good-looking posts every week and almost no new bookings. The agency wasn't the problem: nobody had decided who the posts were for or what they should lead people to do. Once that was defined, the same agency started working towards a goal, and the work began to count.

The combination that usually works best

In a small service business, the most effective combination is usually simple: someone who helps decide and follows up, and one or two freelancers who carry out what was decided. It usually costs less than an agency and is more focused than freelancers working alone.

Questions to ask before hiring

Whoever it is, ask these questions before signing:

How will we measure whether this is working?
What do you need from me to do your job well?
What don't you do?
What happens if there are no results after three months?

Common questions

Does a consultant also execute?: Some do, some don't. What matters is knowing what you are buying: decisions, execution or both. In my case, I help decide and coordinate whoever executes; I don't do day-to-day management of social media or ads.
Is an agency always more expensive?: In monthly fees, usually yes. In real cost, it depends: the right agency for your moment can be worth the price, and a freelancer without direction can be expensive in lost time.
What if I already work with an agency?: An outside view can help you see whether the work is aligned with your goals and what to ask for differently, without replacing anyone.
Can I work with a consultant and an agency at the same time?: Yes, and it often works well. The consultant helps decide and evaluate, the agency executes. What matters is that each knows their role and one person is responsible for the decisions.

Who writes this

Andreia Cirne

Marketing consultant and certified trainer (CCP) based in Faro. She spent almost six years at a digital agency managing marketing projects, websites and teams, and providing marketing consulting to each client. Today she works directly with service businesses and trains teams so they can do the work without depending on anyone.

Read about my path

If you don't know what to ask of whom, start by deciding what needs to be done.

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