How Do Creative Content Agencies Price?

There’s a question that artists have been asking for eons: how do you put a price on creativity? Well, some of those artists (and writers and videographers and other types) have figured out how to make a living in marketing and advertising. These people use their talents to help strategists create beautiful, interesting, thoughtful content that’s chock full of great storytelling.

But when you’re looking to add good, creative content to your brand’s marketing strategy, how do you know what you can afford? Let’s look at what creative content marketing agencies offer, and how they price out their services.

Content Marketing Agency Services

There are a lot of different types of content marketing agencies, and each offer different things. Some of them are considered full-service, meaning they do just about everything—from digital to traditional marketing, advertising, video creation, and more. Others are very niche, focusing more specifically on things like animation, blog and content writing, or social media. Let’s look at a few standard services.

• Strategy - Professional marketers know marketing, and they know how to reach an audience. To develop a strategy, they’ll look not only at your business, but at your competitive landscape and your industry. Along with some audience research, they’ll put together a strategy designed to reach your audience where they are, and make adjustments along the way.
• Creation - Most content marketing agencies—especially those of the creative nature—actually make the content as well. In most cases, this is ideal, as they’re most familiar with the strategy and have a better idea of how to make it play out. Some agencies will have a full-service team that can do anything from write a script or blog post to creating video to hosting a podcast series, though others may specialize and manage vendors to get the work done.
• Reporting and Analytics - Content is great, but if it’s not working, it’s just taking up space on the internet. Using data from a variety of sources, most content marketing agencies will be able to crunch the numbers to determine what’s doing well. Then, they can adjust other content and the overall strategy to better align with what your audience is engaging with most.

Content Marketing Agency Prices

Unlike retail, most marketing agencies don’t have hard-and-fast pricing structures. You can’t put an MSRP on good writing. There are, however, a few things you can consider when you look for agencies that will be able to give you an idea of just how much you can expect to pay.

• Agency Age, Reputation, and Size - Any agency that’s been able to make it through the early years, grow significantly, and build a good reputation will more-than-likely cost more than a scrappy upstart. With established content marketing shops, you’re paying for proven know-how. They’ve shown that they know what they’re doing, they’ve learned along the way, and they’re going to share those insights with you in their work. You’re probably going to get high quality, exceptional work, but you can expect to pay more for it.
• Level of Help You Need - Do you already produce some content and need more to round out a strategy? Or are you looking to get the full package? Agencies will offer varying levels of help. You can always ramp up or down based on your early commitment and needs. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the more help you need, the more you can expect to pay in return.
• Subject Matter Complexity - Some content creation agencies specialize in areas. It makes sense. If they’ve spent a lot of time learning about the processes behind gardening for example, they’re able to do more in that area without the need for as much research. Some larger agencies may be more general, and for really complex topics (especially scientific ones), agencies may charge more because their content creators will need to really dig into a topic and understand it inherently, so they can speak to it authoritatively in content that they produce.
• Length of Your Commitment - Like any business, content marketing agencies are looking for consistent payroll. Longer commitments mean they have more security. In many cases, agencies may be likely to provide a kind of discount for a deal with longer terms. That way, they get consistent work over a longer period of time. That also means they become more familiar with your brand and don’t need to spend as much valuable time ramping up on other projects.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Content Creator?

On the flip side, if you’ve decided an agency isn’t right for you but you want someone on your own staff to create and manage content, how much can you expect to pay them? Even here you have options.

If you have the time to (or a dedicated employee who can) manage freelancers, they’re a perfectly viable option. And because they come with less overhead than agencies, they may cost less. Freelancers are a great alternative if you already have a solid strategy in place and know what you want—though some freelancers also do strategy as well. These one-person-shows do mean they’re juggling several clients all on their own, so there may be time constraints associated with working with them. Some charge by the hour, others may provide a flat fee.

All told, you can expect to pay anywhere from $50 - $3,000 for a piece of content, depending on the type, media, edits and feedback required, and final polishing.

If you want someone on your staff, you’ll have to consider their age and experience, plus any benefits you’ll need to deliver. It’s worth noting that when you’re hiring a full-time person to be a jack-of-all-trades, some of that person’s skills will be much stronger than the others.

If you are ready to create content, but not sure where to start, DemandJump can help. DemandJump's Insights automate the strategy and keyword research portion of content creation (plus much more). Don't take our word for it - give it a shot yourself.