In-House Creatives

You see that lovely dark little corner in your office? Yes, the one that’s slowly succumbing to that growing mountain of empty cardboard boxes and leaflets.

Imagine how much brighter that area would be with a cool and hip creative scribbling away on a piece of hemp paper?

Freelance Revolution

Websites such as UpWork (previously Elance), Freelancer and Fiverr have revolutionised the creative industry. Businesses and individuals alike can post jobs on these sites and creatives from all around the world “bid” for the projects.

Freelancing websites certainly have their place but unfortunately for the creatives, it isn’t so rosy.

Why?

While many businesses do look to hire quality creatives in their own country, unfortunately the vast majority still look for the cheapest option. This invariably means awarding the project to overseas “creative factories” that bid ridiculously low prices for projects.

How low?

I’m talking $5 per 1000 words. That’s $0.005c per word.

As a copywriter that does a fair share of freelancing myself, I know that the going rate is between $0.20 – $0.40c per word. How can we compete with a fraction of half a cent per word? The truth is, we can’t.

Get What You Pay For

Now, of course, you do get what you pay for.

Don’t get me wrong though, I do think freelancing websites have their place. I’ve been on both sides of a project.

If you’re a small business, a startup, or an individual (maybe you’re looking to pass a uni assignment?*) then these sites have their place. It’s one of those things though, a degree of responsibility is on the business owner to support “home-grown” creatives.

Awarding projects to Kiwis has its benefits beyond supporting NZers though and that’s with communications and quality of work.

Thanks to our geographically unique little country in the middle of the pacific ocean, communicating with overseas freelancers can be a real pain. Skyping in the wee small hours or waiting decades for them to reply to your urgent emails becomes draining very quickly.

The other issue is quality. If you’re paying a fair price for fair work the end result will be of higher quality but most importantly, the freelancer will have the same standards as you.

There’s my little rant about freelancing platforms over…

So Why Should You Hire an In-House Creative?

More and more businesses around the world (including New Zealand) are now turning towards hiring in-house creatives rather than freelancing platforms. But why?

As AdWeek states “Many brands are benefiting from moving work in-house — it cuts agency fees and allows clients to more efficiently combine creative and business talent under one roof, something agencies should worry about a great deal.”

Let’s take a closer look and start at the begging, it seems logical.

1. Convenience.

“Hey Jim, can you quickly design a bunch of business cards for XYZ?”, “Sarah, can you write us an e-book by tomorrow?”. With an in-house creative team you have the personal to complete all your marketing tasks under one roof. No scrolling through freelancing portfolios and waiting for people to apply.

An in-house team streamlines your whole process which is a win-win for both you and your clients.

There’s also the added benefit of having people to quickly bounce ideas off too.

2. Efficiency

There’s always someone on hand to assist you should a design emergency arise. Spotted an error in that ad you’ve just sent off to the printers? Boom. Fixed.

The whole process is way more efficient. You don’t have to wait around for a reply from your overseas freelancer.

Clients can talk directly with designers and copywriters thus freeing you up to get on with securing future clients.

3. Up To Speed

In-house creatives know your brand. They know your tone of voice. They know your style.

Brand consistency is key and your in-house team already know your marketing goals and how you want to be perceived by your customers.

4. Culture.

You may be thinking “Argh, there’s that word again” but company culture is a huge consideration in the creative industry.

Gone are the days of workers slaving away for decades at a dreary office. Younger generations simply won’t hang around long if there is a poor culture at work and that’s detrimental to your business.

Hiring in-house creatives allows for people to bounce ideas of one another, socialise, collaborate and, ultimately, produce better quality work.

These are just 4 reasons why many business around the world are turning towards hiring an in-house team. While freelancing platforms do have their place, if your budget allows you can’t beat having one or two creatives in the office.

At Quentosity we are a digital marketing agency in Tauranga that helps clients around New Zealand with their marketing or website design projects. If you want to take your business to the next level, contact us today and discover how we can grow your business using our digital marketing techniques.

*You’re only cheating yourself 🙂