As your business grows, so do your marketing needs.

Maybe you’ve been doing it all yourself (we see you 👏), or you’ve had some help here and there — but now you’re wondering:

Should I hire a freelancer? Bring someone in-house? Or partner with an agency?

If you’re a Rhode Island business, you’re not alone. We’ve helped dozens of local businesses figure out the right answer for them. Let’s break it down.

Why Rhode Island Businesses Face This Choice

Here in RI, small and medium-sized businesses make up the heart of our economy.

Most owners wear a lot of hats, and marketing is often one of them.

But as you grow, you need:

• Consistency
• Fresh ideas
• Expertise that keeps up with changes (Google algorithm updates, anyone?)

That’s when the question comes up — and it’s a good one to ask.

Option 1: Hiring a Freelancer

Pros:

✅ Cost-effective for specific projects

✅ Flexible scheduling

✅ Can bring specialized skills (like graphic design or copywriting)

Cons:

❌ Limited capacity — one person can only do so much

❌ Harder to manage if your needs expand

❌ Risk of inconsistency or delays, especially if they’re juggling other clients

Best for:

Short-term needs or one-off projects (like logo design, or a quick campaign).

Need design or print help? Check out our printing and promo services.

Option 2: Hiring a Full-Time Marketing Employee

Pros:

✅ Dedicated resource focused on your business

✅ Integrated with your team and brand

✅ Faster response times internally

Cons:

❌ High cost (salary + benefits + tools)

❌ Difficult to find someone who can do everything (PPC, SEO, content, design, strategy…)

❌ Training and development is on you

Best for:

Companies with large budgets and steady marketing demands.

Not ready to build an internal team? Our retainer services give you a full team without full-time costs.

Option 3: Hiring a Marketing Agency

Pros:

✅ Access to an entire team of specialists (SEO, PPC, content, video, design)

✅ Scalable — start with one service and grow over time

✅ Tools, tech, and strategy included

✅ No need to manage freelancers or hire full-time

Cons:

❌ Higher monthly investment than a single freelancer

❌ Requires good communication (on both sides!)

Best for:

Businesses that want to grow, scale, and get strategic marketing support without hiring in-house.

Explore our full-service marketing solutions.

What’s the Best Choice for Your Rhode Island Business?

It depends — but here’s the honest truth:

If you need help with a quick project?

✅ A freelancer might be a good fit. If you have a large, ongoing budget and need daily marketing activity?

✅ Consider an in-house employee.

But if you want to:

• Access a full team of experts
• Scale without growing payroll
• Get local expertise from people who understand Rhode Island audiences
• Stay on top of SEO, PPC, content, print, and more

✅ An agency like J&R Marketing is often the smartest move.

Why Many Local Businesses Choose J&R Marketing

At J&R, we’ve grown from our founder’s first lead generation company to a full-service, in-house marketing agency serving Rhode Island businesses just like yours.

Our clients love us because:

• We make marketing simple and manageable
• We offer both strategy and execution
• We’re based right here in Rhode Island — and we know what works locally

Whether you need SEO, PPC, website design, print, content creation, or video production, we have you covered.

See what it’s like to work with us here.

Make the Right Move for Your Business Growth

Your next move matters.

Whether you choose a freelancer, employee, or agency — the important thing is that you’re thinking about your marketing proactively. That’s how growth happens.

If you’d like to explore how we can help, let’s start with a simple conversation.

👉 Schedule a Free Marketing Consultation

👉 Learn More About Our Marketing Services

We’ll help you figure out the best path forward — even if it’s not with us.