How do the three compare?
| Lead generation agency | General marketing agency | Freelancer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built to produce | Qualified enquiries and customers | Brand, content, reach across channels | One skill delivered well |
| Typical cost (US, published guides) | Roughly $2,500 to $10,000+ a month for full scopes | $4,000 to $10,000+ retainers, small scopes often $2,500 to $5,000 | About $75 to $250 an hour; retainers $1,500 to $10,000+ |
| Covers follow-up and reporting to sales | Often, if in scope | Rarely | Only if you ask and manage it |
| Accountability | Should be judged on customers | Often judged on activity | You are the project manager |
| Best when | The problem is the path from ad to customer | You need brand, content or positioning work | You need one thing done: a page, an ad set, copy |
Ranges are from published price guides (see our cost breakdown). They describe what the market asks.
What are the strengths and limits of each?
Lead generation agency. Strength: specialisation in turning spend into customers, with follow-up and reporting as part of the job. Limit: narrower on brand; check how it handles anything outside lead generation.
General marketing agency. Strength: breadth, and good for brand and content. Limit: breadth dilutes accountability for a number such as cost per customer, and reports often lean on reach and clicks. See why reports full of clicks don't mean calls.
Freelancer. Strength: flexibility and cost for a defined task. Limit: one person rarely covers strategy, creative, media buying and follow-up, and coordination falls to you.
How do you decide?
Ask what's broken:
- A single skill (a landing page, ad creative, copy): a freelancer.
- Brand, positioning, content: a marketing agency.
- Leads arrive but customers don't, or you can't trace ad spend to sales: a lead generation provider that reports to customers.
Then vet whoever you choose with our checklist.
Which one is AI Video Systems?
A lead generation provider. If your problem is the path from ad to customer (ads that produce leads, leads that don't become calls, reports that stop at clicks), that's the job we do, for established service businesses spending $5,000 or more a month on ads, with reporting matched to your CRM through to confirmed sale.
If you need brand work or one small task, you'll be better served elsewhere, and we'll say so. Book A Free Call to find out which kind of help you need.
Sources
- Clicks Geek, Marketing Agency Retainer Pricing 2026.
- OuterBox, Marketing Consultant Cost 2026.
