Media buying agency: what it does, how to choose one, and the freelance alternative

A media buying agency buys advertising space on your behalf: it creates and runs your campaigns on Meta, Google and sometimes other platforms, then reports back on results. The term comes from the big media agencies that bought TV and billboards. Today it mostly means online advertising.

What a media buying agency does

• Strategy: which platforms, what budget, what goal.
• Setup: ad accounts, conversion tracking, campaign structure.
• Running: bids, budgets, audiences, creative tests.
• Reporting: what was spent, what it brought back.

Some also produce the ads. Many don't, and ask you to supply the videos, or subcontract them.

An agency's strengths

A team, therefore capacity: several platforms, large budgets, continuity during holidays. For a brand investing hundreds of thousands a year across five channels, it is often the right choice.

Its limits, especially for a small business

Several intermediaries. You talk to a project manager, who passes it on to the person running the campaigns. The message arrives, but rarely intact.

Shared time. The person running your account often handles many others. A small budget naturally comes after the big ones.

Creative on the side. On Meta, the video is what finds customers. An agency that doesn't produce it depends on another link for its main lever. Andromeda and your creatives.

How to spot a good agency (or freelancer)

1. They tell you who will work on the account, by name.
2. They measure the cost of an enquiry and a customer, not clicks. Cost per lead.
3. They work on your ad account, with your pixel. Business Manager.
4. They publish case studies with numbers, and the method behind them.
5. They don't promise results before seeing your account.
6. They explain how they charge, without mixing ad spend and fees. Billing models.

"The best media buying agency" doesn't exist in the abstract: there is the one that knows your type of customer, your average sale and your area, and has already achieved comparable results.

The alternative: a freelance media buyer

A freelance media buyer does the same job, alone. They run your campaigns themselves and answer you directly. That is my case: I create the videos, run Meta and Google campaigns, and track the cost per enquiry every week, for businesses that sell to consumers.

A freelancer suits a small business that wants one contact and videos made by the same person. An agency suits a brand that needs many channels, a lot of volume, or a dedicated team. Agency, freelancer or in-house.

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Further reading: Freelance media buyer: definition and Hiring a media buyer.

Comparing agencies and freelancers? Book a 30-minute call. I'll tell you honestly whether I am the right choice for your case.