Hire a Senior Digital Marketing Specialist Directly
If you’re evaluating whether to hire an agency, an in-house marketer, or a specialized freelance expert, this page is written for you. I’m not going to pretend agencies are always wrong or that in-house hires don’t make sense — they often do. But for a specific segment of businesses, working with a senior freelance specialist delivers better outcomes at lower cost than either alternative. Here’s when that’s true, and how the arrangement works.
Why Hire a Freelance Specialist?
Direct access. You work with me. No account manager layer, no strategy-vs-execution handoffs, no “let me check with the team and get back to you.” Every question gets answered by the person running your campaigns.
No overhead tax. Agencies charge for offices, junior staff, biz-dev teams, and partner margins. A specialist operates lean — most of your fee goes to actual work on your account, not to infrastructure you don’t benefit from.
Faster decisions. No internal alignment meetings, no approval chains. When a campaign needs an urgent pivot, I make the call in 15 minutes — not three business days.
Flexible engagement. Scope up, scope down, pause, restart. No long-term contracts holding you hostage. Month-to-month by default.
Agency vs. Freelance Specialist
| Feature | Traditional Agency | Keshab Joshi |
|---|---|---|
| Who does your work? | Junior staff, rotating | Me, directly |
| Who you talk to | Account manager | Me, directly |
| Typical retainer (AU/US) | $3,000–10,000 AUD/month | Fraction of that |
| Contract length | 6–12 months minimum | Month-to-month |
| Reports | Designed to justify retainer | Designed to show business impact |
| Strategy ownership | Senior, doesn’t execute | Same person does both |
| Response time | Next business day | Same day (usually same hour) |
When a Freelance Specialist Is Right
- You’re a founder/marketing lead at a small-to-mid market business (USD 5M–50M revenue)
- Your paid media budget is NPR 100k–10L/month (or equivalent)
- You want senior-level thinking without agency bloat
- You’re comfortable with direct relationships and less formal reporting
- You value flexibility over institutional process
When It’s Not Right
- You need 24/7 coverage with backup contacts
- Your paid media budget is USD 100k+/month (specialist bandwidth becomes a real constraint)
- You need integrated creative production, dev, PR, and media under one roof
- Your procurement requires 50+ person vendors
Services Available
- SEO Services — retainer or project-based
- Google Ads Management — monthly retainer
- Meta Ads Management — monthly retainer
- Google Ads Audit — one-time
- Meta Ads Audit — one-time
- SEO Audit — one-time
- Consulting calls — hourly, for strategy and diagnosis
How to Get Started
- Book a discovery call — 30 minutes, free, no pitch. Understand your business and where I can help.
- Receive a proposal — scope, fee, timeline within 48 hours.
- Start — kickoff within a week. First deliverables in 2–4 weeks depending on engagement.
Ready to discuss your needs?
Book a discovery call — no pitch, just clarity on whether we're a fit. Book a strategy call or message me directly on WhatsApp. I respond within 4 business hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you full-time on my account?+
No — as a specialist, I work across a small, deliberately limited client roster (typically 4–8 active clients). Each gets focused attention but I’m not your employee.
What’s your capacity?+
I accept new clients selectively. When full, I refer or waitlist. Better to deliver great work for 6 clients than mediocre work for 20.
Can you scale with me?+
Yes, through layered specialists. As accounts scale beyond my direct capacity, I bring in trusted partners for creative, dev, or additional platform specialists — but coordination remains with me.
How do you handle taking on and dropping clients?+
Month-to-month by default — you can leave whenever. I reserve the right to do the same if an engagement isn’t a fit. Transparent communication either way.