Eventually, a growing business reaches a point where it requires a dedicated digital marketing team. And business and marketing leaders often come up with a question; Does hiring an in-house marketing team make more sense? Or is it logical to outsource to a digital marketing agency? Of course, pros and cons accompany both options; for many companies, a hybrid approach may make the most sense. Learn more in our latest post below:
In-House vs. Outsourcing: Which is Better?
Eventually, every growing business reaches the point where it needs a dedicated digital marketing team to ensure a high level of digital footprint and revenue. This option presents CMOs and business leaders with a fundamental decision: Is it more logical to hire in-house experts or to outsource to an external Marketing agency?
This is a question without a clear-cut answer; both in-house experts and digital marketing agencies can provide various strengths and weaknesses. To make the best decision, it’s essential to explore the pros and cons carefully and to make a decision that considers your business needs, goals, and budget.
The Benefits of Hiring an In-House Marketing Manager Expert
To begin with, here are some of the advantages of putting marketing managers and managers on your payroll.
An In-House Expert Offers Easier Access
Since the in-house staff is on your payroll full-time, you’ll have better access to them during regular business hours. For example, if you request an ad hoc report for your next ELT meeting, you can probably have it generated much more expediently than if you had to submit a request to your external agency. Having an in-house manager allows a lot more flexibility and convenience.
Having an In-House Teams Make it Easier to Pivot
Because your in-house experts are more accessible, it also tends to be easier for you to pivot or adapt your strategy. If you need to change your approach to adjust your strategies, you can call for a quick huddle with your internal team. In other words, having an in-house team allows you to be more agile.
Hiring an Internal Team May Be More Cost Effective
Having an in-house marketing team may be a cost-effective option. According to Glassdoor, average marketing manager salaries range from $98,000 – 160,000 plus benefits a year in major cities like Los Angeles, all depending on seniority and experience. Enterprise digital agencies are often more expensive.
An In-House Marketing Manager May Have Deeper Knowledge of the Industry
Different from digital marketing consultants, in-house experts won’t need to balance the needs of multiple clients, so they can focus solely on your field and your company, which might mean they develop an invaluable depth of knowledge. In turn, it can yield more out-of-the-box thinking.
The Advantages of Outsourcing to a Digital Marketing Agency
There are some definite advantages to hiring an internal team, but before you make your final decision, it’s also important to note the benefits of outsourcing to a marketing agency.
With an Agency, You’ll Have Access to a Wider Range of Skills
Remember that when you hire an in-house marketing team, you get generalists who have a decent overall understanding of digital marketing and work on various channels. But some disciplines of digital marketing, like SEO, require specialization, so you may run into scenarios where you could use someone with more specialized SEO expertise. By hiring a performance marketing agency, you can access a broader team of SEO experts and other digital marketing experts.
Outsourcing to an Agency Will Provide More Resources
It’s important to remember that digital marketing consists of several components that require specialized skills and knowledge. For a company to have a successful digital marketing campaign, especially at an enterprise scale, it requires access to the latest technology, intimate knowledge of the latest techniques, and an understanding of the latest trends. Generally, this is where marketing agencies shine. When you outsource, your agency will likely provide you with access to the following:
- Extensive, cutting-edge digital marketing tools
- Advanced dashboard and analytics
- Relationships with copywriters, content creators and bloggers, PR firms, and other key vendors or influencers you may need
- Possible deep enterprise in your field from previous experience
- Streamlined workflows and project management tools
The bottom line: A marketing agency will have all the resources needed to do its job effectively and efficiently and to avoid being stretched too thin.
Enlisting a Marketing Agency Will Help You Avoid Internal Drama
One of the biggest knocks against hiring in-house marketers is that doing so will risk disruption due to office politics. I am not saying there’s no drama or politics in the agency world, but generally, there’s not a lot of room for consultants to get involved in workplace drama. Simply put, they need to stay focused on their assignments and projects to maximize their output and improve efficiency.
Digital Marketing Companies Will Stay on Top of the Latest Trends
The world of digital marketing is evolving all the time because of changes to search engine algorithms, consumer behavior, and the technological landscape. Therefore, it is vital to stay abreast of all the latest developments. An in-house marketing expert can accomplish this to some extent, but a digital marketing firm will have more bandwidth and resources to stay plugged into the industry.
Consider Taking a Hybrid Approach
Using this model, you’ll hire your marketing manager to coordinate the marketing agency, set a vision, and liaise with the rest of the internal teams, such as the sales and product team, to help achieve business goals. The marketing agency will focus on executing the marketing strategy and performing time-intensive tactical work, while the in-house manager can work to coordinate, manage and connect the dots..
In other words, enlisting an external marketing agency can mean something other than replacing your in-house experts. On the contrary, it often makes the most sense to synergize the two, allowing the marketing agency to provide much-needed support to your in-house marketing manager. This hybrid model offers the best results and is the most cost-effectively.
Who Will Be Responsible for Marketing Strategy in a Hybrid Approach
In the hybrid approach, other parties (in-house marketing team or marketing agency) are usually responsible for formulating marketing strategy and roadmap, depending on either party’s skillset or expertise. In this approach, companies bringing a third-party help or consultant may also hire an expert Fractional CMO to be in charge of strategy, specifically in very niche markets where executive experience is necessary. Nowadays, many agencies like Clarity Digital also have Fractional CMOs that can help businesses beyond just formulating a marketing strategy.
Work with Clarity Digital, an Integrated Digital Marketing & Transformation Agency
If you are looking for a digital marketing agency because you want to outsource some or all of your marketing initiatives, Clarity Digital is a great marketing agency to team up with. Our staff are experts in their subject matters and have decades of experience in various fields.
Set up a 15-minute discovery call to see how we can help your business grow and achieve your goals.
