In my opinion, it depends on the type of digital marketing activities you want to run and the size of your business. If you're looking for one-off projects such as setting up an SEO audit, a PPC campaign, or creating content for social media, then using an agency can be a great choice. They have specialist knowledge in each area and will often have access to tools that could save you money down the line. On top of that, with an agency, there is no need to hire anyone in-house so they can represent significant cost savings over taking on a full-time digital marketing manager.
Take the pressure off your internal team and hire a digital marketing agency! An in-house marketing hire might have a basic understanding of marketing concepts and best practices, but hiring an agency gives you access to an entire team of experts. Hiring one person to wear all the marketing hats in-house can also be stressful for them and, in turn, negatively impact your marketing campaigns' results. When working with an agency, you'll have a whole team of people to work with, each with their marketing specialties. This will also simplify processes and organization in your business. You'll have peace of mind knowing all the marketing efforts are happening in one place under one separate team. Having an outsider perspective on marketing efforts from a team of trained individuals can be beneficial in hitting key trends and fresh marketing concepts. An agency's ability to focus on providing strategic marketing insights is a huge draw. They're experts for a reason!
I have been in the marketing world for almost 30 years and I am a big believer that doing in house is the best way to go. You spend more time learning that persons business and going back and fourth then just doing it yourself with the right tools. As a cofounder of SimplyBeFound.com that was the problem we set out to solve and make it more simple for businesses to do their own marketing without tech skills and make it super simple.
Having been on both sides of the coin, the best choice is to have the following hybrid: - An in-house marketer with agency experience. The agency experience is fundamental for getting to a competitive level in marketing. Agency marketers move 10X faster than in-house marketers in both technical and strategic upskilling. You can't compare managing 5-10 accounts vs 1, on any platform. The amount of use cases builds up, as well as accelerates the learning curve due to roadblocks or breakthroughs encountered. The whole agency world is known for being quite fast-moving, yet sometimes toxic, and lack of accountability can be the norm, along with terms like churn and turnover. Yet, large corporations need an agency partner. You'd be surprised by the amount of agency marketers that are looking for in-house marketing opportunities. I would recommend that if you want to get the best out of your next marketing hire, grab someone from the agency world looking for greener, calmer pastures.
Both in-house digital marketing manager and agency options have their pros and cons. Usually, in-house marketers better understand the business and the clients, have more explicit goals and KPIs, and are more committed and reactive when problems arise. On the other hand, agencies have more hands-on experience with different channels, have a strong network and access to influencers, and can decide between multiple agencies and spread out the tasks between them. Usually, it makes sense for smaller businesses to hire an agency or freelancer on a project basis - no need to keep someone on a payroll, no need to invest into various software, and the opportunity to terminate the agreement after the project. However, in the longer term, keeping the marketing function in-house increases the quality, strengthens the brand, and protects intellectual property.
It's all a matter of scale. If your business can support an in-house marketing team, this is likely the best choice, provided that you can hire and retain high quality talent. Ideally, an in-house marketer would be more involved in the day to day operations of the business than an agency. That can have some advantages in terms of messaging and product knowledge. For lots of businesses, though, an in-house marketer is not a great choice. Even a small agency will have more experience and a wider set of skills than any single individual you might hire. Unless you can hire an entire in-house marketing team, you'll often get substantially better value and better-skilled marketers by using an agency. Just make sure to hire an agency that communicates well and understands your business and its industry.
The goal of every business should be to have this capability in house. However, depending on the phase of the company we also understand that is not always possible! While Cure was getting off the ground it absolutely made sense for us to use an agency – efficient and cost effective vs. a full-time headcount. However, as we scaled and we wanted the ability to make changes in real time, it made sense to bring this person in-house to optimize to our daily business needs. We have found that the passion and determination of someone in-house, who thoroughly understands what is going on cross functionally and is personally invested in the brand’s success, outweighs that of an agency every time.
Choosing between an in-house manager and an agency depends on your business's nature, size, culture, and growth stage. B2B companies, with complex products and longer sales cycles, benefit from in-house marketers who understand their specific audience and culture. B2C firms, facing fast-paced markets and vast consumer bases, may find the diverse skills of an agency more advantageous for their broad-reaching and dynamic campaigns. Startups, lacking the resources to recruit and retain top-notch talent, often turn to agencies and their breadth of expertise and flexible costs. In more mature companies, an in-house professional is often beneficial, providing sustained focus and brand-aligned growth. It boils down to the business model you're cultivating and whether you’re investing in growing talent from within or in need of immediate access to expert support. The former builds proprietary knowledge and dedication, while the latter gives you a broad skill set from day one.
This all depends on the business. An in-house digital marketing manager makes sense if you have a simple buyer's journey that doesn't require expert knowledge of several channels. A tree removal service, for example, is likely to do SEO, Google Ads, possibly a little social media, and maybe some outdoor. They don't operate in a super competitive market that would require deep expertise in each channel to compete. A roofing company, on the other hand, would likely need to hire someone with an expert level of SEO and PPC knowledge to get results for a competitive niche like theirs—a person who will cost into the 6 figures. An agency will likely have specialists with deep expertise in each area of a business's marketing; expertise that is likely to be deeper than that of a generalist.
I always prefer an agency who’s heavily involved in your industry with a caveat. There has to be an internal counterpart to any agency. Someone who can be the agency liaison and help with approvals, direction, and advocacy. This will ensure success and accountability across the board.
Hiring an agency for digital marketing provides businesses with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. Agencies have exposure to various industries and clients, allowing them to bring unique insights and creative strategies. They can offer a different viewpoint that may be overlooked when working solely with an in-house team. For example, an agency could introduce a disruptive marketing campaign concept that an in-house team might not have considered. By leveraging the agency's expertise, businesses can tap into a wider range of creative solutions and stay ahead in the competitive market.
It totally depends on the nature of the business and its scalability. It's important to look at specific businesses' needs as an agency may not be able to offer all the features and specificity that an in-house digital marketing manager can offer. For example, if a business needs assistance in content creation, paid ads, email marketing, follow-ups, et cetera, a in-house digital marketer may be the better choice. For those with less needs and a more simple marketing plan, an agency may be a better option. In depth analysis of what a business needs and cost analysis of both options is great way to choose the best suitable options for different businesses types and sizes.
An in-house digital marketing manager who is fully dedicated to your company's unique culture, values, products, customers, and brand can craft truly tailored strategies optimized for your specific needs. With no other client accounts dividing their time and priorities, they can respond faster to emerging opportunities or challenges. A salaried employee is also often more cost-effective long-term than paying an agency's fees indefinitely, and marketing spend can be managed more efficiently internally. Additionally, institutional knowledge is retained when marketing is handled in-house, allowing your manager to learn and grow with your company over time. An agency may offer experience and breadth of expertise, but the focus, dedication, and alignment with your company's specific goals that an in-house marketer provides will likely outweigh any benefits of an agency relationship for most small and mid-size businesses.
In my professional experience, the decision often hinges on the scale of the business, the complexity of marketing needs, and the available budget. For larger enterprises with extensive marketing demands and a commitment to maintaining an internal team, an in-house digital marketing manager may be the preferred choice. Conversely, smaller or growing businesses that prioritize cost efficiency, flexibility, and access to a diverse skill set may find that engaging a digital marketing agency aligns more closely with their goals. I've seen successful outcomes with both models, and the key is aligning the chosen approach with the overarching business strategy and objectives. Ultimately, the best choice is one that aligns with the unique requirements of the business, its growth trajectory, and the desired level of control over marketing efforts.
As a seasoned CEO in tech, I believe the decision to hire an in-house digital marketing manager or use an agency hinges on the landscape of your business goals. Opt for an in-house manager if you prize close interactions and bespoke solutions. But, if your game plan is to tap into wider expertise and get diverse marketing angles, consider an agency. It's a balance act - matching your ambitions with the right personnel or partner.
I firmly believe that having an in-house team is consistently preferable. During my tenure as a Digital Marketing Manager, a significant aspect of my responsibilities involved overseeing an external agency. Unfortunately, recurrent challenges arose due to their limited understanding of the brand. It's crucial to note a fundamental distinction: agency personnel operate on billable hours, often having as little as 15 minutes to generate a social media graphic with the primary objective of completing the task swiftly. On the contrary, in-house employees bear full accountability to senior management, fostering greater motivation to excel in their roles with the anticipation of career advancement.
The best choice between hiring an in-house digital marketing manager and using an agency depends largely on the specific needs and resources of the business. For a company like JetLevel Aviation, where tailored and consistent brand messaging is critical, an in-house digital marketing manager could be the best choice. They can fully immerse themselves in the brand, develop deep relationships with the rest of the team, and respond quickly to changes in strategy or the market. On the other hand, an agency might provide a broader range of expertise and be a cost-effective solution for businesses needing a variety of services without the bandwidth to manage them all internally. Ultimately, the decision should be based on the strategic importance of digital marketing to the business and the complexity of its marketing campaigns.
There are many factors to consider when approaching the question of who is the best option to do the SEO for your company. You need to look at your budget and the amount of SEO work that you need to be done. Sometimes it may be more cost-efficient to outsource the assistance you need to get the work done. Outsourcing is also a good idea if you are a small business or have a small team. On the other hand, if you have an expendable budget to add an SEO manager onto your payroll or if you are a big business that needs a lot of SEO work done that ranges from copywriting, site optimization, and link building. Hiring a team of SEO specialists will be a good idea. There are also specific agencies that are tailored to certain SEO aspects that you can outsource – like digital agencies that are designed just for conducting link-building campaigns on behalf of the client. You need to look at your company's needs and budgets before deciding.
While a decision will be based on various factors—including budget, growth stage and industry—I would advocate for bringing digital marketing in-house as soon as possible. Agencies can have more experience with similar businesses, and be better equipped with best practice and specialist expertise to achieve goals. On the flip side, depending on how much you’re investing on a retainer (or the size of the agency), your account may not always get the attention needed to take performance to the next level, meaning campaigns may not hit their full potential. Having a digital marketer in-house builds deeper organizational knowledge around your customers, your market, and your product, and how to connect all of these effectively through targeted campaigns and messaging. As your business scales, this knowledge becomes a multiplier for boosting sales and marketing activity across the business, offering a wider ROI over time than outsourcing entirely to an agency,
Using an agency for digital marketing offers businesses scalability in resources and access to specialized expertise. Agencies have diverse skill sets and experience across industries, allowing them to bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. For example, a business launching a new product can tap into the agency's network, benefiting from their connections and established platforms. Additionally, agencies often invest in advanced tools and technologies, providing access to superior analytics and data insights. This option allows businesses to focus on core competencies while leveraging the agency's capabilities.