When you decide it’s time to start marketing your business, you should make an important decision: what to choose between in-house versus agency marketing. Both options offer positives and negatives. Explore the pros and cons ahead to prepare for the decision.
Benefits of in-house marketing
In-house marketing requires a company to bring in a staff member well-versed in the many forms of digital marketing to run its campaigns. This individual dedicates his 40-hour workweek to developing marketing efforts to build the brand and work toward marketing goals.
Some of the benefits of bringing in an in-house marketer to run a digital campaign are:
Immersion in company culture
When a company chooses to do in-house marketing instead of going with an agency, the biggest advantage they get is the presence of a person immersed in the company culture. An in-house marketer understands your business and its personality in a unique way.
The person works in a similar environment to other employees, which helps them gain a deeper understanding of the company culture and core values. More than just hearing about those values, he lives them. This unique opportunity is one that only comes with in-house marketing and it is something that an agency cannot fully provide.
Opportunity To Participate In The Process
Another benefit of choosing in-house marketing is that you have more practical opportunities.
An agency creates a plan, executes it, and communicates with the business through each step. With in-house marketing, you can engage in every part of the process, from goal-setting and budgeting to keyword development.
While agencies inform and consider company inputs, they ultimately run the campaign independently. With an in-house employee, there is company input at every stage of the campaign.
Cons of in-house marketing
While there are some legitimate benefits to hiring in-house marketing, you may notice some downsides.
limited knowledge
When you hire one person to run all your digital marketing campaigns, you are limited to the knowledge of that one person. Your campaigns use the input and expertise of just one person, rather than the entire team.
It is rare for a single person to be an expert in all things digital marketing. Often, one person specializes in one method and gets along with the rest. For example, a person may be a pro in search engine optimization, but may not have a lot of experience in paid socials. They can learn and develop their skills, but the paid social prospect will not perform like SEO for that business.
Costs
Another downside of in-house marketing is cost. Many business owners believe that an agency is cheaper in-house because of management fees – but an in-house employee requires a salary.
You must pay the employee’s salary and most likely provide benefits. This is an expensive undertaking, as most marketing positions require a degree and experience, so the required salary proves to be huge. The current average starting salary for an in-house marketing manager is around $50,000.
Read Also: How to do Local SEO in 7 Easy Steps
Pros of Agency Marketing
When a business decides to hire a marketing agency to handle its digital marketing campaigns, it sees a lot of advantages. The agencies have combined decades of experience and well-versed workers in multiple digital marketing areas. Here are some of the advantages of hiring a digital marketing agency:
Wide Expertise
The most notable advantage of hiring a professional agency is the combined experience and scope of expertise that agency specialists provide. Agencies appoint officers in their area. Instead of having one expert handling every part of your marketing campaign, agencies provide an expert in each section.
An agency typically provides the following professionals:
- Account Manager
- Analyst
- Copywriter
- Graphic Designer
- Website Developer
All these experts come with a price. The amount of collaboration and the mosaic of experience creates the best possible campaign for every aspect of your digital marketing efforts.
Cost Savings
Most companies see cost savings when they decide to hire an agency instead of keeping the marketing in-house. This is more realistic for small and medium-sized businesses, and for those companies, hiring an agency is generally more cost-effective and produces better results.
Agencies are highly motivated to retain clients and work hard to ensure that your account grows, as their success is largely linked to your success.
Cons of Agency Marketing
While the advantages of hiring an agency are enough to motivate most companies to invest, you should keep a few drawbacks in mind. An agency doesn’t know your business the way an internal employee does, and that lack of immersion can stifle the campaign.
Potential inexperience in your industry
Marketing agencies often divide industries, meaning that one agency may specialize in home and garden-type companies while another concentrates on industrial campaigns. It is important to investigate the agency you choose and make sure they are experienced and have the tools to accurately understand and represent your industry.
For example, a company that sells forklifts may want to avoid working with a marketing agency that only serves clothing store customers. Going with an agency that understands your industry is essential, but finding the proper agency can prove difficult.
Less Time Spent On Your Account
Another potential setback to hiring an agency over hiring an internal employee is that agency employees cannot devote 40 hours a week to your account. But professionals at an agency have the experience to understand how much time your campaign needs.
Keep in mind that more time spent on an account does not automatically translate into better results. Often, giving the campaign time to generate usable data is more beneficial than relocating each time a change occurs.
There are advantages and disadvantages to either option, and you should decide what matters most to your unique business. If you are curious about what a professional SEO agency, paid social and PPC management company can do for you, contact Logical Positions.
We differentiate ourselves because of our comprehensive knowledge and all-encompassing thinking. We successfully manage digital marketing accounts across multiple platforms and industries. We bring in and deliver a growth mindset by leveraging our resources to find the best approach to drive growth for your business. Contact us today for a free, no-commitment consultation.
