When it comes to marketing, there are lots of things to consider: the strategy, the messaging, the creative, the platforms, the implementation, who will actually be responsible for the output and for the management…
The list is extensive and there are many ways this work can be assigned to suit requirements and budgets, whether this be by hiring in-house or outsourcing to a marketing agency.
The decision of agency vs in-house is a tricky one and there are pros and cons to each. We know that as a marketing agency ourselves, we have a bias, but at the end of the day, the decision really does depend on the individual company and their goals, and it’s important to choose a marketing route that suits your business best.
In this article, we take a look at the benefits of both in-house marketing and outsourcing to an agency to see how they compare. If this is something you’ve been debating, keep on reading to find out more!
Ideation
AGENCY: BRAINSTORMING.
Two heads are better than one, and eight are even better. Working with a larger team allows you to bounce ideas off of each other and come up with some fresh concepts to capture the attention of your target audience.
Not only that, but an agency offers the benefit of a completely unbiased view which will help keep a critical eye on the strategy and deliverables and ensure that everything aligns in a way that makes sense to someone outside of the business. A fresh pair (or multiple pairs) of eyes can offer a great perspective on your campaign too.
IN-HOUSE: BRAND KNOWLEDGE.
With someone working in-house, you have more control over your projects, as well as the reassurance that ideas haven’t been done before or, at least, build on something that worked well before. Your in-house team has the advantage of knowing your brand through and through and therefore, should make the ideation process much easier.
Skills
AGENCY: VARIED SKILLS.
One of the main benefits of working with an agency is that you have a whole team of experts at your disposal, offering a wide and in-depth knowledge of marketing that you can tap into as and when you need. Need a social media campaign? Work with a strategist on the campaign plan, a content writer for the copy and a graphic designer for the visuals – a whole team for one project. Think of an agency as a well-rounded team of experts in every field to ensure a high-quality output every time.
IN-HOUSE: NICHE SKILLS.
When you hire in-house, you have the opportunity to hire someone with a very specific skill set that is perfect for a gap you have in your team or for a specific sector you’re working in. This works particularly well for large teams that need an extra pair of hands but is less effective for a small team as one person can’t know and/or do everything.
Speed of Delivery/Communication
AGENCY: SET WAY OF WORKING.
Agencies are used to working to deadlines and producing high-quality work that fits the brief. Their expert teams have lots of experience working with clients in a range of sectors but to do this, they need to manage their time effectively which means they won’t always be able to pick up your last-minute project or deadline. That being said, if you work closely with an agency as part of your team, you will be able to plan this sort of thing much better and ensure all deadlines are met with ease.
IN-HOUSE: EASY COMMUNICATION.
In-house staff are much easier to communicate with, especially if you’re working together in an office. This way you can more easily plan for deadlines and any last minute changes that might be needed on a deliverable.
Scalability
AGENCY: AS AND WHEN.
Depending on your relationship with your marketing agency, you usually have two options: a regular rolling contract, or a short fixed-term contract. The latter is perfect for ad-hoc work, i.e. when you have just a bit too much work for one person but not enough to hire someone new. Additionally, agency teams are already skilled in their field of expertise and are used to jumping on projects whenever needed, regardless of the project size.
IN-HOUSE: ON-DEMAND.
If you have a decent amount of work needed consistently, and it would be enough for one person to manage full-time, hiring in-house is a no-brainer. You are then able to hire the team you want/need and offer training in areas you value to get everyone’s skills up to your desired specifications.
Cost
AGENCY: MANY FOR THE COST OF ONE.
As mentioned, with an agency you work with the whole team – which is great for ideation but also for cost. For the same budget as the salary of an employee, you can get a whole team working on your campaign for the price of one staff member. Not only this, but you can be flexible with your services and only pay for what you need.
IN-HOUSE: COMPANY INVESTMENT.
If the pros of an in-house staff member outweigh the pros of outsourcing, then you should see this cost as a great company investment. You’ll need to be aware of increased costs with promotions and hiring to expand your internal marketing team, but if the marketing goes well, this will pay for itself!
So there we have it, our comparison of working with marketing agencies vs hiring in-house. As you’ll see, there are pros to both, and really it depends on the size of your business, what campaigns you have coming up and the amount and type of work required.
There are many ways you can work with an agency: from monthly retainers to manage parts of, or all of, your marketing campaign, design work production, or even a shorter-term campaign you need some extra support with.
Hopefully this article was useful for your decision making process. If you’d like to discuss your marketing requirements – whether they be small or large scale – please get in touch with the team at Clockwise Marketing today. We’d love to see how we can work together and help you achieve your goals.