In-House vs. Outsourced Marketing Services

Are you weighing up whether to hire a full-time marketing employee or outsource to an external Digital Marketing Agency? The ‘in-house vs. outsourced marketing services’ debate is certainly an issue that business owners have deliberated over for many years … and probably will continue to do so for many more years to come.

We’ll cut to the chase now before getting into the crux of it all; there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The mere fact of the matter is it all boils down to the needs and objectives of the individual company.

However, the ongoing debate continues to linger because there are pros and cons coupled with both alternatives. Consequently, it is important to evaluate your options thoroughly before making an informed decision on what will work best for you and your business.

We’ve scrutinised and dissected both marketing options to help you determine the right solution for you.

In-house vs. outsourced digital marketing services

In-house marketing pros and cons

The obvious advantage to hiring an in-house marketing person is they are equipped and ready at your service when and where you need them. They have the ability to offer a fast turn-around of work and the fact that their sole focus is on you, and only you, that makes them so desirable.

In-house marketers also boast the advantage of having a comprehensive understanding of the day to day operations of your business and its vision, mission and goals. They should be familiar with your current processes and procedures and, assumingly, have an incentive to see your business succeed.

In saying that, there will always be a period of adjustment when hiring a new employee. Learning the ropes of a new marketing role can take time, whereas a professional marketing agency can use their experience to jump right into growing your business immediately.

Furthermore, finding the right person to take on a role requires more than just posting an ad online. Recruitment is a process that takes time and energy away from your business and it can take a few newcomers before you find the perfect employee for the role.

Outsourced digital marketing pros and cons

If you’re looking for best quality and the most flexible approach, outsourcing is the superior solution. With a professional agency, you can guarantee that you will be working alongside a competent team of experts with the right knowledge, skills and experience to fulfill your marketing requirements. Conversely, finding an in-house employee who is capable of running your social media, has proficient copywriting skills, is SEO trained, can create compelling online marketing and email campaigns and can design and edit multimedia is – well – optimistic to say the very least.

And now let’s talk money.

Any sensible Director should carefully consider the expenses involved with both marketing options. While outsourcing comes at a standard agency cost, you only bring in the professionals when you need them. This fee certainly doesn’t bear the weight of an employees’ full-time marketing wage, especially if they’re sat twiddling their thumbs most days.

Digital Marketing Agencies are also likely to have experience working with businesses just like yours. They should keep up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in the industry (if they don’t – they aren’t worth appointing!) so they are almost guaranteed to generate good results.

If you are a big corporation with the means to a larger marketing budget, you may wish to pursue both options. Once you have considered your business model, marketing budget and existing resources, you should start to see a clearer picture of what the best option is for you.

But, in our opinion, sometimes it’s just best just to leave it to the experts. 😉

Summary Pros & Cons

In-house

Pros:

• Available full time
• Involved in day-to-day operations
• Fast communication and turn-around of work

Cons:

• Expensive hire
• Limited range or skill sets
• Lack of resources
• Monotonous perspective

Agency

Pros

• More cost effective
• Wider skill base covering content writing, campaign management, design, web, strategy etc.
• Expect high-quality results from a wealth of experience
• Less management involved
• Saves time
• More flexible i.e. you only use the service when you need it
• Get an unbiased viewpoint

Cons

• Risk of hiring incompetent marketers – choose wisely!
• Not focused solely on your business