From asking a consultant for their advice to taking specific factors into account, here are 12 answers to the question, “Can you share your most helpful tips for how a brand can decide whether they should leave their marketing efforts in-house or hire an agency?”
- Hire a Consultant to Get Unbiased Feedback
- Define Your Expansion Goals
- Map Out Skills and Competencies
- Evaluate Your Long-term Goals
- Look at the Previous Years’ Marketing Success
- Review Access to Tools and Tech
- Conduct a Cost-benefit Analysis
- Ask if You Are Willing to Give Up Control
- Adopt a Hybrid Approach
- Seek DEI Expertise
- Go Where the Ideas Are
- Weigh Control, Creativity, Resources, and Goals
Hire a Consultant to Get Unbiased Feedback
For brands unsure of whether to bring their marketing in-house or stay with an agency, one valuable tip is to consider commissioning a consultant to conduct research. This can provide strategic insights into the company’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as what resources are necessary for a successful venture.
The consultant would provide unbiased feedback on the benefits, risks, and costs of maintaining the status quo versus taking marketing in-house or signing with an agency. Additionally, advice on how best to structure arrangements for success should also be offered.
Through this approach, brands can make informed decisions without depending upon either internal or external counsel alone.
Michael Alexis, CEO, swag.org
Define Your Expansion Goals
Going with an agency should always be a stopgap measure unless you find yourself with extremely specialized needs regularly or without the means to hire and train an effective marketing team.
In all other circumstances, especially if you think you are likely to expand soon, look to rip off the band-aid early and develop an in-house marketing and communications function that will scale with you into the future.
Do an audit of your current needs versus your current skills, what needs you see down the line that your agency is doing for you now, and put a hiring plan against it—if it seems like it would be too difficult, stay with the agency but start upskilling.
Dragos Badea, CEO, Yarooms
Map Out Skills and Competencies
The question of in-housing is one that is determined less by budget and more by the breadth and depth of competencies your marketing plan requires. Ultimately, there are two vectors on which marketing value is measured: cost and quality.
It’s that second vector that should guide whether your budget is best spent with an agency. The broader the set of skills, channels, and formats your marketing plan relies upon, the greater the value you receive from the fractional nature of agency competencies. That is to say, if you need content producers, advertisers, filmmakers, and web developers to bring a campaign to life, the cost of hiring and facilitating such a diverse group often outweighs the quality output.
Conversely, if your marketing strategy is based around a select few high-performance channels, it’s easier to access economies of scale with a full-time, in-house resource. So, be sure to build an accurate map of skills and competencies before deciding.
Chris Martin, Chief Marketing Officer, FlexMR
Evaluate Your Long-term Goals
While bringing marketing in-house may provide more control over marketing efforts and cost savings, it may also require significant time, money, and talent investments, such as hiring and training staff, investing in marketing technology, and managing the ongoing costs of marketing campaigns.
On the other hand, outsourcing marketing to an agency can offer a range of benefits, including specialized expertise, industry knowledge, and more efficient use of resources. This can also allow the business to focus on its core competencies and strategic business goals.
Ultimately, the decision to bring marketing in-house or work with an agency will depend on the unique needs and goals of the business. It’s important to carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of both options and choose the approach that aligns with the company’s long-term goals.
Shane McEvoy, MD, Flycast Media
Look at the Previous Years’ Marketing Success
The best solution to any problem is to consider the information to form a more informed decision. Therefore, in order to resolve the conundrum around brand marketing choices, a business must review the data from the preceding two years and evaluate the success rate in order to make any progress in its endeavor to update marketing plans.
If a marketing agency was in charge of all marketing activities, the brand would need to know whether the agency properly represented it and whether the marketing initiatives were adequate for the brand’s bright future. If the agency has not followed through on its promise to accomplish marketing objectives to increase the popularity of the brand, then in-house marketing should be given a shot.
Cynthia Hamilton, Marketing Director, OGLF
Review Access to Tools and Tech
Today, tools and technology pretty much spearhead marketing efforts. With in-house teams, there are severe restrictions for the onboarding of new marketing tools. Budgetary restraints disallow companies from investing too much in marketing tools. This restraint is even justified by their restricted use (considering that a single brand only has so many campaigns inspired by new marketing ideas and innovations).
When we talk of an agency, there’s no limit to how much an agency can spend on new tools and platforms. After all, access to new technology translates to better-performing campaigns for their string of clients. And the better their performance, the more clients they will see lining up.
So if your brand can make do with limited tech, build an in-house marketing team. But if it’s a high level of creative innovation you seek, an agency is the best bet.
Brendan McGreevy, Head of Strategy, Affinda
Conduct a Cost-benefit Analysis
To conduct a cost-benefit analysis, the brand should first identify the specific marketing tasks they need to accomplish, such as social media management, content creation, or advertising.
They should then estimate the costs of hiring an in-house team to handle these tasks, including salaries, benefits, overhead, and training expenses. They should also evaluate the costs of working with an agency, including fees, contract terms, and additional expenses.
Next, the brand should consider the potential benefits of each approach. In-house marketing teams may offer greater control and flexibility, as well as more direct access to the brand’s internal knowledge and expertise. Conversely, agencies may provide specialized skills, industry insights, and a broader range of resources.
Jason Moss, President and Co-Founder, Moss Technologies
Ask if You Are Willing to Give Up Control
There are pros and cons to leaving your marketing in-house or handing it to an agency, but what you should always consider before choosing an agency is whether you will give up control.
There are several components that remain within your purview when marketing in-house that can cover everything from creative control to accessibility, and each of these has the potential to be sore spots once that control is relinquished.
Considering whether you wish to hand the wheel to an outside agency that will make most of the decisions on the style of your marketing, the timing of promotions, and the messaging of your brand, is critical before taking that leap.
Going with an agency can be a good choice, but it is important to understand that in doing so, decisions will no longer be made in proximity, and you must accept that reality.
Mackenzie Whalen, Marketing Director, E1011 Labs
Adopt a Hybrid Approach
Whether you should outsource your marketing or keep it in-house depends on your growth objectives, marketing budget, target industry, and company culture. Outsourced marketing is a cost-efficient way to bring new skills and expertise to your company. An outsourced marketing team can help you implement better growth strategies and leverage the latest marketing tools—which is essential for keeping up with the competition.
On the other hand, having an internal team is crucial if you want to maintain control over your marketing. Although they may cost you more, in-house marketers are also easier to supervise, manage, and communicate with.
My advice for brands that can’t decide between outsourced vs. in-house marketing is to adopt a hybrid approach. You don’t have to limit yourself by choosing one option over the other. You can maximize your marketing success by taking advantage of outsourced marketing while also having an in-house team.
Vito Vishnepolsky, Founder and Director, Martal Group
Seek DEI Expertise
DEI marketing experts? Then bring it in-house. If not, then go with an agency that does. DO NOT settle for an agency that does not have the provability of DEI measurable effectiveness, consciousness, and the right lived experience across the team to bring you the most relevant and effective strategies to their recommendations and work.
If an agency doesn’t have DEI marketing or communications experts as part of your account, that is a disservice to you and you deserve better.
Kim Clark, DEI Communications Speaker and Consultant, Kim Clark Communications, Inc.
Go Where the Ideas Are
Marketing is all about lining up refreshing ideas and executing them optimally. An in-house team, with restrictions ranging from tools and think tanks to a limited range of projects, will have its own limitations when developing new marketing ideas.
On the other hand, an agency works with highly creative people who are driven to develop groundbreaking creatives and are also offered the flexibility to come up with the most innovative ideas. These agencies even have an exciting collection of unused ideas that may not have suited a particular brand but are ingenious and impactful nonetheless.
From creative ideas ranging from how to latch onto social media trends and hashtags to ideas of how to explore the preferences of an audience and cater to their senses, at an agency, it’s all about coming up with the best ideas. So if your brand requires a constant pool of thoughts and you think an in-house team may fall short, heading to an agency is the best resort.
Ariav Cohen, VP of Marketing and Sales, Proprep
Weigh Control, Creativity, Resources, and Goals
As an expert in the marketing industry, my tip for brands that are unsure whether to bring their marketing in-house or stick with an agency is to consider the level of control they want over their marketing efforts.
Bringing marketing in-house can provide complete control over the creative process and execution while working with an agency can bring fresh perspectives and ideas. Ultimately, the decision should be based on the specific needs and goals of the brand, considering factors such as budget, resources, and long-term objectives.
Yevhen Koplyk, Head of Marketing, WiserBrand
