and A quarter of small business leaders You've recently claimed to have outsourced some or all of your marketing strategy to a third-party team, but is it time to switch up your own business processes?
In the most competitive era ever for online brands, a huge debate continues between in-house marketing and agency marketing. Many people worry about losing their brand's voice and losing control when outsourcing their campaigns, but with quick SEO success and a team of third-party experts who can do the job effectively, Some people prioritize
“When it comes to marketing, companies are faced with a never-ending dilemma of whether to hire an in-house marketer or contract with a marketing agency,” says Owen Garitti, founder of FPW Media. .
“While proponents of in-house marketers may argue that it is more cost-effective and personalized, the reality is that working with a marketing agency is something that many companies do not consider. It has many advantages.”
With this in mind, we take the latest marketing discussions seriously. We'll explain the pros and cons of agency outsourcing and help you decide how to take the next step in your business growth journey.
Will more companies outsource their marketing efforts in 2024?
How many small businesses will choose to outsource their marketing activities in 2024?
As online brands brace for increased pressure from consumers to create fresh, personalized campaigns at lightning speed, many are turning to agency specialists to further enhance their strategies. No wonder.
Let's look at the statistics. In 2024, his 46% of marketing activities will be outsourced to external providers, up from just 25% in 2020. Meanwhile, 45% of companies chose to build their own in-house marketing team instead.
(Image source: marketing week)
However, the debate about whether agency marketing or in-house marketing is best for marketing small businesses continues, as there is no clear front-runner.
In response, we've prepared a guide on how to make the right choice for your own brand, weighing the pros and cons of agency versus in-house so you don't have to.
Agency vs. in-house: how to make the right choice
Whether you're leaning toward building your own in-house marketing team or preparing to outsource your first online campaign, consider the pros and cons of both processes before making a big decision for your business. is important.
Strong marketing can make or break a brand. Creative online content, social strategies, and innovative campaigns can help increase brand awareness and, more importantly, get your target audience talking.
Before you start working on your first marketing campaign, ask yourself these questions:
- Do you or your team have experience running successful marketing campaigns?
- Do you have the skills and resources needed to realize your vision?
- Do you have the budget to hire in-house experts to move your marketing team forward?
While it's important to weigh the risks associated with partnering with a professional marketing agency, brands that aren't confident in their own marketing capabilities or are simply new to the field may want to consider both options thoroughly. Don't commit to an in-house approach before researching.
Advantages of hiring an agency
First, let's discuss the benefits small businesses can gain by outsourcing their marketing activities to an agency.
Marketing agencies are third-party teams of professionals who help clients create engaging campaigns for their customers. As the market for agency marketing grows, brands can now choose to work with a competitive all-rounder or set their sights on an SEO specialist or social media content master.
Depending on which areas of your marketing strategy you want to improve, you can outsource your entire campaign or hire an expert to fine-tune the edges.
Some of the benefits of hiring an agency include:
Professional skills and resources
It's no surprise that a professional marketing agency has access to the best resources on the market. Agency marketers are not only more capable of optimizing and customizing campaigns, they are experts in their field and have extensive data from existing clients and more information on the best direction for branding. Provide knowledge.
“Using an agency gives you access to a whole team with diverse skills, from copywriting and PPC campaigns to graphic design and videography,” says Simon Kings, author of The Digital Marketing Handbook. North says. “Very few companies need these roles to be filled by full-time or long-term part-time team members.A marketing agency has everything you need without the hassle of hiring and managing your dream team. No additional work is required.
To continue creating successful campaigns, our agency team stays up-to-date on current industry trends, viral content formats, and of course, competitor monitoring. The ability to proactively predict niche trends, combined with expertise and high-quality resources, makes agency marketers an unstoppable force when it comes to creating killer girlfriend campaigns.
Improved scalability
If your product or service takes off, your online business can grow exponentially in a matter of months. If you're using an in-house team for your marketing efforts, you're putting more strain on your employees to keep up with growing consumer demand, which can be expensive if you need to hire.
Scaling up your business is much easier for those who outsource their marketing to an agency. By owning a third-party team, you have access to as many specialists as you need, and you can increase or decrease their workload depending on how your business is performing.
Access to established networks
“Marketing agencies typically have a wide network of contacts and relationships within the industry. This established network provides access to new opportunities and resources, leading to more impactful marketing strategies.” said Owen Garitti, founder of FPW Media.
For example, if you want to build links on a competing domain, hire a professional SEO agency such as: sorbide Gain access to hundreds of publications and top blogs with which the agency already has established relationships.
Rather than relying on countless hours of in-house support, a professional marketing agency has the skills, resources, and connections you need to easily forge new partnerships.
What challenges might you face?
Outsourcing your marketing to an agency takes the pressure off and can help your small business quickly achieve successful campaigns.
However, there are some risks to consider before partnering with a third-party brand.
- Lack of niche understanding: Agencies are great all-rounders when it comes to creating successful marketing campaigns, but they may not be familiar with every niche industry. As a result, campaigns often don't resonate with your target audience or struggle to generate the right leads.
- Lack of communication: If you employ an in-house team of marketers, you'll be in constant communication and can participate in every step of campaign creation. When you choose a third-party agency, you lose the ability to choose how your external team collaborates, and you must rely on them to stay informed and meet deadlines.
- Hidden costs: Before entrusting your next marketing campaign to a third-party agency, be sure to choose one with a set fee structure and a defined scope of work. If not, at the end of the campaign you may be asked to pay hidden costs that were unclear when you signed up.
In-house selection
If you have a larger budget and a team with experience creating engaging campaigns, you may also choose an in-house marketing strategy.
Although this can be costly, some companies prefer an in-house approach to ensure they have control over the direction of their campaigns and maintain a voice as a brand.
Here are some of the benefits you can get by keeping your marketing activities in-house.
Improved brand management and collaboration
While it may be tempting to outsource your marketing efforts to an agency, you lose control over how your campaigns and links are created.
“Having a dedicated team as part of your business means you can directly manage and monitor your marketing campaigns on a personal level. Agencies may not be able to provide this level of instant communication,” says Kings. North says
In-house teams not only gain a deeper understanding of their target audience, but also gain more knowledge about the company's values and short- and long-term goals. This will equip you to create a marketing strategy that perfectly aligns with the direction you want your business to take.
Maintain your brand voice
Unless you enlist the help of an agency that specializes in your industry niche, they will struggle to emulate your brand's authentic voice within the content they create.
In-house teams are more likely to create campaigns that truly align with your audience.
This authentic voice is often what you need to build trust with your target leads and foster loyalty with your existing customers.
Is there a financial risk to internal marketing?
By hiring an in-house marketing team, companies can save on some of the more tactical elements such as agency service fees, but at the cost of facing the financial challenges of hiring new employees. Masu.
Your business's revenue will fluctuate during the first few years of your business. This means that while your profits may be increasing at one moment, your profits may be decreasing at the next moment.
This alone poses challenges for small and medium-sized startups investing in internal hiring.
While it's easy to scale back agency-based marketing efforts, it's much more difficult to deal with potential layoffs. This is why many people choose an agency-based approach to their marketing efforts until their company is established.
If you're looking to build an in-house marketing team, you'll need to factor these additional salary payments into your spending early in the process.
conclusion
The bottom line is that it's up to you to decide how you approach your marketing efforts.
Both agency and in-house approaches have advantages and disadvantages. However, we recommend researching both thoroughly before choosing.
The world of marketing is constantly evolving, so it's important to consider the best path forward in a busy competitive environment.
