'should we outsource to an agency or hire in-house for marketing support?'

This is a question I get at least 3x a week, so I figured I'd write it here so that I don't have to keep repeating myself.

For those of you that are new here or need a bit more of clarification, 'hiring internally' or 'hiring in-house' refers to hiring an employee to handle all the marketing initiatives you're looking to use to grow your business. Outsourcing to an agency simply means you pay an agency to take over those marketing initiatives instead.

Both have their pros and cons (we're getting there) but at the end of the day, it all comes down to your preference, budget, and time. (Although if you look closely, you'll notice all big brands and successful companies always have agencies outsourced)

Let's break it down:

pros of hiring an in-house employee/team

• You have full control of who handles marketing for your organization and how they do it
• A team that's familiar with your business cultures, monitored closely to comply
• Ease of communication
• Marketing and sales are both under one roof

cons of hiring an in-house employee/team

• The processes of advertising, interviewing, and hiring the right candidates take time and resources
• The overhead of salaries, benefits, equipment, and intangibles adds up
• It can be burdensome to manage
• Limited expertise, skills and resources–especially with newer hires
• If someone quits, the impact on the company can be massive, costing up to 33% of that employee's salary simply to find a replacement

pros of outsourcing to an agency

• Yields an entire team of experts for less than a standard salary
• Agencies have everything they need to jump in and solve your immediate needs
• They have worked on various projects and can easily yield better results
• Agencies have access to the latest marketing tools, trends, and software
• As a client, you pay for exactly what you need. There are no expenses for individuals who are not directly contributing
• More hands off–it is a collaborative effort with less involvement

cons of outsourcing to an agency

• Agencies need more time to become familiar with your company's culture
• Requires a large amount of trust and relinquishing control of marketing activities
• Agencies are not as immediately available for geographical access or communication. A good agency is proactive with their communication (hi) while having strict client boundaries in place

So if you were to ask me, I'd say agencies just make more sense–but, of course, that's not *always* the case.

If you're ready to work with a skilled agency, let's talk!