In-House vs. Agency Marketing: What You Need To Know

An in-house marketing team is comprised of the business’s own employees, usually known as the marketing or PR department. An agency is an external company that provides your business with any and all marketing services. 

Both options have their own set of pros and cons – it is up to the company to decide which option is best for their needs. Below you will find several factors that might help you choose between the two. 

Agencies possess skills and expertise. 

When working with an agency, you are truly getting the best of the best. Agencies are known for their skills and expertise in the digital marketing field. 

A majority of in-house marketing teams can not perform to the level of marketing agencies. This is especially true for small businesses with a small staff that does not have the time or resources to cover all marketing needs, or might not even know where to begin. 

An agency, on the other hand, knows exactly what to do from the start. Based on the needs of the brand, an agency can decide what tactics are best, successfully implement those strategies, and monitor performance. 

Given past experiences with a variety of clients, marketing agencies will have previous knowledge regarding what works and what does not. This will save valuable time and money compared to in-house teams that will have to start from scratch and learn along the way. 

Since agencies deal solely with marketing efforts, they are consistently learning the latest and greatest marketing trends, which they can then pass on to your brand. Agencies also deal with a variety of businesses in different industries, which helps them stay creative and innovative. In-house teams that only focus on one brand can easily get tunnel vision and lose sight of what is important. An agency with a fresh pair of eyes serves to revitalize and strengthen a brand. 

In-house teams offer full control and focus. 

Compared to an external agency with dozens of other clients, an in-house team will be focused entirely on your brand alone. 

Since they are company employees, they already know the ins and outs of the brand, including mission, history, and goals. Not only do they understand the brand itself, they understand products, services, competitors, audience, and all other factors that would influence marketing efforts. 

An agency would need to be brought up to speed about the company in order to stay consistent with the brand message. 

In addition to creative control, choosing an in-house marketing team also gives businesses control over team members. It provides an opportunity to build a diverse team, consisting of different races, genders, ages, and backgrounds. This diversity is necessary when building a brand that can represent and speak to all customers, regardless of cultural, ethnic, or racial differences. 

When working with a marketing agency, you might get the same level of diversity, but you are not able to control or build your own team. Instead, you are assigned one. 

Agencies provide better access to marketing tools. 

When small businesses think of marketing agencies, they think of high costs. While an in-house team might be somewhat cheaper than outsourcing, it does not provide you with all the tools that an agency would. These tools can include analytics, content creation software, management software, automation tools, and so much more.  

These marketing tools all come at a cost, which means you might even end up spending more money than you would have on an external agency. A marketing agency will already have these tools on hand, and more importantly, will know how to use them.

Better communication with in-house teams. 

Since an in-house team is, well, in-house, it can be significantly faster and easier than working with an agency. Not only do you already have a working relationship with your team members, but it is also a lot easier to schedule meetings when you work in the same building. 

An in-house team has the brand’s full attention and can prioritize tasks as necessary. An agency, on the other hand, has other clients to consider, which means they might not be available at a moment’s notice.

This is also where a hybrid approach might come in handy for some small businesses. A small in-house team would be perfect for smaller projects that need a quick turn-around, such as social media posts, blogs, and flyers. For larger and lengthy projects, including web design, SEO, or email marketing, an external marketing agency would be the better option. 

If you would like more information about in-house marketing or agency marketing, need help determining which option is best for your business, or other digital marketing services please contact Pink Dog Digital at (410) 696-3305, email us at info@pinkdogdigital.com, or visit us on the web at www.pinkdogdigital.com.