Originally written: November 2016Blog Updated: December 2019
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4 mins read
Many businesses have had the age-old debate — which is better, in-house marketing or agency? Naturally, both arguments have positives and negatives, but what do they look like?
To help you settle the debate and make your decision easier, we’ve mapped out the pros and cons of each in different areas so you can make the best choice for your business.
Let’s cut to the chase. Usually, the top of the agenda when discussing in-house marketing vs. agency is the same thing — budget.
Surely, paying an agency to do your marketing for you is more expensive, right?
Not necessarily.
The answer is never as clear-cut as that. There are several factors to consider, such as salary costs, recruitment expenses and limitations to scalability. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the pros and cons of each.
In-house |
Agency |
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🚫 Cons
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Wondering what it costs for marketing services from an agency? Check out our price guide here.
A fully effective inbound strategy relies on the latest understanding of user habits, trends and analytics. You can't rest on your laurels at the best of times, especially in inbound marketing.
You’ll need to consider what software your in-house team will have. How will they manage their contacts and leads? Will you nurture leads manually or autonomously via a platform like HubSpot?
Software such as this comes with a price, and you may or may not have the internal budget, especially if it won't be worked on continuously.
When working with an agency, you can be sure you’re getting the most out of your inbound marketing. Thorough strategies will be in place with the expertise to match, from content and SEO to PPC and CRM.
In-house |
Agency |
✅ Pros
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🚫 Cons
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🚫 Cons
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Take AI, for example. It can do so much more than generate an image. The best agencies will already be five steps ahead of many in-house teams when harnessing its power.
What about the latest HubSpot updates? Or using automation to its full potential? Researching, developing and deploying these skills can take in-house teams' valuable time, resources and training.
With agencies, you have a whole wealth of bright minds at your disposal.
In-house |
Agency |
✅ Pros
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✅ Pros
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🚫 Cons
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🚫 Cons
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Time — it’s something we all wish we had more of, and we all know the famous saying — time is money.
So, based on that, who comes top in the in-house marketing vs agency debate here?
In-house |
Agency |
✅ Pros
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✅ Pros
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🚫 Cons
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This is probably the most straightforward. Which of the two options is the bigger responsibility to the business: an agency or an in-house employee? Obviously, the latter.
However, you’ll need to decide whether an in-house employee has the knowledge, tools and time to execute inbound marketing to the same standard as a professional, trusted agency.
If so, it might be worth foregoing the option of a rolling contract with an agency and taking on a full-time in-house inbound team.
In-house |
Agency |
✅ Pros
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✅ Pros
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🚫 Cons
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We might be biased, but we’d always advise picking an agency over an in-house time. While the initial expenditure may feel high, you get what you pay for and see a much better ROI.
Access to a vast amount of information, topical knowledge, skills, specialisms and dedicated experts in each field at your fingertips is arguably priceless, particularly when it comes to marketing your business effectively.
Want to kickstart your agency journey today? Speak to a member of our team who'll be happy to help you out.
Originally written: November 2016Blog Updated: December 2019
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