As companies grow, they face a tough choice about whether to hire an in-house marketing staff or work with an agency partner. There are pros and cons to each. And, of course, there’s the cost.

So, which move is right for your business? Here’s a breakdown of when each scenario makes the most sense.

What is a marketing agency?

First, let’s understand what a marketing local marketing email list agency is, and then how an in-house marketing team functions.

A marketing agency is an outside group of people with a variety of skills. Marketing agencies can be full-service, offering everything from postcard printing to Google Ads management. Or they can specialize in one aspect of marketing, such as local SEO.

Typically, a growing business needs a full-service option that also allows for the ability to expand marketing as the business changes and adapts. Often, full-service marketing agencies are comprised of a variety of experts.

Familiarize yourself with the marketing agency’s areas of expertise and consider potential long-term needs. While you may view advertising as something you’ll add later once you’ve established a strong online presence and strategy, don’t discount these services just yet.

What does internal marketing include?

In-house marketing means hiring full-time or part-time employees to develop, execute, and monitor marketing efforts. The challenge facing growing businesses steps to measuring seo roi is hiring employees with a variety of backgrounds to handle everything.

And generalists tend to know a little bit about a lot of things without being experts. Often, it takes time for an in-house marketing staff to build up. You can start by review b hiring one generalist who you think will lead your marketing team, and then as your revenue grows, you gradually add expertise to expand the team.

This means you likely won’t have immediate access to all marketing specialties. And if you hire one person to oversee everything, you risk burnout and being quickly out-managed, which can slow down the results of your marketing campaigns.