Marketing. You either love it or you hate it.
Either way, you need marketing– especially if you’re a business owner!
But perhaps you’ve been wondering which method of marketing works better for you: hiring an agency or doing it yourself?
Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer we can give you. It really does depend on your specific situation!
We can give you a few key facts about both methods, though.
The Agency Method:
You may choose to go this route for a number of reasons.
One of the biggest may be that you just don’t know that much about marketing. And that’s okay! That’s what agencies are for!
If you want to do it yourself, but just don’t feel like you know enough about marketing to do it justice yet, then consider hiring an agency and learning from them for some time. When you’re ready, you can always hire an in-house team if that’s the method you would ultimately prefer.
Another reason for hiring an agency might be your money situation. In most cases, believe it or not, it will probably be cheaper to higher an agency rather than an entire team or even just a marketing manager. Again, you can always switch over to the in-house method in the future when you are ready if that is what you want.
Perhaps you have been doing it on your own for a while now, but it just isn’t as strong as it used to be. If this is the case, you might want to consider hiring an agency to help refresh things. You’d be surprised at how much a fresh look can do for your business.
The In-House Method:
Like most business owners, you’re probably used to and comfortable with having complete control. If this is the case and you are willing to spend the extra money to do it yourself, then go for it! After all, nobody knows your company better than you!
Perhaps you are already doing it yourself but you really want to go big with your next project. If that’s the case, you can hire an agency to collaborate with you on that one project.
Alternatively, you could hire an agency to help fix a specific problem you have been having or even smooth out your current strategy. Slack, for example, hired an outside person to help fix a problem they were having and make everything flow better across different devices, and the result has been wonderful.
Another reason for wanting to have your own in-house marketing team is that you just don’t want to have to deal with a middle man to get stuff done. We feel you.
With all of that said, here’s a quick rundown to help you make your decision.
The In-House Method
Pros:
- You have more control (can be a con in some cases, be careful!)
- You know your company inside and out (this can help to generate content faster)
- You are up to date and aware of what is going on at your company and in your industry
Cons:
- There is no outside perspective or you may get stuck in your bubble and not see the bigger picture
- You need to know a lot about marketing to be able to do it yourself
- It can be way more expensive, especially if you need to hire a team to cover the workload
The Agency Method:
Pros:
- A fresh perspective and outside look at your company
- Usually cheaper
- Some agencies might have a wider range of abilities and can do more for you than you could yourself
Cons:
- If you don’t click well with your agency, it will cause problems
- There is a disconnect between the two of you
- They can’t read your brain so things take a little longer in the beginning until they fully understand your company’s values/goals/etc.
In either case, you are going to need to fully understand EVERYTHING about your business. The agency you choose to work with can’t read your brain, and you can’t do a good job yourself without knowing all your goals, values, and so much more. So do your research!
This resource and others like it can help you get started.
Moral of the story?
It all comes down to your budget, your abilities, and your business. Neither method is better than the other, but one of the two will ultimately work better for you. It’s up to you to figure out which one.
If you’re looking to go with the agency method, we know a guy! It’s us! Reach out to us for more information!
