To Hire or To Outsource digital marketing – that is The Question?

If you’re an aspirational business owner, then it’s likely that you’ll want to increase company turnover and profit.

Of course, one way to do this is by generating cost-effective leads and sales through digital marketing. But this often brings business owners to a slight crossroads: Do you recruit an in-house marketer or outsource to an agency?

When You Should Hire

Having an internal specialist can be highly beneficial. Like any recruitment activity, there’s a cost on both your resource and time, but hiring someone is:

Great for businesses that:

• Need Someone 5 Days A Week – it’s essentially a dedicated resource working full time on your marketing output.
• Have A Budget – in addition to an extra salary, you’ll also have funds available to activate your campaigns.

Not great for businesses that:

• Lack Knowledge – don’t take this the wrong way, but if you’ve no idea about the technicalities of the role, how are you going to assess and manage someone’s performance?
• Have Failed Before – not that all marketeers are bad ones, but if you’ve had a negative experience with the employment route in the past, take stock before you recruit again.

When You Should Outsource

Outsourcing to the right agency can save you time, hassle and money. It does, however, mean that you’ll need to form a close working relationship with another company, so outsourcing is:

Great for businesses that:

• Have Little Time – we’re all busy so if the thought of “minimum hassle with maximum results” from your marketing is appealing, outsource.
• Want Multiple Disciplines – if you need multiple disciplines (content creation, graphic design, google advertising etc.) outsourcing gives you access to more skills, with 2-3 people typically working on your account.

Not great for businesses that:

• Can’t Communicate – to keep your activities and progress on track, you’ll need to meet the agency at least monthly. If you can’t keep the lines of dialogue open, then don’t.
• Can’t Commit – outsourcing such a vital part of your growth strategy requires trust. If you have reservations about forming such a close relationship with an agency, then simply step away.

There is a middle ground. If you already have a marketing manager in place but they don’t hold all the technical skills required, an agency can bridge the gap. If you’re just not quite big enough to hire your own team, outsourcing until you are is a great approach and often helps you get there quicker!

If you would like to explore what an outsourced marketing team could provide to you, visit dreamscape.solutions/Marketing or call 01925 755 960 to speak with Adam.