Your company thrives because it has clients and customers. Whether it’s struggling due to no Marketing or you’re wanting to ride out a wave of success, it’s always a great time to invest in your own brand. Every company needs marketing. But should you hire in-house or contract externally? Let us argue the case for when it’s a great idea to consult an external agency.

1. When you’re budget conscious but still looking for a level of expertise

Most small and medium businesses have enough budget to hire 1-2 individuals to do all of their marketing. They’re going to need a full time workload to complete so many different tasks. Let’s price it out.

Entry Level Marketer

• 1-2 areas of expertise
• 1-3 years of experience
• $20/hour x 40 hours x 4 weeks = $3200 (including idle time)
• Hardware + software + additional office space = $900
  = $4100/month

Senior Level Marketer

• 2-4 areas of expertise
• 3-5 years of experience
• $40 x 40 hours x 4 weeks = $6400 (including idle time)
• Hardware + software + additional office space = $900
  =$7300/month

Our Marketing Agency

• 1-2 points of contact
• 8+ areas of expertise
• 5+ years of experience
• Productive hours only
• All overhead included
• Prices comparable to entry level marketer per month or lower

2. When your marketing requires a varied skillset

When writing out your job listing, does it include many, if not all, of the following required skillsets?

• Marketing strategy
• Graphic design
• Photography
• Facebook paid ads
• Google Display Ads & Adwords
• Demographics and Targeting
• Content writing
• Web Development
• Search Engine Optimization

Are these sounding like a lot of different areas of expertise? They are. They come from different sides of the brain (creative/analytical). More likely, you will find someone who is good at one aspect and just dabbles in the other areas, where your business image will suffer.

3. When you just don’t have time for training and managing your internal team

You’re looking for marketing because you don’t know much about it, you’re hoping to run your business and look to a person that does. Training is costly, and agencies have scouted and invested in finding talent. They’ve also streamlined management, operations and production processes that takes time and energy to build.

4. When you can’t be held accountable and liable towards employees

When working with individuals, you are liable for providing them adequate hours and benefits. It is also harder to fire people one they are fired. Many companies like us don’t require you to be locked down into a contract, we want to earn your business month to month. The responsibility falls on US to make sure your marketing works. We analyze campaigns, then create deliverable reports (impressions, reach, clicks, etc.) for you to make sure they align up with your profits. This makes sure you are getting your return on investment and that our collaborative marketing efforts are worth it every month.

5. When you have sporadic projects, not a full-time workload

Marketing isn’t always a 24/7 endeavor. For most small to medium sized businesses, campaigns are launched selectively according to what is needed seasonally. Or maybe you need a one-off project completed like a website design, then maintenance requirements will taper off.

6. When marketing needs to ramp up fast

Maybe you’re launching a new product, or had a profitable year, odds are you need your campaign to launch and amplify, fast. You don’t have time to think of strategies or embark on a hiring journey, you need a team you can trust who live and breathe marketing, right away.

Of course there are times it’s better to hire an employee. For example:

1. If you want someone dedicated to your brand 24/7
2. Maybe you need a multipurpose employee who is also an admin or receptionist
3. If you’re on a super strict budget and are willing to work with someone with lower expertise