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You’ve spent years building your business, adding key players to your team who understand your company inside and out. You’d never hand over your sales, engineering, or customer service to an outside agency. These roles are too critical, too nuanced, too intertwined with your company’s DNA. So why is it that when it comes to marketing, so many businesses are quick to hand over the reins to an outside agency?
Here’s the thing: outsourcing your marketing might seem like a smart move at first. You think you’re getting top-tier expertise and cutting-edge strategies.
But in reality, what you’re often buying is a whole lot of promises that rarely deliver the results you need.
Agencies juggle multiple clients, suffer from high employee turnover, and frequently outsource your work to freelancers.
The result?
Your brand’s voice gets lost in the shuffle, and the authenticity that makes your business unique takes a hit.
Think about it.
Would you trust a sales agency to build relationships with your prospects? Of course not.
So why trust a marketing agency with your brand’s voice?
In this article, you’ll learn why outsourcing your marketing can be a costly mistake. We’ll expose the hidden downsides and show you why building an in-house marketing team is a smarter, more effective strategy.
By the end, you’ll understand how taking control of your marketing can lead to better consistency, stronger brand identity, and, ultimately, better results.
Before we get started, I want to address the elephant in the room: we’re a marketing agency, so why are we telling you that it might not be the best choice to outsource your marketing efforts?
Well, we actually offer Coaching as our primary service to businesses. We help companies build their internal marketing and sales teams, effectively making us redundant. We do this, because we believe this is the best way to get results for clients.
And happier clients means more good word around our brand and more clients. It’s a win-win.
In saying that, for brands that aren’t ready to commit to something like coaching, we do also offer ‘Done For You ’marketing services. It really depends on your company size and objectives. Some companies are better suited for ‘Done For You’ services which can get great results, and other companies are more suited to coaching.
With that out of the way, let’s get started.
The Common Misconception About Marketing Agencies
Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room: why do so many businesses think outsourcing their marketing is a good idea?
It’s simple. They believe that by hiring a marketing agency, they’re getting access to expertise and resources they wouldn’t have in-house. They think it’s a quick fix, a way to boost their marketing efforts without the hassle of hiring and training new staff. But this belief is flawed.
Think about it: Would you ever consider outsourcing your sales team to an agency?
Of course not!
Sales are the lifeblood of your business. You need people who know your product, understand your customers, and are fully aligned with your company’s values and goals.
Yet, when it comes to marketing – the very thing that shapes your brand and drives new business – many companies are willing to hand it off to strangers. They do this with the hope that an external team will magically understand and communicate their unique value proposition.
The reality?
This approach often leads to misalignment, diluted messaging, and a disconnect between your brand and your audience.
Imagine hiring an engineering agency to design your next product. They don’t know your company culture, they’re not familiar with your past projects, and they’re juggling a dozen other clients. Would you trust them to create something that truly represents your brand’s innovation and quality?
Probably not.
Marketing is no different. When you outsource it, you’re essentially trusting outsiders with the face of your company. And more often than not, these agencies are stretched thin, managing multiple clients and struggling with high turnover rates. This means the people working on your account might not be the experts you were promised.
In saying this, we do recognise that some companies just don’t have the ability or the funds to build their own internal team. And that’s okay, if this is you.
The bottom line is this: if you have the resources, your marketing is too important to be left in the hands of an agency that doesn’t live and breathe your business every day. While it is definitely possible to achieve genuine and impactful results with ‘Done For You’ services, there are certain benefits to hiring your own internal team that’s deeply integrated into your company, understands your market, and can pivot quickly based on real-time feedback.
The Reality of Outsourcing
p-notch content and cutting-edge strategies. You’re buying into the promise of experienced professionals crafting your marketing messages, designing your visuals, and driving your campaigns.
But here’s the harsh truth: what you’re often getting is a diluted version of that promise.
Agencies, especially larger ones, operate like factories. They have to balance multiple clients, keep up with their own growth targets, and manage an ever-rotating door of staff.
This means your marketing tasks might get passed off to junior team members or even freelancers who aren’t deeply familiar with your brand. A good agency will make sure this doesn’t happen, but if you choose the wrong agency, this can become a serious problem.
Tip: When reviewing agencies, find out how many clients the account manager is overseeing, and speak to the Account Manager prior to signing the dotted line.
And, it’s just one of the risks you don’t have to worry about if you build your own internal team.
Read:What makes a paid media agency great?
And then there’s the issue of authenticity. When you outsource your marketing, you lose the personal touch that comes from having an in-house team. Your internal team lives and breathes your brand every day. They understand your company’s voice, culture, and values in a way that no external agency ever can. This authenticity is what resonates with your audience and builds trust.
It’s hard to replicate that with outsiders who are juggling multiple clients and trying to apply a one-size-fits-all approach.
Moreover, agencies are notorious for overpromising and under delivering.
They might guarantee a certain number of blog posts, videos, or social media updates each month. But when you dig into the results, you often find that these deliverables lack depth and quality. You might get a lot of content, but it doesn’t engage your audience or drive meaningful results.
Again, this boils down to how good your agency is, but it’s something that you ultimately run the risk of when you outsource.
This constant churn can lead to inconsistencies in your marketing. One month, your content might reflect a deep understanding of your industry. Next, it could feel generic and out of touch. These inconsistencies confuse your audience and can damage your brand’s reputation.
And let’s not forget the costs.
You’re paying for the agency’s overhead – their office space, their software, their salaries, and their profit margins. A significant portion of your budget goes toward these expenses rather than directly into creating high-quality content or executing innovative strategies for your business.
In saying that, you can also get great value for money when outsourcing. For example, our clients can pay $9,000 per month, but with this will receive access to so many resources, including:
- Account Manager
- SEO Specialist
- SEM Specialist
- HubSpot Specialist
- Content Specialist
- Web Developer
A Senior Marketing Manager’s salary could be very close to this cost, so in this sense, outsourcing an agency can be very good value for money.
Now, if that’s the right option for your business, then that’s okay. Maybe you don’t have the resources to build your internal team. Or maybe, you’re just not ready yet. In these cases, you’ll want to outsource your marketing.
But if you’re ready to think about hiring an internal marketing team, how exactly should you go about it?
Not sure whether you should outsource or build your own team? Read this article before moving on.
Read: Outsourcing Marketing vs Doing It Yourself: Should you hire a marketing agency?
Building an Internal Marketing Team
Now that we’ve explored the downsides of outsourcing, let’s shift gears to building your own in-house marketing team (if this is right for your company). This approach can give you more control, ensure consistent quality, and align better with your company’s unique vision and goals.
Key Roles to Focus On
To create a strong in-house marketing team, you need to identify and hire for a few critical roles. Each role plays a vital part in your overall marketing strategy and helps to ensure that your efforts are cohesive and effective.
Here are the key positions to consider:
- Marketing Director: The marketing director oversees the entire marketing strategy, coordinates between departments, and ensures that all marketing efforts align with the broader business objectives. They manage the marketing budget, set goals, and track performance to ensure the team is on the right path
- Content Manager: The content manager is responsible for creating and managing the content calendar, writing blog posts, articles, and social media updates. They ensure that all content is consistent with the company’s voice and brand, and they work to engage and inform your target audience. P.S. I am a Content Manager hehe.
- Videographer: The videographer plans, shoots, and edits video content, managing your company’s video platforms such as YouTube. They work closely with the content manager to integrate video into your overall strategy, creating engaging visual content that resonates with your audience.
Optional Roles to Consider
- SEO Specialist: The SEO specialist optimises website content for search engines, conducts keyword research, and implements best practices to improve search rankings. Their goal is to increase organic traffic and ensure that your content is easily discoverable by your target audience. A Content Manager can potentially take the role of an SEO Specialist so you may not need this role
- Social Media Manager: The social media manager oversees all social media accounts, develops strategies to engage and grow your audience, and tracks social media metrics to adjust strategies as needed. They are the voice of your brand on social media, fostering a community around your business. Again, the Content Manager can also take this role so you may not need to hire a separate person for this role
Creating a Collaborative Environment
Building a successful in-house team isn’t just about hiring the right people; it’s also about creating a collaborative environment where creativity and communication thrive.
Regular team meetings (especially Revenue Team Meetings), content brainstorming sessions, and open lines of communication between the sales and marketing departments can help ensure everyone is aligned and working towards common goals.
By focusing on these key roles and creating a supportive, well-equipped environment, you can build a robust in-house marketing team that drives your business forward. With an internal team, you gain more control over your marketing efforts, maintain a consistent brand voice, and invest directly in the people who are dedicated to your company’s success.
What else can you do to maximise your team’s performance?
Maximising Your Internal Team’s Potential
Sometimes, even the best teams need a little extra guidance. This is where coaching can make a significant difference. We offer both group coaching (at a lower price point) and private 1 to 1 coaching to help your team excel.
Part of our coaching also involves helping you make the right hires (if you haven’t already done this).
And you can find out about our Private Coaching here.
You can find out about our Group Coaching here.
By focusing on these strategies and leveraging the benefits of coaching, you can unlock the full potential of your in-house marketing team. Not only will this lead to more effective and authentic marketing efforts, but it will also create a more dynamic and motivated team that’s fully invested in your company’s success.
So, What’s Next?
Now, maybe outsourcing is for you. And if that’s the case, that’s totally okay, and you can get incredible results by outsourcing.
However, if you’re ready to hire an in house team, there are certain benefits you will experience.
By building an in-house marketing team, you can ensure that your brand’s voice remains authentic and consistent. You gain more control over your marketing efforts, aligning them directly with your business goals. Plus, an internal team can adapt quickly to changes, foster stronger collaboration, and drive more effective results.
Still not sure whether you should build an internal team or outsource? Read our guide and find out by the end of the article exactly what you need to know to make a decision on which is right for your business.
Read: Outsourcing Marketing vs Doing It Yourself: Should you hire a marketing agency?
