Are you struggling to decide whether you should outsource your online marketing requirements to a third-party agency or if you should bite the bullet and start building an in-house marketing department of your own? Which is the better solution?
If you’re on the fence, give this article a read and we’ll share some insights…
The pros and cons of building an in-house marketing department
While it may certainly seem attractive having an in-house marketing department, it might not be the most viable solution – especially for small to medium-sized businesses.
Yes, having complete control over your marketing efforts has its perks, but you need to consider the costs, first and foremost.
Building your own in-house department means:
- Hiring and training staff.
- Paying salaries and all other benefits.
- Taking into account holiday pay and sick days.
- Offering attractive bonuses to attract and retain talent.
Even if you only have two or three professionals in your marketing department, that’s an awful lot of money each year. Following that, you also need to ensure that they have the appropriate equipment and access to the various tools and software necessary to perform quality marketing activities.
Then you need to consider the stress factor. What happens if one of your key employees needs to take time off due to illness? Stress is common in the workplace and in this case, you are accountable.
On the other hand, if a third-party SEO agency has an employee take time off, they will have other professionals ready to pick up the slack.
Furthermore, what happens when your in-house department isn’t achieving the desired results?
These are just a handful of the variables you must consider.
The pros and cons of hiring a third-party SEO company
So, what are the pros and cons of hiring outside your business?
For one thing it is significantly cheaper. When you pay an external SEO company, you aren’t responsible for buying their equipment, the software and tools that they use, or paying their employee’s salaries. Instead, you pay a monthly retainer based on the size and scope of your online marketing campaign.
The most notable benefits are:
- Save money.
- Save time.
- Gain industry-expertise.
Some of the potential cons are:
- You run the risk of hiring the ‘wrong’ SEO agency.
Understandably, the thought of hiring a third-party SEO company and entrusting your sensitive business information to ‘outsiders’ can seem daunting. However, you can mitigate much of this risk by shopping around on reputation and results (see this SEO company in Melbourne with 500+ five-star reviews as an example).
The only real risk in outsourcing your marketing needs to a third-party is rushing into business with the first company you come across.
If you hire an agency because they are “cheap”, then you may be in danger of hiring an inexperienced agency that cannot deliver the results you need.
However, again, as mentioned above, when you make social proof and proven results non-negotiable, you’ll significantly reduce this risk.
All in all, the pros outweigh the cons.
Final words
It is widely agreed that outsourcing your digital marketing needs to a third-party is the superior alternative to starting your own in-house marketing department – especially when it comes to financial viability.
Most fortune 500 companies will have in-house marketing departments, however, they also hire third-party marketing consultants to guide their efforts as well. So, until your business is of a size where building an in-house marketing department is viable, it may be worth leaving it to a third-party pro.
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