Betting on Success: When to Keep Marketing Efforts In-House or Enlist an Agency
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Marketing your business in today’s world has changed so much and is still rapidly-evolving as technology continues to advance. With so many elements to examine, the decision of whether to keep your marketing efforts in-house or to seek out an agency can be overwhelming. You want to make the best decisions you can for your organization, so how do you go about coming to these conclusions? Whatever angle you look at the factors, you can BET all arrows always go back to the three main points of Budget, Expertise and Time.
Budget
“The simplest definition of a budget is ‘telling your money where to go.’”
― Tsh Oxenreider, Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living
A topic always on everyone’s mind is money. When deciding on whether it is best for your company to go internal or external, consider how much it will cost you to go through the process and time of interviewing, hiring, then hopefully getting the results you want. The single job of digital marketing is realistically multiple jobs and positions. One marketing agency carries with it many financial investments in software and programs for each of these paid positions:
- Graphic Designer
- Web Designer
- Copywriters
- Account Executive
- Advertising Specialists
- SEO Manager
- PR
Taking this into account, do you have the resources to hire multiple positions or even just a couple of people who can take on this extensive job, with knowledge of how to operate all the necessary software? Ask yourself if you want to go through the process of new employees or connect with an established company who already has experience, portfolio and reputation for getting these tasks accomplished.
Expertise
“People who have expertise just love to share it. That’s human nature.” ~ David Baldacci
External agencies are made up of people who have trained their eyes on what your audience looks for, on how to word writing for your company’s own specific needs. These experts have put in the time to strategically learn how to read all the analytics involved and from there make judgements to continually improve and tailor quality content for your continued business growth. A good agency takes the time to research and communicate about your target audience and company needs, understanding that each of these vary from client to client.
What if you’re a small startup company? Make sure you can cover all the grounds of schooling yourself in how digital marketing works. Study points like these are always good to add to your brand story. Ask yourself if you want this story to include the benefits of an extra marketing push from a group of publicity enthusiasts or if you would like to take on the learning adventure yourself.
Time
“The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.” — Stephen R. Covey
A workday for a professional in digital marketing includes, but is not limited to:
- Writing copy that fits your company’s voice and appeals to your audience
- Creating eye-catching and on brand graphics for social media, print collateral and more.
- Researching for relevant and quality content
- Reporting valuable insights through website and social media analytics.
- Monitoring social media platforms and scheduling content to promote higher engagement.
- Drafting and sending the perfect email to keep your customers up to date.
- Keeping up your online presence through website maintenance, design and more.
- Promoting your brand through public relation efforts and event coverage.
The list goes on, adding more sand to the ever-dripping hourglass. The point is that all these steps take time to master as well as execute, which can easily run into days of work. It is also important to make sure that every individual post on each unique mode of digital communication is consistent and professional in all attributes.
If you are lucky enough to have extra time (What’s that?) on your hands to complete all these responsibilities while running your business at the same time, then this is probably a tally mark on the side for going internal with your digital marketing strategy. If the aspect of time is one you may need help with, then you would want to consider having an established digital marketing team handle your marketing efforts for you. When it comes down to it, you want to keep your focus where it’s really needed – on running other important elements of your business.
You are the captain of your company’s destination. You want people to share their expertise in areas that are less familiar to you for a competitive and reasonable price. At SiarzaSD, all of our passion has been funneled into careers, made of hours of studying and keeping up with the latest trends in the ever-evolving world of digital media so you don’t have to. We love our jobs and we love helping you succeed. Whatever your company needs are, big or small, we’ve got your back. We want to see your company grow and celebrate by your side as it happens.