Digital marketing is essential for promoting your business products or services.
But is it better to hire an in-house marketer or outsource your digital marketing needs to an agency? We take a look at some of the pros and cons for each of these options.
Pros of in-house digital marketing
More brand familiarity
A marketer working in-house will be more familiar with your brand and will also have better product and service knowledge. This can come in handy when interacting with clients and customers online.
Faster processes
Without having to relay information to an outside agency, getting ad-hoc tasks done is often faster. This can be beneficial in the event of a last-minute change or online promotion.
Better integration
Other departments and teams will be able to work more closely with your digital marketer, making collaboration on marketing strategies easier.
Cons of in-house digital marketing
Lack of expertise
Unless you want to hire a whole team of digital marketers, which would be prohibitively costly, you’ll probably end up hiring someone who is more of a digital marketing generalist. This can lead to a lack of expertise in certain digital marketing fields, such as SEO or content marketing.
No access to specialised tools
Digital marketing agencies are usually kitted out with all the latest tech and tools they need to effectively manage your marketing strategy. Trying to provide the same access to an in-house marketer could prove to be expensive, especially if it’s something that is rarely used.
Lack of scalability
If at any point, you feel that you want to increase or decrease the amount of time and money you are spending on digital marketing, this can be difficult to do when you have to consider a fulltime employee. With an agency, you can simply renegotiate your contract.
Pros of outsourced digital marketing
More combined experience
An agency will have a number of people with varied backgrounds working on your digital marketing. This combined experience means your business benefits from potentially decades of specialised experience.
More specialised services
The people working for the agency tend to be specialists in their field. This means instead of having a jack-of-all-trades working on your digital marketing, you’ll have a number of experts taking care of each aspect of your marketing strategy.
More affordable
Hiring a small marketing team or even a single fulltime marketer is a lot more expensive than a monthly digital marketing package with a small agency. Most agencies will also be open to tailoring a package to suit your particular needs, meaning you don’t end up paying for something you don’t need.
Cons of outsourced digital marketing
Less focused
Agencies tend to have a number of different clients which can mean they are less focused on your digital marketing needs at times. A good way to counteract this is to go with a small, boutique agency that offers their clients a more personal, one-on-one service.
Bad relationships
There always a risk that the agency won’t fit well with your business’ brand and values. This can lead to a breakdown in communication and, ultimately, a bad relationship with your marketing agency. Taking the time to find the right agency is key.
Why digital marketing is important for small and medium businesses
Without digital marketing, your business would have to rely on word-of-mouth promotion, which can be unreliable, or traditional marketing, which can be expensive and might not suit your business.
91% of internet users search online when looking for information on the products or services they need. If your business isn’t being promoted online, it’s essentially invisible to a huge percentage of your potential customers.
Outsourcing your digital marketing with Gnu World Media
At Gnu World Media, we have nearly 20 years of experience in digital marketing. We got there early, and have developed and refined our skills as the industry as evolved.
Our team uses specialised skills to develop marketing strategies that yield real, measurable results.
As a boutique agency, we work closely with our clients to ensure their needs are met promptly. We pride ourselves in cultivating relationships with our clients, and in understanding and promoting their brands as though they were our own.
We offer a holistic range of services, including web development, social media and content marketing, Adwords marketing and outreach.
Contact us to discuss your needs and find out more about what we offer.
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