In-House vs. Marketing Agency (or Are They Better Together?)

In-house marketing offers more control over your digital marketing. Partnering with an agency provides more flexibility and removes tunnel vision. Want the best of both worlds? Keep reading.

Key takeaways:

• An in-house marketing team gives you more control, faster decisions, and closer collaboration with sales and other departments.
• A digital marketing agency brings a full team of specialists, platform partnerships, and current expertise without adding headcount.
• Pairing an in-house team with an agency adds an outside perspective that catches blind spots, tracks competitors, and shortens the testing cycle.
• The partnership works best when you set clear expectations up front and share business updates early, such as upcoming sales or a website redesign.
• Make the call by auditing your team’s skills, tools, and bandwidth, then bringing in an agency to fill the gaps, such as SEO or paid media.

For business owners who manage their own marketing campaigns or are looking to expand their existing marketing efforts, there comes a time to decide:

Hire an in-house marketing team or outsource to a marketing company?

From pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) to social media management and everything in between, digital marketing success depends on a team of experts to drive strategy and manage marketing campaigns.

To make matters more complicated, marketing in-house and working with an external agency each have their own sets of benefits.

Here, we break down the nuances of agency vs. in-house teams — and why you may not have to choose between them after all. We also tap Ericka Aghili, director of agency operations at HawkSEM, for her first-hand insight into this partnership.

What’s the difference between an agency vs. an in-house marketing department?

An in-house marketing team is made up of one or more marketing professionals who run a business’s marketing campaigns full-time.

A digital marketing agency is an outsourced team of experts who provide marketing services on a retainer basis.

The benefits of working with an in-house marketing team

“Working with an agency gives you access to a wide variety of knowledge, expertise, and guidance,” says Aghili.

“Especially right now, marketers are being hit with constant changes, from figuring out how to use AI in workflows to stay competitive to adapting to GEO and new advertising opportunities within AI platforms.”

Everyone wants to know what the next big thing will be, and relying on one person or a small internal team to keep up with all of it can be a challenge, she adds.

Additional ways hiring a marketing team benefits in-house teams include:

Instant internal updates

Because in-house marketing managers are employed by the business directly, these individuals are deeply intertwined with any daily happenings.

From company-wide meetings to discussions in the workplace, an in-house marketer never has to play catch-up with important updates and quickly has a feel for the brand’s culture.

Quick communication and decision-making

For fast-paced environments and business owners who want maximum control over project management, an in-house marketing team allows for fast communication and decision-making.

“Our team is expected to be proactive in everything they do and to have strong communication,” says Aghili.

“For us, strong communication isn’t about what works best internally. It’s about what works for each client’s business needs.”

Whether in-person or remote, a team working in-house is easily reachable during your own working hours.

Integration with other departments

In-house marketing teams can also easily collaborate with other departments, like sales and customer service, for more effective marketing campaigns and unified messaging.

The benefits of working with a digital marketing agency

For many businesses, an agency team offers more benefits at a lower cost. Let’s explain:

Cost

The average salary of one digital marketing manager is between $85,000 and $105,000 (plus benefits, taxes, and ongoing training).

This puts businesses on the hook for about $10,000 to $12,000 per month for one full-time marketing manager.

An agency, however, can cost between $3,500 and $10,000 per month for a full team — not just one person.

This can include search engine marketing (SEM), SEO, PPC, social media marketing, graphic design, user experience, finding subject matter experts, etc., depending on your marketing activities

Insider access to the top platforms

Agencies often have developed partnerships with professionals at different platforms, from Google and Bing to Facebook, LinkedIn, and more.

Not only do these partnerships help potentially expedite issues when troubleshooting or connecting with customer service reps, but they can also keep you ahead of the game when it comes to platform updates, news, and cutting-edge tools.

Agencies may also get access to beta testing before other companies. This means they’re sometimes testing out new automation and algorithms that could help your business down the road.

Additional resources

Did we mention you get an entire team of experts when you hire an agency?

“At an agency, we have the benefit of many people working together with different areas of expertise,” says Aghili.

“Our teams meet weekly to share new ideas, templates, tests, and what’s working so others can quickly apply those learnings to their own clients. They also have a point person to ask for help along the way.”

With more diverse skill sets and strategists in the most prominent fields of digital marketing, businesses can tackle their marketing goals across the (many) available platforms out there.

A bonus? Agencies also bring access to marketing tools and different industry insights you would have to pay for otherwise.

Up-to-date education

Agencies have benchmarks and standards to maintain in order to stay competitive in their own industry. That means agency employees are typically up-to-date on the latest certifications, education, and marketing trends.

What’s more, agencies have experience working with a myriad of industries, which can provide valuable insight and accelerate results.

Why in-house teams should partner with an agency

Why choose one when you could have both?

In many instances, an in-house team and an agency provide the best of both worlds when it comes to achieving your marketing goals.

Here’s how the two could work together for increased results:

A broader view of your program

There’s a lot to be said for seeing both the forest and the trees. Seeing the big picture without letting details slip through the cracks is an underrated skill.

One of the biggest benefits of partnering with an agency in addition to an internal team is that it offers a broader view of your program as a whole, including its strengths and weaknesses.

It makes sense: when you’re part of an in-house marketing team, it’s easy to get caught up in your day-to-day digital marketing initiatives.

Agencies offer an outsider perspective and can address blind spots you didn’t know existed.

“Our team works across a wide range of industries,” Aghili explains.

“That keeps people sharp, always learning something new, and able to apply lessons from one industry to another.”

You may not immediately see the connection between two industries, but there’s often something we can learn from one that helps us better understand how people might search for, evaluate, or ultimately purchase another product or service.

Combined years of marketing industry experience

If you already have an internal marketing team, add up the years of experience your team members have.

By working with an agency, you can instantly double or even triple that number — pretty appealing, right?

Depending on the company, some of your account managers may have worked in the industry for several years in different roles across various industries to boot.

By combining your knowledgeable team with another set of marketing experts, you’ve got that much more experience that will no doubt come in handy, especially when changes arise and tough decisions need to be made.

Less time (and marketing budget) spent experimenting and testing

You should always be honing your digital marketing strategy. Not only does that take time, but it involves brainstorming, testing, data gathering, and analyzing, among other tasks.

An agency can benefit your in-house team because they’ve been there. Depending on how many different clients they’ve worked with, they’ve likely got the experience that will help fine-tune and iterate your program faster.

What this means for you: less time spent on what isn’t working and more time on what is.

Keeping an eye on your competitors

Remember that tunnel vision we talked about? While you may not want to admit it, it’s easy for this to happen when it comes to your competitors, too.

It’s understandable: you’re trying to make things happen for your company, so you don’t want to spend too much time looking at others.

But knowing what your competitors are up to helps you stay in the game and, more importantly, not fall behind.

A good agency can keep an eye on your competition, from the keywords they’re bidding on and the content they’re creating to approaches you could adopt in your own way for success.

Connecting marketing to other teams

Your marketing team isn’t the only group that stands to benefit from an agency partnership.

It can also help align other departments in your organization, resulting in better communication and a more streamlined process overall.

By implementing lead scoring, for example, an agency can create a more unified relationship between sales and marketing by putting more emphasis on the quality of a conversion.

Or, by putting cleaner data into your CRM, you can give your ecommerce or fulfillment teams a better understanding of order volumes to prepare for in the future.

Tips for making the partnership work

The most successful partnerships are entered into mindfully and strategically, with both orgs on the same page.

Here’s how Aghili suggests setting yourself up for a long-lasting collab.

“There are a few things to consider,” she says.

“Are you looking for someone to be heads down, do the work, and hit your goals, or are you looking for someone who can partner with you through each step? A strong agency can do both, but you should ask how they’re set up to work within your ideal workflow.”

It’s also vital to think big picture. “I would also ask what the relationship actually looks like after the sales process is over,” Aghili suggests.

“Who will you work with day-to-day? How often will you communicate? How does the agency handle strategy, reporting, and unexpected issues? What happens when someone on your account is out? How does the team share new ideas, tests, and industry changes internally?”

Lastly, Aghili says communication and trust are non-negotiables.

“That means approving content quickly, informing us of sales with enough runway to create strong creative and launch campaigns on time, or letting us know you’re considering a website redesign so we can factor in SEO best practices well before designs are approved and sent to developers,” she says.

“These things are all very important to overall success. We want to feel like we’re part of your team, and the more visibility we have into what’s happening within your business and what’s coming next, the better we can make decisions that support your goals.”

How to make the right decision for your business

Now that you have all the pertinent information, how do you make the right decision?

Assess business needs and goals

First, you’ll need to identify the extent of your marketing needs.

Are you looking for specialized support in one or two areas (like copywriting or content marketing), or something more comprehensive (like SEO, content creation, PPC, or social media)?

You’ll also want to define your short- and long-term marketing goals — these will influence the resources and expertise you need.

Evaluate in-house capabilities

Once you have a good idea of what you need, it’s time to evaluate your in-house capabilities. Determine if your team has:

• Necessary skills and expertise
• Access to the right tools and technology to achieve your goals
• Enough bandwidth to take on these tasks without sacrificing in other areas

Identify gaps that need to be filled

“You should also be honest about where you need the agency to fill gaps,” says Aghili.

“Maybe you have a great marketing leader but need specialized expertise in SEO or paid media. Maybe you have the expertise but not the bandwidth. Or maybe you need a strategic partner who can help determine what you should prioritize in the first place.”

Analyze cost-effectiveness

Determine the cost of hiring, training, and maintaining an in-house marketing team, and compare this with the cost of hiring an agency partner (along with estimated ROI for each).

Consider how each option would impact your customer acquisition, revenue, and any other factors that might be affected.

Control vs. flexibility

Another consideration to take into account is how much control or flexibility you want where your marketing plan is concerned.

An in-house team will give you more control over strategies, branding, and day-to-day operations. On the other hand, working with an agency offers more flexibility to adjust based on performance data.

Hybrid approach considerations

Consider a mix of the two. Many businesses will keep some functions in-house (such as branding and social) and outsource others (like SEO or PPC) to maximize the strengths of their existing team while leaning on experts for the rest.

The bottom line

An in-house marketing team, an agency, or both?

If you already have an internal team, partnering with a marketing agency doesn’t mean your in-house team has failed or isn’t up to snuff.

“The best agency fit isn’t necessarily the one that offers the most services,” Aghili adds.

“It’s the one that’s set up to complement the team you already have and work in a way that makes sense for your business.”

Bottom line? By adding the additional layer of knowledge, insight, and hands-on action that agencies provide, you can see a significant boost in how your current SEM and SEO programs perform.

HawkSEM would love to be that game-changing agency for you — want to know more? Let’s chat.

FAQs about in-house marketing teams vs. marketing agencies

What’s the difference between in-house and agency marketing?

In-house marketing is run by employees on your payroll who work only on your business. Agency marketing is handled by an outside team of specialists you hire on a retainer or project basis. In-house teams offer more control and faster internal communication. Agencies offer broader expertise, more specialists, and the flexibility to adjust based on performance data.

Is it cheaper to hire a marketing agency or build an in-house team?

For many businesses, an agency costs less than an in-house team with the same range of skills. A full-time hire carries salary, benefits, payroll taxes, and training costs, yet covers only one person’s expertise. An agency retainer typically gives you a full team across channels like SEO, PPC, and social media. Our guide to marketing agency pricing breaks down typical retainer ranges by service.

Can an in-house marketing team and an agency work together?

Yes. A hybrid model lets each side do what it does best. Your in-house team brings brand knowledge, internal context, and quick access to other departments. The agency adds specialized skills, an outside view of blind spots, and lessons from other industries, so you spend less time and budget on tests that are unlikely to work.

Which marketing functions should stay in-house, and which should you outsource?

Keep functions in-house that depend on deep brand knowledge, such as branding and social media. Outsource channels that need specialized, constantly updated expertise, like SEO and PPC. Before you decide, audit your team’s skills, tools, and bandwidth. Then bring in outside help wherever you lack the expertise or the time to execute well.

What should you ask a marketing agency before hiring one?

Ask what the relationship looks like after the sales process ends. Find out who you will work with day-to-day, how often you will communicate, and how the agency handles strategy, reporting, and unexpected issues. Ask what happens when someone on your account is out. Also ask how the team shares new ideas, tests, and industry changes internally.

How does HawkSEM work with in-house marketing teams?

HawkSEM is set up to complement the team you already have. That might mean hands-on execution in one channel or a strategic partnership across several. Our teams meet weekly to share new ideas, templates, and test results, so lessons from one industry can sharpen the strategy for yours. As a Google Premier Partner and Microsoft Advertising Partner, we also bring platform relationships your in-house team may not have on its own.

How do I know if HawkSEM is the right fit for my business?

Start with a free marketing plan. It includes competitor insights, custom tactics to lower your acquisition costs, ROI tracking improvements, and growth forecasts. You also get a detailed timeline for hitting your growth goals. Get a free marketing plan to compare what an agency partner would add against what your in-house team already covers.

This article has been updated and was originally published in October 2019.