Growing your Internal Team vs Using a Digital Marketing Agency

Should you recruit a digital marketing specialist or use a digital marketing agency?

This is one question that we get asked time and time again.

While there is no definitive answer, there are certain factors that you need to consider when making your decision.

Within the below digital marketing recruitment guide, we will explore:

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of internal recruitment?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a digital marketing agency?
• How to choose the right digital marketing agency or in-house expert for your business
• How to create a results-driven digital marketing strategy for 2022

Ready to get started?

Internal recruitment – Pros  

Brand familiarity

If you decide to build an in-house digital marketing team, you can enjoy the benefit of having employees that are fully immersed in your brand and its values. This means that they will have more brand familiarity and, in turn, more customer insight.

In-house employees should, in theory, also be able to make more informed decisions about what your business is capable of, both in terms of product development and marketing.

More control

For business owners who like to have complete control over their marketing efforts, hiring in-house will allow greater control than using an agency.

That being said, this can lead to micro-managing, which can be counter-productive for both you and your team.

 Enhanced flexibility

When you hire a digital marketing agency, you normally sign a contract detailing what work they are going to carry out on your behalf. This is typically very specific and may leave little room for change. However, when you recruit internally, you have a lot more flexibility in terms of what direction you want your campaigns to go.

Internal recruitment – Cons

Cost of recruitment

Although many business owners believe that hiring an agency will be more expensive than hiring in-house, this is not always the case. The cost of recruiting can quickly become very costly with ads, networking events, and recruitment personnel all needing to be factored in.

Don’t forget that you may also need to invest in training for your new staff member and account for their salary.

Employee retention

If you try and cut costs on recruiting, you may hire the wrong person for the job. In the best case scenario, you have to begin the recruitment process all over again. Worst case, your brand is damaged, and you lose business.

If you fall victim to a bad hire, this may also come with legal consequences that can be expensive to rectify.

Lack of new perspectives

It is not uncommon for in-house teams to develop tunnel vision. This can cause a stunt in creativity and a lack of fresh and innovative ideas.

On the other hand, an agency can provide multiple viewpoints that can lead to the generation of exciting and profitable marketing ideas.

Digital marketing agency – Pros

Specialist expertise

A digital marketing agency is much more likely to have the level of expertise you need to outperform your competitors and drive your business forward.

Whether you work in a popular industry such as medical, automotive or energy, or you operate within a specialised niche, you will be able to find an agency that has both experience and expertise in your field.

More diverse skills

The beauty of hiring an agency is that you gain access to a whole team of digital marketing experts who can provide you with all the latest digital marketing tips, techniques, and tools that you need to stand out online.

From professional content writers, SEO specialists, to PPC experts, you are hiring not just one account manager but an entire network of dedicated and skilled people.

Scalability

If you want to grow your business in 2022, then a digital marketing agency can help you. An agency will carry out a digital marketing audit on your website to see what is already working well for you and what isn’t to adjust your strategies accordingly. This will enable you to test out new channels and grow your customer base.

Transparency

Of course, this depends on the digital marketing agency that you choose to work with. As a general rule, you should be provided with complete transparency when it comes to the success of your digital marketing campaigns.

It is in an agency’s best interest to get the results you want, so they should work hard for you and your business.

Plus, you can read client reviews on an agency’s website to get a feel for how they operate and check out review sites such as Trustpilot before making a decision.

Digital marketing agency – Cons

Other clients

Whether you choose a larger digital marketing firm or a smaller team of experts, you will not be the agency’s only client.

Most digital marketing agencies offer different levels of service based on your budget, which means that another business may be paying more and getting a more bespoke service.

However, any quality marketing agency should make you feel valued as a customer and invest your time to achieve your business goals.

It can take time to build a relationship

A reputable digital marketing agency will get to know both your business and your customers, but this will not happen overnight.

When you first start working with an agency, you will need to spend time educating them about your brand and your goals for the future.

Hidden costs

If you have a set digital marketing budget that you want to stick to, you need to make sure you find an agency that is upfront about their fees so that you are not hit with any unexpected costs.

Ensure you ask if they charge a flat fee, an hourly rate, or an amount based on results.

How to choose an agency or internal hire

Whether you decide to hire a digital marketing agency or you opt to recruit internally, you need to make sure you pick the right person or people for the job.

If you are not sure what types of questions you should be asking when it comes to digital marketing recruitment, the below is a good place to start:

Can you show me your portfolio/list of past clients?

Both an agency and a candidate should be able to show you who they have worked with previously and what type of work they have carried out. In fact, if they are any good at their job, they should be eagerly waiting to showcase their work.

What type of experience do you have?

You must hire a team or person who has experience in your particular industry. For example, you shouldn’t pick an agency specialising in banking and finance if your business sells women’s clothes.

It can also be a good idea to have a look on LinkedIn before you contact an agency so you can see who they have working for them.

What technical skills do you have?

Often overlooked when hiring a digital marketing expert or agency, you need to hire someone who understands website development and its relevant technologies.

Aspects of digital marketing such as technical SEO are crucial if you want your website to rank highly on search engines, so you need to ensure that whoever you hire has the technical skills needed to make your site number 1.

What are your values?

Before you interview a candidate or reach out to an agency, you should first take a look at your own brand values. This will help you pick a person or an agency aligned with your morals and standards.

If you are hiring in-house, company culture is also important as you need to make sure that the person will fit in with your team.

If you are leaning towards a digital marketing agency, you should also ask the below questions:

Who will be looking after my account?

What results can you promise me?

How will these results be measured?

About Click Intelligence

Here at Click Intelligence, we are a digital marketing agency with a difference.

As a results-driven agency, you can trust our team of dedicated experts to deliver the solutions your business needs to thrive and provide a tailored service designed to help you succeed.

Whether you have decided not to hire an in-house marketer or the recruitment process is taking longer than you thought, we offer both short and long-term proposals to suit all budgets.

As well as having your own dedicated account manager, you will also have access to our entire network of experienced and knowledgeable team members, who will work around the clock to help you achieve your goals.

We offer a fully-integrated and bespoke service that promises transparency across the board, from search engine optimisation to link buildingLink building is a process of acquiring links pointing to your website. These links are obtained by creating content, participating in social media or commenting on other blogs., content writing to pay-per-click advertising.

Keen to find out more about what we do and how we can help your business to grow in 2022? Book a call with one of our friendly and straight-talking team today and start your journey to success as early as tomorrow.