If you own a business, it’s evident that like everyone else, growth has been the driving force for you. Given the uncertain times, growth is not easy to come by. We are not discouraging you in the slightest.
If you have a business still running amidst all this COVID-19 lifestyle, you already have a lot of courage. However, be it any time, year, or month, branding and marketing your business is of utmost importance. You might have a great product with you, but it will be delusional to assume that it’s going to sell itself.
In cases of small businesses, the more quickly customers come at you and relate with your brand, the better.
Where to look for your marketing then?
Should you look after your marketing or hire a boutique marketing agency?
We might have some answers for you here.
In-House Marketing
In-house marketing is a pretty simple concept- the entire marketing for your business is done by individuals hired and trained by only you. There is no requirement to hire any external muscle for the implementation of your marketing aspirations.
Small and medium business owners mostly prefer the in-house approach as the marketing efforts are handled by a cohesive team that’s fully aware of the company ethos and identity. This allows better communication and specific, targeted efforts that facilitate swift decision-making and amazing results as well.
Agency-based Marketing
Agency marketing is an approach where you hire a third-party agency to take care of your marketing needs. Several companies act as a boutique digital marketing agency to handle the marketing aspirations of different businesses.
These external agencies have been operational for a long time, which is why they have a pretty strong network and other related resources through which they have the potential to deliver immense value to their clients.
It’s important to note, however, that these services come at an additional cost.
Required Skill sets
Because these two approaches are very different from each other, the skillsets needed in individuals to take care of these approaches are pretty different too.
Here are some of those skills-
In-House Marketing
A well-rounded understanding of your business, which gives them a better chance at formulating an effective marketing strategy. This will be an available skill.
There is a high chance that you won’t find someone adept at every aspect of your marketing requirements. A skill that probably won’t be available.
Agency-based marketing
You will be one to brief them all about your business and what needs to be done in terms of executing a proper marketing plan. They will understand what you tell them, so complete clarity might be amiss here.
The number of people with a proper understanding of all the marketing aspects will be more. If things get properly explained to them, implementation will surely be a pretty smooth process. Professional experience is the skill you are looking at here.
We won’t be the ones to pick out a clear winner for you here. Ultimately, it all depends on your requirements. If you already have a marketing strategy in place and just need to begin with its execution, you can go for in-house marketing.
However, if you need a proper marketing strategy created for your business, then you will need a lot more than awareness about your brand. Hiring a boutique digital marketing and the creative agency would be the right call.
In-House Marketing- The Good and the Bad
The Good
COST-EFFECTIVENESS
Quite a few companies find it more economical to hire a compact team that can take care of the marketing needs in-house. Small companies will always find the costs of an external agency too expensive for their liking.
With an in-house team, you get access to every step and every iteration of promotional material and design that gets created, increasing your involvement in the overall marketing efforts. The saved costs here can allow you to grow your business better in the future.
COMPLETE CREATIVE CONTROL
Companies hiring an in-house team enjoy better control of the overall creative aspect of the marketing. An in-house marketing team is completely aware of what needs to be created and when it needs to be created, providing a seamless overall operation.
The Bad
IT’S ALL TOO LIMITED
With in-house marketing, you will need to choose and prioritize the level of expertise you need for certain skills. Make no mistake, compromise will always be on the charts when it comes to hiring experience on board.
For a brand to progress ahead, skills and experience are two very integral aspects. With a limited-skilled team, expecting immense growth will be over-expecting, to say the least.
Agency Marketing- The Good and the Bad
The Good
THE RIGHT RESOURCES
External marketing agencies have a plethora of resources needed to perform and deliver the perfect blend of required services. Tools, team, and tenacity- they have it all for making things perfect in terms of executing your marketing strategies perfectly.
HIGH LEVELS OF CREATIVITY
The team at a boutique digital marketing agency comprises a team full of creative people with tons of experience and creative energy behind them. With the ability to take on multiple projects simultaneously, there is no doubt on the creative aspect of it all.
The Bad
LACK OF NOVELTY IN CAMPAIGN
Hiring a huge marketing company will rob your marketing campaign of something unique, which will be on your priority list as a business. Try to find one that does not have too many clients under its belt already.
LACK OF CONTROL ON THE CREATIVITY
Agencies generally plan an entire campaign and then execute it. Any input from your end can lead to an uncalled bottleneck, putting your marketing plan back by quite a distance. You get minimal to no control over the creative prospects.
So, here we are. If you were to listen to our opinion on what you should choose, we would say an ideal combination of both will deliver you impeccable results. Connect with Consagous Technologies for an amazing marketing campaign for your business.
Original Source:
https://www.consagous.co/blog/in-house-or-agency-marketing-which-is-better
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