In-House Marketer vs. Marketing Agency

Should You Hire an In-House Marketer or a Marketing Agency?

Choosing the right marketing solution can make or break your growth strategy. Many businesses debate whether to hire a full-time, in-house marketer or outsource to a digital marketing agency. Both routes offer value, but the best decision depends on your goals, budget, and internal capabilities.

At Black Propeller, we’ve worked with clients on both sides of this decision, and we’ve seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons to help you make an informed choice.

Why Businesses Choose Marketing Agencies

1. Singular Focus on Performance and Growth
Internal teams often juggle multiple responsibilities, from sales support and internal comms to cross-functional requests. Agencies, on the other hand, are dedicated solely to marketing. Their primary focus is to drive results, improve return on ad spend, generate qualified leads, and identify growth opportunities. This kind of specialized focus allows them to move faster, test more, and stay accountable for performance, while your internal team remains focused on strategic priorities.

2. An Extension of Your Marketing Team
Strong agencies function as an embedded partner, not just a vendor. When aligned with your goals, they bring digital expertise, problem-solving ability, and cross-channel insights that support broader business challenges. Whether you’re seeing a dip in lead quality, struggling with sales alignment, or evaluating new tools, a well-integrated agency can help address these issues using data, media, and technology in ways that go beyond the traditional bounds of paid search or social.

3. Always-On Support and Continuity
Team members take vacations, go on leave, or sometimes leave the company altogether. Agencies provide consistent coverage regardless of internal staffing changes. Campaigns keep running, reporting stays on track, and performance efforts continue without interruption. This continuity is especially helpful for lean internal teams or companies moving through periods of transition or growth.

4. Performance-Driven and Accountable
Agencies are evaluated based on results. They bring a clear reporting structure, defined KPIs, and constant optimization to the table. Good agencies know that retention depends on performance, not familiarity, which means they’re constantly working to improve outcomes and justify investment.

5. Access to Tools and Technology
Most agencies come equipped with high-level tools for campaign management, keyword intelligence, CRO testing, competitive research, and more. These tools can be expensive and difficult to manage internally, but with an agency partner, you get access to powerful platforms and the expertise required to use them effectively.

6. Cross-Industry Perspective
Agencies work across multiple verticals and markets. This experience gives them a broader view of what’s working and what’s not, allowing them to bring new ideas and proven strategies to your brand. If your internal team is stuck in the same playbook, an agency can help break that cycle and introduce approaches tested in other industries.

The right agency doesn’t just support your marketing, they unlock growth that your internal team doesn’t have time or tools to chase.

Potential Drawbacks of Outsourcing

While the benefits are clear, it’s also important to acknowledge the challenges that can come with agency partnerships:

1. Communication Gaps
If expectations aren’t clearly defined, agency communication can feel fragmented or misaligned. To avoid this, ensure your agency has clear onboarding, a dedicated point of contact, and well-documented processes.

2. Learning Curve
Agencies don’t live inside your business the way an internal employee does. There’s often a ramp-up period as they get familiar with your brand voice, audience, and operations. A good agency will close that gap quickly, but it’s still a factor.

3. Unclear Pricing or Scope
Some agencies structure retainers in ways that leave clients confused about what’s included. Always request a transparent scope of work, defined deliverables, and performance benchmarks before signing a contract.

When an In-House Hire Makes Sense

In some cases, bringing marketing in-house can be the right move:

You need deep brand immersion and fast internal collaboration
You have a narrow or highly specialized offering
You plan to scale a full internal department and want to build a long-term team infrastructure

However, in-house hires come with overhead costs—salaries, benefits, management, training—and often lack the breadth of skills needed to run a full-funnel marketing operation on their own.

Questions to Ask Before Deciding

To determine what’s best for your business, ask:

Do we need strategic leadership or just execution?
What’s our budget for marketing this year?
Are we looking for quick wins or long-term growth?
How fast do we need to see results?
Do we have the bandwidth to manage internal staff, or do we need outside accountability?