Pros and Cons for Hiring or Working with an Agency to Grow Your Marketing Team

We’ve all been there – realizing that the demands on your marketing department exceed your team’s availability– or capabilities – to meet those expectations. While we can anticipate peak seasons, if needs consistently outpace resources, it may be time to consider growing your marketing team by hiring or working with an agency. Following are some hints to help you evaluate which path is right for you; additionally, download our eBook if you would like more information on this topic.

What’s on Your Plate?

There’s a reason marketers are tired – we’re delivering messages across more platforms and channels than ever before. As communication technology explodes, it adds to, rather than replaces, traditional tactics. Marketing departments are juggling content strategy, digital marketing, social media, reputation management, direct mail marketing, websites, in-location marketing, internal communications, and more. Before you make the case for adding a team member or outsourcing, evaluate what’s on your plate and be prepared to make the case to your C-suite. There are some obvious cues that will resonate with that audience:

Important tasks are not getting completed or are not getting the time and attention they deserve.
Growth is stalled.
Your vision for the future of the organization exceeds your team’s ability to deliver for that vision.
Specialized capabilities are necessary to complete the work.

If you can share what you’re able to do with the resources you have as well as what you could accomplish with additional hands, the conversation becomes more investment focused and therefore more likely to unlock budget.

Evaluate Your Options

Once you’ve secured support for additional budget, you can determine how to allocate those dollars. Do you want to add another FTE to your team or leverage the capabilities of an agency. Here are questions that can help you evaluate the pros and cons of either strategy.

Option #1 – Hire

Hiring allows you to have a person learning your organization and focused on your goals full time. To hire, you first need to determine what type of position and skills you’re hiring, then consider the cost. Some costs like salary are obvious while others, like the time and attention needed to support and grow that individual, are hidden but still very real.

Culture – The saying goes that “Culture eats strategy for lunch,” and that’s true. Define the culture you need to fit into your department and be clear about what that looks like in a candidate.
Level – Are you prepared to help support a more junior staff person or do you need an experienced senior marketing professional to hit the ground running? In addition to the varying salary requirements, you’ll also need to consider management and professional development demands.
Skills – You probably have a wish list of skills for which you’re looking for a perfect fit. My guess is that list is pretty long and you’re hoping that a special unicorn of a candidate comes across your desk. Be realistic and think about your priorities. Where do you need expertise, where is capability sufficient, and where can you develop the skills with mentorship and training on the job?
Reducing churn – While the first step is hiring a strong candidate, the second step is keeping (and growing) that person. Consider the environment a candidate needs to be successful. What will s/he need from you as a manager or other teammates? What resources are necessary for success? How will you keep that right fit person in a seat within your organization?

Hiring Pros and Cons

Pros

Dedicated attention of an FTE
Ability to grow organizational expertise
Flexibility to move within the department’s needs

Cons

Skill set of one person
Management and resource demands to support that individual
“Right-fit” candidates are hard to find and keep

Option #2: Work with an Agency

For many organizations, working with an agency is a way to scale marketing output quickly and effectively. Here are considerations when looking at a partnership.

Agency Breadth and Depth – Working with an agency often means you get the depth and expertise of a team of professionals. Not all agencies are the same though. You may want to consider whether you are looking for a partner with a depth of specialty or full-service capabilities. Know what the agency can offer and their experience with clients like you.
Onboarding and Tools – Most agencies can hit the ground running, but you’ll want to know what time and resources you can expect for onboarding. Guage their familiarity with the tools your team uses for collaboration or see what a partnership with them might bring to the table for your team.
Define the Relationship – The most successful partnerships have clear expectations. Do you want a partner to fully take a scope of work off your shoulders? Is the ability to pivot and be flexible important to you? What goals and deliverables do you expect? Since an agency is not a full-time employee, communication is key to success.
Cultural Fit – A cultural fit is critical to the success of both parties, so make sure it feels like a love match. Working with an agency should feel like handing things over to a trusted team member, so look for a partnership that feels easy and delivers results that make everyone look good.
Flexibility – An agency knows it must deliver results and the relationship is never guaranteed. This gives you flexibility as an organization – if something isn’t working you can make a change quickly and easily.

Agency Pros and Cons

Pros

Team of experts
Focused on delivering results and showing value
Ready to hit the ground running
Exposure to tools and resources available through the agency

Cons

Not fully integrated into your team
Handoffs and scope of work needs to be clearly defined
Access to internal information/resources can be limited

Budget

While these are all important considerations, the decision often comes down to a big question – what does the budget support? When looking at hiring or working with an agency, there are multiple variables to consider:

Salary – Remember the base salary is just part of the equation. According to most human resource calculators, there is a 25-40 percent multiplier on a salary to cover the total compensation package (unemployment insurance, social security, 401K, disability, health insurance, etc.) A full-time marketing manager with a base salary of $70,000 could have a total cost of employment of $87,500 – $98,000.
Project versus Retainer – Agencies often offer different types of budgetary relationships. A project-based or draw-down budget for the year allows the agency to bill work as it is completed within an approved budget or project estimate. A retainer relationship generally bills a set amount at an established cadence (monthly, quarterly, annually). Find out what flexibility there is within an agency’s contractual relationship and know what your obligations are.
Length of Contract – Hiring is (hopefully) a longer-term commitment, but if you decide to work with an agency, find out what its contract outlines for the terms of the relationship. Is it an annual contract, month-to-month, or project-based? What are the contractual commitments for both parties and what notice is required for a change?

Meeting the demands in this evolving marketing landscape can be challenging and exciting. If it’s time to add to your team and you would like to explore what a relationship with Chartwell Agency could look like for your organization, we’d love to connect.