Every business needs to market their products or services, but do you Do it Yourself or outsource to a third-party? Do you create and build your own in-house marketing team, potentially a more considerable investment, or will you choose to outsource your marketing to an agency?
What is a marketing agency?
It’s essential to understand what a marketing agency is and what they might offer your business. There are lots of different types of agencies, each specialising in areas that might help your brand. Here are some of the most common you will come across:
Branding and design
If your business is still in its infancy, or perhaps you’re looking to re-brand, then a branding firm would be your “go-to”. In these types of agencies, you will find not only graphic designers but a host of creative minds who will help develop your business into the brand that you’ve always dreamed of. This can include the business name, logo, tone of voice and even where you should aim to be in the market.
Digital marketing
A digital marketing agency will focus on how well you are seen and perceived online. These agencies will focus on improving your rank on search engines, bringing more visitors to your website and how to engage with your customers more.
As well as social media, SEO, content and PPC experts, you will also find back-end developers and designers who will seek to make your website look better and be responsive.
Offline marketing
The opposite of a digital firm, your offline branding agency will seek to improve your brand and identity in ‘offline’ methods. This will include market research, advertising (such as newspapers or radio) and editorial coverage. There might also be event marketing experts.
What can you expect from in-house marketing?
Rather than hiring an agency for your marketing campaigns, by choosing in-house marketing, you will employ your own experts to create and implement various marketing campaigns. How many people you hire will depend on the budget and marketing needs of your business.
Generally, a relatively small business will look to employ 1 to 3 marketers who are versatile and can adapt to all your marketing needs.
Which has the better skill set?
For businesses, whether you choose an agency or in-house will come down to who can provide a more successful marketing operation. In most cases, a better campaign can be attributed to the skills available.
In-house pros and cons
When you employ a marketer(s), that employee will learn your business in and out. That person will be enthusiastic about the company and want it to succeed, as that success will keep them in a job
In-house marketers have been personally vetted by you and have a large body of skills, which makes them versatile to help with both digital and offline campaigns
Although you have a versatile in-house marketer for your campaign, it is hard to match this to an agency who has a large employee base of marketers who are experts in their field
Agency pros and cons
You will usually find an expert at whatever you need, may this be social media, SEO or advertising. These specialisms are something you are very unlikely to get in-house. However, these experts will also be working with other companies, which can dilute the impact.
You may need multiple agencies for one campaign. For instance, a digital agency for your online marketing and an offline agency for advertising and PR. This can be time-consuming, as you will need to listen to multiple pitches from agencies and bring them all to speed on what you’re looking for and what your business is all about.
Which is more cost-effective?
Skills aside, for most businesses, the cost of picking either an agency or using in-house employees will be the deciding factor in your choice.
In-house
Most businesses assume that an employee’s salary will be far more expensive than an agency. However, with retainers for the larger agencies ranging from £5-50k a month, it can actually be far more effective to pay a monthly salary.
Marketing managers are expensive, but you don’t need to employ a manager straight away. Instead, use an executive and promote them as the business grows.
Although building your own marketing team can be time-consuming and take you away from other business needs, this process can be more cost-effective than merely choosing an agency, as you are likely to get more output from an in-house team.
You can choose to employ graduates on lower salaries. Although this is risky, as they have less experience, graduates are often keen to learn and have lots of new and exciting ideas.
Agency
The price you pay is for a campaign, rather than an employee. This means you are paying for a large number of experts who you could not afford in-house. The price they quote you is also negotiable, which may save you some money.
An agency will pay for their own office, software and training, which means you won’t need to pay these costs.
Summary
At the end of the day, whether you choose an agency or in-house marketing team will depend on the budget, and time, that you have available to you. There’s no denying that, by selecting an agency, you will have access to a wide array of marketing experts that you couldn’t afford to employ yourself.
However, by building your own in-house marketing team you will have a focussed staff, keen to make your marketing campaign a success, which is extremely cost-effective.
More relevant marketing recruitment articles & guides
Marketing Recruitment Guide
Our guide to an effective marketing recruitment process for a vacancy.
Internal Marketing Team Structure
Setting up an in-house marketing team? What roles should you recruit for?
Managing a Marketing Team
Tips on getting the most out of your marketing team to increase your bottom line.
Digital Marketing Interviews
10 top digital marketing interview questions to get the most out of your interview process.
Recruit Marketing Staff
Submit a vacancy or call 01908 061 400 to speak to one of our recruitment consultants directly.
Read our frequently asked questions or pick up the phone for any queries you may have.
Search Marketing Jobs
View the roles we're currently recruiting for across a wide range of industry sectors and company sizes.
Alternatively, submit your vacancy using the button below and one of our recruitment consultants will get back to you with possible roles.
Giles Phillips is a rare find in the minefield of sales recruitment; an honest and thoughtful recruiter who considers the needs of both the client AND the candidate to create perfect role matches. I look forward to working with him again in the future.
Marketing Director, City of London Police
I have used Aaron Wallis to fill a number of our Sales Development Manager roles and I have found them to provide a very professional service. I will use their services again in future recruitment campaigns.
HR Business Partner, Greene King
Rob’s knowledge of the recruitment industry and his thoughts and how to make it better for his clients have always been eye opening. I would recommend Rob to anybody who is looking for a professional, knowledgeable and flexible recruitment specialist.
CEO, Friday Ad Online Services
Giles is highly professional and was a pleasure to work with. He achieves excellent results through his personable skills and tenacity. I have no hesitation in recommending Giles to anyone who considers employing his services.
Commercial Director, G4S Government & Outsourcing Solutions
Since joining DSGi, Rob has been a supplier of permanent staff and has performed to an extremely high standard, successfully filling 98% of roles he has worked on. If anyone is looking for a good sales and marketing based consultancy with an informal yet professional approach, I would recommend Rob.
Senior Recruitment Consultant, DSG International
I just wanted to thank you for your help with our recruitment process which went very smoothly and has – we hope – found us just the person for the job!
Managing Director, Citrefine International Ltd
In an industry where people over promise and under deliver, Rob and his teams have consistently provided a high-quality service. It is great to deal with someone that has an excellent understanding of UK industry, and a passion for sales.
Sales Manager, TR Fasteners
I really liked the YouTube presentations which made the service seem both simple and accessible. The company came to see me, and my management team, at short notice to present their service and I liked the support and advice that I received about maximising the results from the applicant.
Managing Director, Leisuresec plc
I have always found Rob to be very knowledgeable about our industry sector, and it is refreshing to see after all of these years that Rob continues to quickly and accurately understand my requirements.
HR and General Manager, THK
I found Aaron Wallis to be very professional and efficient, taking time to understand the role and the type of candidate we were looking for. The candidates they put forward met our criteria and were of a high standard. The service they provided was exemplary and I would have no hesitation in recommending them, and will certainly consider using them again in the future.
HR Assistant, Fischer Connectors Ltd
We were impressed not only by the quality of candidates you found for us but also the level of information, preparation and qualification you put into the process. You continually kept us informed of each person’s feelings about the process, which is very important but often overlooked. I am looking forward to working with your company again in the future.
Thanks for all your help during the recruitment process. I have been extremely impressed with Aaron Wallis especially when compared to other agencies we have dealt with. I really felt you grasped the type of person we required and found strong candidates.
UK Sales Manager, Nexcom
We appointed Aaron Wallis in February and the successful candidate, out of the six which Aaron Wallis introduced, was able to join Alphametrics before the end of April. The whole process took less than three months. I would recommend Aaron Wallis’ services to others without hesitation.
Chief Financial Officer, Alphametrics
Rob is a true recruitment professional that goes the extra mile that I have never experienced from any other recruitment agency before. If you need sales people call Rob or someone in his team, as they really are experts in sales recruitment.
Sales Director, Inside Business
Understood the type of person we were looking for and good follow ups - not too frequent.
Really excellent experience dealing with Aaron Wallis. Liam Oakes who helped me get a great job was brilliant. Kept me up to date during the process and offered great help and advice, and a thoroughly nice guy. Highly recommended!
J. Hathaway, Candidate
Fantastic service, helped me find my ideal job quickly and smoothly. Would highly recommend them
C. Caine, Candidate
Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment are a very friendly and professional recruitment organisation who listen to your needs, work with you and act on your behalf which sets them apart from many of their competitors who in my experience are willing to throw anything at you. We discussed my history, my preferences and my wishes - one opportunity was introduced. It was perfect. I start at the end of June.
R. Buckley, Candidate
I have to say coming across and having dealings with Aaron Wallis proved to be very successful. Being highly experienced did not seem to count for much during my job search bit a conversation with Robert Scott gave me a real confidence boost and enabled to get a position at the age of 63. Great service!!!!!!
D. Burgess, Candidate
I can honestly say that the time and expertise you gave me was way beyond any other recruitment consultant I dealt with. You are a rarity in your industry.
S. Akers, Candidate
Very good advice and support was given during the course of the interviewing process. Potential job seekers would be well advised to use this company whilst looking for their new career.
R. Speakman, Candidate
The Recruitment agent I used, Simon, was extremely helpful and really went the extra mile to ensure all of my questions were answered, and that I felt as comfortable and prepared as possible. Very professional company and would definitely recommend to others. Thank you Aaron Wallis!
A. Callaby, Candidate
Aaron Wallis helped me secure a position I really wanted. Giles saught to keep me updated with all the details preceding interviews and after with feedback. I would highly recommend Giles and Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment.
L. Taylor, Candidate
A great recruitment company to work with. Excellent experience with Aaron Wallis through the entire recruitment process. The team was really professional and extremely helpful. Darren was a pleasure to work with. He was friendly, supportive and gave me great advice. Thank you very much!
A. Bauchet, Candidate
Perfect from start to finish. Simon deserves a shout out. Best recruiter there is. If you need a job, this guy will get you one. He's like the super man of recruiters. Top man, can't recommend him enough.
M. Crisp, Candidate
Good swift process with Aaron Wallis, informative regarding the role and the process was moved at a good pace with healthy interaction. Would recommend them to anyone pursuing a change.
S. Bartlett, Candidate
Excellent service, very professional and friendly, would and have, recommended Aaron Wallis.
E. Heley, Candidate
Aaron Wallis is an outstanding recruitment agency specialising in high calibre sales positions. I was working directly with Darren Dawrance who went above and beyond my expectations in sourcing me my perfect role. I was kept in regular communication with Darren and he worked extremely hard to secure my dream job. Highly recommended and Thanks Darren for all your expertise and hard work.
R. Sealy, Candidate
Excellent experience from first contact to ultimately securing a suitable placement. Giles looked after me in a very professional and friendly manner. He used his expertise and experience to ensure I was put forward for the most suitable positions for my skill set and found me a new role very quickly. I can't recommend Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment highly enough.
M. Green, Candidate
Aaron Wallis have provided me with an excellent service, Giles went out of his way to help me preparing for my interview and supported me through all the processes. If you need an agency to give you a fully professional and consultative approach to finding you a new career move, the Aaron Wallis can certainly provide this for you.
01908 061 400
