| Small business owners should outsource some marketing functions to a third party to improve their bottom line. |
You want to grow your business. And you know you need marketing.
Should you hire a team?
Or should you work with an agency? This is a vital decision.
In this article, I help you weigh your options so you can make the right choice between in-house vs outsourcing.
GroXcelent empowers small business founders like you to make the most of outsourcing digital marketing services.
The DIY Myth: Why Do Many SMEs Manage Marketing In-House?
TL;DR: Nearly two-thirds of SMEs manage marketing in-house. The founder does most of the marketing work because they believe it saves money.
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) marketing is an approach that puts every marketing function under your control and management.
You’re responsible for SEO, paid marketing, social media, marketing analysis, email, copywriting, and content marketing.
You believe managing marketing in-house gives you full control. It seems cheaper, so you think it’s the only way to ensure quality and make big savings on marketing budgets.
Here are more reasons you may choose DIY marketing:
- Maintaining total control: As a business founder, it’s understandable when you want to control and manage your marketing practice. After all, you know the ins and outs of your business, so the urge to remain in charge is strong.
- Developing skills: Because marketing involves varied skills, trying your hand at SEO, social media, digital ads, video marketing, and more may help you gain expertise.
- Cost-effective: Money is a big issue for SMEs. As a result, DIY marketing becomes the solution to save on marketing costs.
And that’s why nearly two-thirds of SMEs manage marketing in-house.
DIY marketing appears to be a wise decision if you focus only on marketing expenses. However, this approach often fails when you consider the actual costs of doing everything yourself.
That’s because it leads to a lack of strategy and expertise and costs you more in the long term.
Here are the real costs of DIY marketing you’re not calculating:
Time = Money (The Greatest Hidden Cost)— Ever considered the amount of time you spend on writing blogs, creating and posting social media posts, and trying to make sense of ads? You could be spending over $1000 on those marketing tasks at an hourly rate. The Learning Curve Tax: Also, keep in mind the amount of time you spend learning how to create effective campaigns, use SEO tools, and analyze marketing data. You’re wasting between 6 and 12 months and a lot of money learning what marketers already know. Instead, you can use this time to improve customer service. Inconsistent Impact: Because you’re responsible for everything, you’re most likely to produce conflicting results. And your strategies can be random, and this can frustrate your efforts. The Overwhelm of Platforms: You’re on every channel: email marketing, Google Ads, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and SEO. That’s a typical example of being a jack of all trades, master of none. Note that each marketing platform needs different methods, content formats, and timing. The Opportunity Cost: I’m sure you have never considered the opportunity cost of DIY marketing. Those 20 hours a week on campaigns that produce shoddy results could have been better used on company strategy. |
The cherished benefit of Do-It-Yourself Marketing is saving money. It has some weaknesses that outweigh its advantages.
The In-House Reality: What Are the Hidden Costs of Building a Team?
TL;DR: An in-house team seems simple. But it comes with high costs and management complexity.
For example, a proper in-house marketing team should have specialists below:
- Marketing manager: They oversee the overall marketing activities for your small business.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)/Generative Engine Optimization Specialist (GEO): They’re responsible for keeping your website healthy and users happy with your content.
- Email marketing expert: They’re in charge of customer engagement and retention through email.
- Paid marketing professional: They fine-tune your digital ads to ensure you get a good return on spend (ROAS).
- Marketing/data analysis guru: They crunch the numbers to help you make sense of your marketing campaigns.
- SEO content manager/writer: They create user- and AI-engine-friendly content to boost visibility and conversions.
You can fork out significant amounts of money if you go this route. For example, a marketing manager’s salary is just the start.
You must also pay for benefits, software, training, and recruitment. You should manage that person, too.
Here are the cons of in-house marketing:
- Software: You must pay for SEO/GEO tools, email marketing platforms, and analytics software. And you need to invest a great deal of time to learn how to use the apps.
- Recruitment: Hiring a skilled professional is challenging and expensive. I have applied for SEO jobs on LinkedIn. I can tell you that the process is long. Expect to take nearly 8 weeks to onboard a new employee.
- Time: You must spend time managing the person. Also, you have to foot the training costs for new staff.
It may look like a wise business idea to put marketing roles under your in-house team. You must be prepared for the hidden costs.
The “Set It and Forget It” Fallacy: Why AI Agents Can’t Replace a Marketing Team.
TL;DR: While powerful, agentic AI can’t operate with full autonomy. It lacks the strategic insight, human creativity, and problem-solving skills to build a successful marketing operation.
Agentic AI tools are exciting. They promise to automate complex workflows.
They can perform data analysis, adjust campaigns, and even create content.
Current statistics on the power of AI agents are promising based on the PwC Survey of 300 executives:
- 66% said productivity increased.
- 57% reported cost savings.
- 55% said decision-making improved.
- 54% saw improvement in customer service.
- 39% realized an increase in profits
- 35% stated that innovation in products/services improved.
- 32% gained market expansion.
However, they’re not a “set it and forget it” solution. They are tools that require a human master.
Will AI Replace Marketing? Limitations of AI-Only Teams:
No Strategic Oversight: AI agents don’t understand your business’s unique challenges or long-term goals. They’re execution engines. They can’t define your brand’s mission, audience, or strategy. A human must provide the roadmap.
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No Creativity or Empathy: AI can write content, but it can’t capture the subtle nuances of your brand’s voice. It can’t build genuine human connections. So it lacks the creative leap needed for a viral campaign or a compelling story.
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No Adaptability to the Unexpected: An AI agent can’t react to a sudden market shift or a competitor’s new product launch without human input.
It requires a human to provide new data and reset its goals. For example, think of Google’s Core updates.
Someone must stay in the loop of the effect of algorithm changes on your website, not a machine like an AI agent.
AI agents do exceptionally well in repetitive tasks and automating workflows. This allows you to concentrate on high-impact, high-value tasks.
You still need the human expertise of marketers to steer your business to success.
The Outsourcing Advantage: Why Is an Agency a Smarter Choice for SMEs?
TL;DR: An agency like GroXcelent provides diverse expertise and greater value for your money. It combines human strategy with AI tools to help you overcome the challenges of limited budgets, time, and expertise.
An agency provides a full team of specialists. For example, you get a dedicated strategist, a content writer, a copywriter, an email marketer, and an SEO expert.
You pay a single monthly fee that aligns with your budget.
Or you can choose project-based SEO services to achieve short-term, impactful marketing campaigns like conversion optimization, ads, or link building.
Here are the pros of outsourcing marketing to a partner:
- Cost-Effectiveness: You pay for expertise. You don’t pay for salaries, benefits, and software.
- Access to Expertise: You gain access to a full team. You don’t get one person’s limited skills. We use AI as a tool to enhance our work, not replace human creativity.
- Efficiency and Speed: Our team has developed proven systems and processes that start delivering results faster.
- Flexibility: You can scale services up or down as your business grows. What’s more, you enjoy hassle-free plans without being bound to a contract.
Making the Decision: How Do You Choose the Right Digital Marketing Agency?
TL;DR: Don’t base your decision on fees alone. Look for an agency with a proven track record, a focus on your goals, and a transparent process.
Consider the checklist below:
- Proven Results: Ask for case studies. Do they show predictable SEO growth and tangible outcomes?
- Clear Communication: Do they communicate clearly? Do they understand your business? This is crucial since it determines your success. Any misalignment with your goals results in wasteful expenditure. And that’s why GroXcelent is laser-focused on understanding your brand and its customers in the first weeks of our engagement through our 6-month SEO roadmap.
- Transparent Pricing: Is their SEO pricing simple and transparent?
- Strategic Focus: Do they focus on your revenue and growth? Or just on tasks?
GroXcelent uses a hybrid model that involves South African + Asian strategists and AI. This approach offers your business budget-friendly, high-quality SEO services.
We obsess over three things: your business, its customers, and revenue. And that’s why we provide low-cost SEO and paid campaigns.
FAQs on In-house vs. Outsourcing
What is DIY in marketing? Do-it-yourself Marketing is a strategy that gives you total control of marketing roles such as paid marketing, email marketing, social media, creatives, SEO, digital PR, and copywriting. You’re responsible for everything. |
What is the difference between in-house and outsourced marketing? In-house is when you hire people to build your team. You want to use your internal staff’s expertise. Outsourced marketing occurs when you contract an external partner or an agency to take over some marketing responsibilities. |
Which is better, in-house or outsourcing? In-house is preferable if you’re just starting and want to keep essential marketing activities like brand messaging under your control. Outsourcing is a good choice as your business expands nationally or globally. It grants you access to experienced marketers with proven processes to drive brand awareness, lead generation, visibility, and sales. You get this expertise at budget-friendly investments. |
How do you choose the right agency? Consider the agency’s track record, expertise in your niche, communication, values, transparent pricing, and its ability to align with your goals. Ask questions during discovery calls to learn more about the outsourced partner. GroXcelent has developed foolproof marketing frameworks to ensure your small business hits its goals. Whether you’re running an e-commerce store, NGO, fintech, college, or tech business, you can access robust SEO strategies. |
Will AI agents replace marketing? No. AI agents excel in repetitive marketing tasks and improving workflows. Marketing is for people, so humans are still relevant to create stories or content that resonate with users. AI and humans can work together to improve marketing processes. |
Get Marketing Experts Without the Headache of Hiring Costs
The choice between in-house and outsourcing is strategic. Outsourcing often provides better value since it gives you access to a full team of experts at a lower cost.
Want to outsource marketing to professionals at an affordable investment? GroXcelent is a growth agency built for ambitious startups and growing small businesses.
We help companies like yours find more customers and increase their revenue by integrating marketing functions from SEO to paid search.
Schedule a free consultation with us today. We can help you find the best path for your small business.
