100% of the business owners (or CEOs) which I had the chance to work with were struggling to decide how to build their marketing team in a proper way. Some of them were just blindly following something they read or heard. Others - had firm beliefs (in most cases - far away from the reality).
Each of the heads of business was having different preferences, but all of them had concerns about any of the options - hiring a marketing agency, freelancers or building an in-house team.
Here, I would like to showcase the top 7 concerns for each of these approaches to structure a marketing team. At the end, I will provide my personal suggestion on the universal structure, if such think even exists.
Top 7 Concerns of Hiring a Marketing Agency
- Cost Implications: Agencies often come with high monthly retainers or project fees. Especially for small businesses, the expense can be substantial, and it's like renting expertise without building equity.
- Loss of Control: Entrusting your marketing to an external team means giving up a degree of control. They might not fully understand your vision or nuances, which can lead to messaging that feels "off."
- Communication Delays: With an external agency, there might be bottlenecks or lags in communication. Want a quick update or need to make a fast change? Prepare for potential wait times.
- One Among Many: Your business might be just one of many clients the agency serves. This could lead to divided attention, making you feel like you’re not getting the dedicated focus you deserve.
- Cultural Mismatch: An agency might not fully grasp or fit into your company's culture and ethos. This mismatch can lead to campaigns that don’t resonate with your intended audience.
- Data Security Concerns: Sharing sensitive company and customer data with a third-party always poses a risk. Agencies might not always have stringent data protection measures in place.
- Contractual Traps: Some agencies might bind you in long-term contracts with hefty penalties for early exit. This can be a nightmare if you’re unsatisfied with their services but stuck for months or even years.
Top 7 Concerns of Hiring a Freelancer
- Consistency Issues: Freelancers, working on multiple projects, may not always provide consistent quality or adhere to your brand guidelines. It's like playing roulette; sometimes you win big, other times you're left wondering.
- Availability Concerns: Freelancers have multiple clients. If you have an urgent request or need to ramp up efforts, they might not be available or might take longer to respond than a dedicated team member or agency.
- Lack of Holistic Understanding: A freelancer might only specialize in one aspect of marketing. They might be excellent at SEO but clueless about social media marketing. So, you might end up juggling multiple freelancers for a comprehensive marketing approach.
- Contractual Loopholes: Freelancers might not always have stringent contracts in place. This can lead to potential disputes over deliverables, payments, or terms of service. Remember, a handshake is not a legal binding!
- Data Protection Worries: Sharing sensitive data with an individual, especially without proper NDAs or security measures, can be risky. Who's to say where your data might end up?
- Long-Term Commitment Concerns: Freelancers, by nature, might not be in it for the long haul. If you're looking for a long-term partnership, they might move on to other projects or opportunities, leaving you back at square one.
- Cultural and Communication Gaps: Freelancers from different regions or backgrounds might not fully grasp your company's cultural nuances or communication styles. This can lead to marketing messages that seem "off" or misunderstood directives.
Top 7 Concerns of Building an In-House Only Marketing Team
- High Overheads: Hiring full-time employees is expensive. Salaries, benefits, training, and other associated costs can be overwhelming, especially when compared to project-based agency costs.
- Limited Skillsets: Your in-house team might not possess the diverse range of skills an agency offers. This means potentially hiring more people or investing heavily in training.
- Stagnation of Ideas: In-house teams can sometimes get trapped in an echo chamber, rehashing the same ideas. An external perspective often brings fresh, innovative concepts.
- Recruitment Challenges: Finding the right talent is tough. If someone leaves or if you need a new specialist, the recruitment process can be long and arduous.
- Management Overhead: Managing an in-house team requires significant effort. It's not just about marketing; it's about people management, conflict resolution, team dynamics, and more.
- Resource Inefficiencies: Unlike agencies that can distribute resources across clients, your in-house team might have idle times, resulting in inefficiencies.
- Scaling Difficulties: If there's a sudden need to scale up marketing efforts, you can’t just instantly hire more people. Conversely, if you scale down, you might face the tough decision of layoffs.
My Suggestion: The Fusion Mix Model
Of course, it is too naive to structure a marketing team using only one of the three approaches. A healthy mix of them all would be most efficient. The questions is “What is the right formula?”
The truth is that there is no one formula as there is not only one meal recipe or one fitness program. However, if we focus on the functions of each role in the marketing team, we can identify where each approach can provide the best results.
Based on my experience and not pretending that this is the one and only combination, I would suggest the following balanced fusion mix:
In-House Marketers. Build the core team with people who are into your business and understand the brand, the culture and operations very well:
- Head of the marketing team.
- Marketing and account manager (he/she will manage the freelancers and agencies as well).
- Social media content creator and community manager.
- Data analyst and performance optimizer.
- Senior graphical designer and motion graphics expert.
- MarTech expert (platforms, settings, automations, funnels).
Marketing Agency. Use an agency for projects and tasks where the scope of work can be clearly specified as well as the metrics for success:
- Google Ads
- Search Engine Optimization
- Social media ads
- Conversion rate optimization.
Freelancers: Use freelancers who have authority and reputation in the industry for having their own unique system or method or such who are proven to achieve extraordinary results. Use them for high-expertise requiring consulting and planning tasks:
- Detailed performance and activity audits.
- Strategies and plans.
- Implementing unique tools or methodologies.
- Trainings and workshops.
- Troubleshooting, consulting.
- Mentoring the team.
In conclusion, there is not one size-fits-all version of the marketing team structure mix. You need to analyze your industry needs, your organization and, of course, your budget to form your unique marketing task force. The above model can serve you as a compass on making the tough decisions on the road.
What do you think? Do you agree? What would you add or remove/edit?
Share this article with your fellow heads of business or heads of marketing. They will appreciate it.
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1 年Imagine combining the expertise of freelancers, the resources of a marketing agency, and the dedication of in-house marketers! Collaboration is key!