Should You Hire an Agency or Build an In-House Team? A Conversation with Casie Gillette
This month, I sat down with Casie Gillette, Senior Director of Digital Marketing at KoMarketing to discuss her time working at both an agency and as an in-house marketer.
Changing Perspectives
After three years at KoMarketing early on in her career, Casie decided to take the leap and pursue an in-house marketing role. This role gave her a broader perspective, with exposure to channels like radio and tv, instead of a digital focus. It also gave her access to the general goings-on that agencies are usually not exposed to with their clients, having relationships with the sales and operations teams
Casie returned to KoMarketing after a few years to get back into the fast-paced and more varied environment that she was missing while she was in-house. That’s one of the most amazing things about an agency - every day is different, and you get to work with so many cool clients and industries!
Agency or In-House?
As with many things in marketing…the answer is, it depends. Having an in-house team is amazing for the shared knowledge that the team will hold about the company, the product or service, the culture, and more. No one knows it better than the people who work with it every day.
It is also a lot easier for the team to have insights into what is happening across the company, and not just with marketing, which allows them to tailor their marketing based on those other factors, and for the other teams to have a better sense of what marketing is doing, and how they are involved in it.
On the flip side, hiring an in-house marketing team can get really expensive, and can be a big issue when it comes to finding the perfect jack-of-all-trades types needed to keep up with all of the platforms and media used.
Agencies can help relieve the stress of budgeting for full-time employees, and they already have a talented pool of well-trained marketers who are itching to help with marketing efforts! Agencies can help fulfill the duties that may take hiring multiple in-house employees to accomplish for a lot less than their salaries would cost.
With an ever-changing environment, like digital marketing, it’s great to know that there’s a team out there to help you who has the latest knowledge available. Marketers at agencies are constantly on different platforms, interacting with various accounts, and understanding how each platform behaves and how they are unique. An in-house marketer might not have as much time to invest in each channel as agency marketers do.
Conversely, agencies are not a part of the day-to-day operations of the companies they are working for. Are they going to fully be able to grasp what your company is, what you do? Are you able to budget enough of the agency’s time to make it worthwhile? Is the agency a good fit for your company?
Listen to our latest podcast episode to learn more about the differences between agencies and in-house teams, and see why both may (or may not) be a good choice for you!
Follow @TheAgencyScoop on Twitter or find me on LinkedIn on The Agency Scoop Page.
About The Agency Scoop
Each episode, we tackle a specific topic with another friend from Cypress North or pull in leaders from other companies. We’ll chat about what’s helping our agency grow, how we work with clients, things that bring us joy, and even the challenges we face. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast player to follow along!
Related Resources
Continuous Improvement Techniques for a Growth-Minded Agency
Learn some of the techniques our agency uses for continuous improvement, growth and learning, and building trust - both internally and with clients.
Why Small Creative Agencies Yield Big Results
Looking to improve your creative efforts? Bigger may not be better. Here's why a small creative agency can yield big results for you.
How it Began: Starting an Agency with Greg Finn and Matt Mombrea of Cypress North
On this month’s episode, Maggie and I talk about all things Barbie, our thoughts about the hit film of the summer (no spoilers!), and how we felt about their creative marketing tactics. Plus, we let you in on what's happening […]
Unlimited PTO and Workcations: Paradise or Pitfall?
In this month’s episode, Maggie and I ‘thread the needle’ on Meta’s latest social media platform, including our opinions and experience of using the app for the first time. Plus, we dive into the uncertainty currently facing our economy and […]
11 Signs It’s Time for a New Website
Is your website up to date and meeting the needs of your customers? Here are 11 signs that indicate your organization needs a new website that follows best practices.
Is Google Analytics 4 a Tactical Move Away From Free Analytics?
There’s something fishy going on with the way that Google is handling GA4. To me, it’s playing out as a backdoor cash grab, hidden under a thin veil of a free and easy migration from UA.Â
Agencies are Eliminating their College Requirements in 2023
On this month’s episode of the Agency Scoop, Maggie and I discuss the usage of artificial intelligence search engines and why they are more of a resource rather than a replacement for employees. Plus, we share our hot takes on […]
Reimagining the Agency Account Team Structure
On this month’s episode of The Agency Scoop, Maggie and I discuss the state of our economy and how this is affecting companies and their marketing efforts, in house versus agency marketing services, and the rollout of our new client […]
ChatGPT and Quiet Quitting
In this month’s episode of The Agency Scoop, Maggie and I discussed the latest artificial intelligence news and the trending concerns behind quiet quitting. Both of these topics are rising in popularity. Whether or not that’s a good thing is […]
Brand Refresh vs. Rebrand vs. New Brand: Which Do You Need?
Is your organization in need of a branding solution? Here's a breakdown of the differences between a brand refresh, a rebrand, and a new brand so you can decide which would work best for you.
Managing the Client-Agency Relationship: An Approach to Success
A few months ago, we implemented a formalized internal structure for our client teams, designed to help us better serve and manage accounts. It’s a move that’s been well-received, both internally and externally, but one that took us a while […]
7 Benefits of Hiring a Creative Agency Over a Full-Time Employee
If you’ve landed on this article, it’s likely you need help with creative services for your business and are trying to figure out if it’s best to hire more staff or work with a creative agency. I’ll admit - as […]
New Year, New Scoop! Working Hard and Sometimes Remotely
The Agency Scoop is back with a new structure, new co-host, and new agency talk! This month, I sat down with Maggie Humphrey, Digital Marketing Manager, at Cypress North, to discuss the pros and cons of working from home and […]
Building a Software Agency with Barry Schwartz
This month, I sat down with Barry Schwartz, CEO of web service firm Rusty Brick and founder of Search Engine Roundtable. His career began at age 14 when he joined his twin brother in starting a software development business. Their […]
Moving Mountains (and Summiting Them!) with Lauren Molenda of Riveter Design
This month, I sat down with Lauren Molenda, co-owner and brand strategist at Riveter Design. Her career has been across several different WNY agencies and gave her experience with a ton of our local talent! In 2017, she joined forces […]
Growing an Agency with Tricia Barrett of Crowley Webb & Praxis
This month, I sat down with Tricia Barrett, Chief Operating Officer at Crowley Webb and Praxis. Tricia joined the full service communications agency in 2003 with a background in project management, client service, and operations. She now oversees Crowley Webb’s […]
To the Dark Side and Back: Discussing Agency and Client-Side POVs
This month, I spoke with Charlie Fashana, the Director of Marketing at AAA of Western and Central New York. Charlie's career started in banking at HSBC and later First Niagara Bank. He moved over to the agency side for several […]
Getting Down with Data: An Interview with Sarah Burke
This month, I sat down with Sarah Burke, Data & Analytics Manager at Cypress North to talk about our newest department. All About Sarah Sarah came to Cypress North a little over five years ago after spending two years focusing […]
How We Build It: Website Process with Cypress North
This month, I sat down with Matt Mombrea, Chief Technical Officer at Cypress North to discuss the process of building a website for a client. We walk through every step, its importance, and how it edges us closer to a […]
An INTERN(al) Conversation: Two Employees' Road from Graduation to Employment
This month, I sat down with our two Spring 2021 interns turned full-time employees, Nicole Waddington and Caleb Blodgett. We talk about the expectations of an intern going into an interview, making the internship valuable for both parties, creating a […]
0 Comments