Inhouse or Outsource Digital Marketing

Whether you’re on the hunt for a digital marketing agency to help amplify your marketing efforts or you’re considering a new hire, there’s some thinking to be done before you commit to ensure you maximise your outcomes.

There are loads of digital marketing agencies in cities and bigger towns across Australia, which is good news for anyone looking.

Most organisations – from businesses to not or profits and causes – seek out agencies for two reasons either they need expertise in an area they don’t currently have or they don’t have time to do it themselves.

I could just employ someone, so I don’t need an agency

If you’re thinking of employing someone to fill the gap in house, first weigh up whether an agency might be a better fit.

Is that ‘salary’ you’ve allocated better spent giving you access to multiple skills, experiences and outcomes?

Agency relationships flourish when you bring the organisation intel while they bring the marketing expertise.

But before you go hunting for an agency, you need to know what you need help with – strategy setting or execution?

Don’t waste your budget if you don’t know where you need to spend it

According to Matt Hanham, from Perth’s boutique digital marketing agency Visible, budgets are  usually wasted when there isn’t synergy between strategy and output.

“Don’t sign up a generalist if you need an expert and vice versa,” Matt said.

“There’s no right or wrong answer when choosing an agency but it’s on you to do your homework and know what you need.

“The biggest mistake I see is people blaming the agency when things don’t work out.”

If you don’t know what you’re paying for, you’re paying too much

Matt advises when engaging an agency you need to know and share your basics.

“Know what your message is, what makes you unique, and who you want to reach,” he said.

“Have you got content? Are you able, and willing, to create video, a podcast, have you got photos to share?”

And if you need help crafting your strategy be clear about your goals and your timing; the key to success is working together.

“You need to be involved,” Matt said. “An agency cannot return a great strategy or execute a plan if you aren’t helping to shape things, they do not have a magic wand.”

When things go wrong

There’s a lot of stories out there about souring agency relationships. Things tend to go south when organisations question output against money spent.

“If the organisation doesn’t know or understand the strategy then it will be very difficult for any agency to deliver outcomes,” Matt said.

You need clarity before signing up with any agency so you can both follow an agreed process to execute an agreed plan.

So, what’s Matt’s number one tip when looking for an agency?

“Do your homework. Share the right information and make sure you’re a good fit,” he said. “If you don’t know what you want it’s going to be very hard to measure the results.”

Clarity around what you want to achieve will help you understand what success looks like and how you’ll reach that goal.

Want to hear the full podcast where Alecia & Matt unpack using a digital marketing agency? Download and listen to the Change the World podcast with Matt Hanham here.