When to Hire a Marketing Agency vs. In-House Help
How to Make the Right Move for Your Business Growth
As your business grows, so does the pressure to step up your marketing. But what’s the smartest move—hire an in-house marketer or partner with a marketing agency? If you’re feeling stuck between the two, you’re not alone.
In this post, we’ll break down the pros, cons, and key decision points to help you choose the path that will generate results without wasting time, money, or momentum.
The Real Question Isn’t “Who Should I Hire?”—It’s “What Will Drive Growth?”
For many small to mid-sized businesses, hiring one marketing person often seems like the easiest route. But modern marketing isn’t one job—it’s a full team’s worth of skills:
Strategy & planning
Branding & messaging
Paid ads management
Social media & content
Email & SMS
Photo/video production
Website & SEO
Hiring one person to do it all? That’s a heavy lift—and often unrealistic.
In-House Marketing: When It Makes Sense
There are definitely times when having someone internal is the right move.
Here’s when in-house marketing works well:
You already have a strategy in place and just need help executing
You have multiple full-time team members or are building a marketing department
You’re in an industry that requires hyper-specific, daily internal coordination
You want full-time content creation on-site
But beware: A single in-house hire can burn out fast. They’re often expected to do the job of 3+ people—and that leads to missed opportunities and stagnant growth.
Hiring a Marketing Agency: Why It Often Wins for Growing Businesses
An agency is often the better choice for businesses in the $1–18M range that need momentum, clarity, and execution—fast.
Benefits of working with an agency like Midsole Marketing:
A team of experts across strategy, content, paid ads, design, and web
Proven systems and processes already in place
Objective perspective to improve your customer journey and ROI
A single partner to help plan, execute, and refine your marketing—all under one roof
Lower cost than hiring full-time employees
Not Sure Which is Right for You? Ask Yourself:
Do you need strategy, execution, and results—not just help posting content?
Are you tired of hiring marketers who mean well but don’t move the needle?
Is your current marketing feeling inconsistent, disorganized, or directionless?
Do you want someone who can treat your business like it’s their own?
If you answered yes to any of the above, it’s time to talk.
How Midsole Marketing Can Help
We help businesses build marketing strategies from the customer’s point of view.
With a deep understanding of the full customer journey, we help you grow not just leads—but loyalty.
From campaign planning to paid ads, content, email, and creative direction—we plug in as your full-service marketing partner
Let’s Talk About What’s Right for You
Every business is different. That’s why we offer a free strategy session to help you:
Audit your current marketing
Spot gaps in your customer journey
Build a plan for smarter, faster growth