How to Determine How Much Agency Support You Need

Published by Spinutech on January 6, 2022

If you’re tasked with leading a marketing strategy, you’ve probably asked yourself this question: should I keep all marketing initiatives in-house or outsource projects with a reputable marketing agency?

How you invest your marketing strategy depends on your resources and goals. Regardless of a marketing department's size or expertise, some teams may find themselves leaning more heavily on support from a digital agency while others benefit most from focused support in specialized areas. To help you determine how much agency support will earn your marketing team the most ROI, we’ve compiled a list of questions to get you started.

Is Your Company Task-Driven or Strategy-Driven?

Think back to a time when your team started a new marketing campaign or launched a new product—was everyone focused on quickly getting items checked off the list to meet deadlines, or were they dedicating a larger portion of allocated time towards vision, strategy and planning?

Both strategy and execution are equally important, but the end results skyrocket when these two components are in sync.

If your team excels at creating marketing assets — perhaps you have amazing brand storytellers and designers — but find that overlooked details are being uncovered when you’re knee-deep in a project, then your team may benefit from content strategy support from an agency. 

Alternatively, if your team is full of masterminds who thrive at planning the how, why, when and where of digital marketing pieces but are falling behind on estimated timelines, then your team could see a world’s difference by bringing in execution support from an agency.

Does Your Team Have the Bandwidth to Reach Your Company’s Marketing Goals?

Maybe your team’s pain points don’t have to do with their strategy or execution capabilities. If you have a marketing team that’s adept in both areas but still find yourself pushing back deadlines or looking at subpar results, then the issue may be inadequate time and resources.

In this case, the best starting point is an open discussion with your marketing department to get collective insight on what would best help move the needle. From this conversation, you can better gauge the amount and duration of support your team will need. 

For example, if your team is struggling with recurring deliverables, like blogs, social media or email campaigns, then you may want to consider an ongoing agency retainer that covers the projects your team doesn’t have the capacity to accomplish on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.

However, if your team is struggling because of a new project or launch that burdens them with additional work on top of the typical day-to-day — like a website rebuild, for example — then you may want to consult with a digital agency for a one-time project. 

And, if your team is experiencing a combination of the two bandwidth issues mentioned above, working with an agency on a one-time project is a great way to see if they’re the right fit for an ongoing monthly retainer to help move your team closer to your company’s goals.

Do you have Urgent Upcoming Deadlines or Large Project Backlog?

Even if growing your marketing team is a plan currently in the works, can your immediate projects and goals wait while you source new talent, interview prospective employees and onboard team members? If there’s an immediacy factor weighing on you, your team could benefit from a digital agency that can partner you with a skilled “pre-packaged” team that’s ready to tackle looming marketing projects.

Are Some Areas of Your Marketing Strategy Performing Better Than Others?

What are the top three strengths and top three weaknesses of your marketing department as a whole? Once you’ve compiled that list, you can begin connecting the dots to see which specific components of your digital marketing strategy needs extra support.  

While some companies may need help with everything from brand development to content strategy to website design, others may need help with specific niche areas, like paid search ad campaigns or email nurture campaigns. 

And, if you choose a digital agency that is known for being collaborative, then outsourcing support isn’t just a quick solution to fill in gaps temporarily. It’s also an opportunity to set up your internal team for success in the future. By working closely with experts, your internal team can work on those areas of growth and build a stronger, diversified skill set. 

For example, let’s say you have a skilled writer on staff who doesn’t have a strong understanding of SEO best practices. By working closely with an SEO strategist from a collaborative digital agency, they can become more versed in that area of marketing—and while they may not necessarily become experts, any professional development for your team is only an added benefit for you and your company as a whole.

At Spinutech, our team consists of talented digital marketing experts that can provide support on anything from website creation to content strategy. If you believe your organization would benefit from the resources we have to offer, contact Spinutech today to discuss how we can help further grow your business through digital marketing.