Short answer: For most small businesses, hiring a marketing agency beats building in-house marketing or doing it yourself. An agency gives you specialists in SEO, paid ads, web and analytics for less than the cost of building that team, and it has no reason to favor one channel over another.
This guide compares the four ways small businesses usually handle marketing: doing it yourself, handing it to an existing employee, hiring a marketing employee, or hiring an agency. It also covers one option many owners do not realize they are choosing: letting media ad sales reps plan the budget.
Option 1: Doing your own marketing
Many owners start with DIY marketing, and that makes sense when budgets are tight. We are a small business too, so we understand the instinct. The problem is the learning curve. Google Ads, SEO, social ads and analytics each change constantly, and learning all of them takes time away from the work only you can do: running the business.
DIY marketing usually leaves gaps, such as a thin online presence, campaigns that waste spend, or a website that quietly loses leads. If you want to try the free options first, start with our guide to marketing your business online for free.
Option 2: Handing marketing to an existing employee
This is the fastest option and often the least effective. The person is already on payroll, but marketing becomes a side task for someone with a full job already, such as an office manager. Campaigns get set up once and rarely optimized, and nobody is accountable for cost per lead.
Option 3: Hiring an in-house marketing employee
Owners often assume an employee is cheaper than an agency. The true cost of a hire is usually 1.25 to 1.4 times their base salary once you add payroll taxes, health insurance, retirement contributions, vacation and sick time. That buys one person, with one or two strong skills, working alone.
- One person rarely covers SEO, Google Ads, social, web and analytics at an expert level.
- A solo hire has no team to check their work or cover when they are out.
- Training, software and tools are extra costs on top of salary.
- If they leave, the knowledge and account access often leave with them.
An in-house marketer can still be the right call when you need someone on site every day. Many businesses get the best of both by pairing that person with an agency for the specialist work.
Option 4: Hiring a marketing agency
An agency gives you a team instead of a single hire. At MPH Marketing that means strategists and specialists across SEO, Google Ads, website design and analytics, working from one plan. Before you hire anyone, check how they report results and who actually does the work. Our list of ways to spot a bad online marketing company covers the red flags.
- Expertise: specialists for each channel instead of one generalist.
- Time: you get your week back to run the business.
- Results: budgets move toward whatever produces leads, measured by cost per lead rather than clicks.
For typical cost ranges, see our digital marketing pricing guide.
The hidden option: letting your ad sales rep plan your budget
Before starting MPH Marketing, our founder worked as an ad sales rep for several media companies. Most reps are good people, but their job is to sell their outlet, so their advice will always favor it.
- A TV station will not tell you to move budget to billboards or Google Ads, even when that would work better.
- When an outlet needs to hit a quota on a smaller channel, reps may pitch it as a better deal for you.
- Sporting event tickets and dinners are nice, but they are not a media plan.
An independent agency compares every channel and is measured on your results, not on which outlet gets the spend.
Online marketing vs traditional marketing
For most small businesses, online marketing is the better starting point. It can be targeted by location and audience, started at smaller budgets and measured down to each lead in GA4. Traditional media like TV, radio and billboards still work when they fit your audience, especially when you track them with unique phone numbers and landing pages. Modern options such as streaming TV advertising bring digital targeting to the TV screen.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to hire a marketing agency or an employee?
For most small businesses, an agency costs less than building the same skills in-house. A full-time hire costs roughly 1.25 to 1.4 times their base salary once taxes, benefits and time off are added, and one person rarely covers SEO, paid ads, web and analytics at an expert level.
When does an in-house marketer make sense?
An in-house marketer makes sense when you need someone on site every day for brand, events or sales support. Many businesses pair that person with an agency that handles the specialist work.
Should I trust my media ad sales rep?
Treat their advice as a pitch for their outlet. A TV station, radio station or publication will not tell you to move budget to a competitor, even when that would work better for you.
Is online marketing better than traditional marketing?
For most small businesses, yes, because digital channels can be targeted, started at smaller budgets and measured down to each lead. Traditional channels can still work when they fit your audience and you can track them.
Not sure which setup fits your business? Book a free consultation and we will walk through your current marketing and where your budget is going.
