Should you bring your paid media in-house?

Should You Use a Paid Media Agency or Bring It In-House? A Guide for In-House Marketing Leaders

When you’re responsible for driving digital performance, the question of whether to partner with an agency or keep everything in-house inevitably comes up. With budgets under scrutiny by senior leadership, and expectations higher than ever, choosing the right setup can significantly impact your growth trajectory.

Both options have clear advantages, but neither are without their challenges. The best answer depends on your goals, resourcing, pace of growth, and internal expertise. Here’s a break down of the key considerations to help you make the right choice for your business.

The Case for Using an Agency

Pro #1. Access to Deep, Specialist Expertise

Paid media evolves at lightning speed. Agencies live and breathe platform changes, algorithm shifts, creative best practice, and performance benchmarks across industries.

If you want cutting-edge strategy, technical excellence, and expertise that’s hard to hire for, an agency gives you instant access. Many paid media agencies are Google Partners or even Premier Partners, which means they have constant access to the latest innovations within paid search.

Pro #2. Faster Ramp-Up and Scaling

Whether you’re launching a new product, entering new markets, or scaling spend quickly, agencies can move fast. They have the resource flexibility and established processes to grow or pivot campaigns without the delays of recruiting or restructuring a team internally. Hiring internally doesn’t happen instantly, which can slow down your plans to scale.

Pro #3. Proven Frameworks and Cross-Account Insights

Agencies work across dozens (or even hundreds) of accounts. Because of that, they know what’s working right now in the industry, they have a better barometer for shifts in platform performance, and they have the insight gained from other clients to benchmark your results against. When your paid media is in-house, it is much more insular and you don’t have access to as much insight.

Pro #4. Cost-Effective for Businesses Without the Headcount

Building an in-house team can be expensive. To truly cover all paid media channels effectively, you’d often need expertise across paid search, paid social, creative, and data analysis. Not to mention a manager to oversee the execution and hold the team accountable. Working with an agency is a one-stop shop.

Pro #5. A Level of Accountability and External Perspective

An agency brings objectivity. They challenge your assumptions, spot opportunities you might overlook internally, and provide strategic direction without internal bias. An agency can give fresh ideas and can draw on examples from other clients to help steer your strategy.

The Case for In-House

Pro #1. Close Proximity to the Brand

An in-house team lives and breathes the brand. They understand product nuances, tone of voice, buying cycles and internal pressures. These can help campaigns to feel more authentic and true to the brand’s identity.

Pro #2. Faster Creative Turnaround

If your organisation has strong creative and content resources, in-house teams can often move faster when it comes to testing new ad concepts, messaging, and assets. However, that’s usually the case when you have a fully-staffed in-house team as opposed to having only a Paid Media Marketer

Pro #3. Full Internal Control of Priorities and Budgets

In-house teams can adapt and shift focus instantly, without going through an agency briefing process. For fast-paced brands with rapidly changing priorities, this can be a big advantage. For businesses with inconsistent media spend, an agency might offer you the flexibility you need at this stage in your journey.

Pro #4. Potential Long-Term Cost Savings

For businesses with a consistent media spend that are on a stable growth trajectory, bringing paid media specialists in-house could be a much more cost-effective and efficient solution over the long-term.

Pro #5. Better Integration with Other Teams

Internal teams can collaborate seamlessly with product, merchandising, sales, customer service, and leadership. This is especially valuable in an eCommerce business where stock levels can fluctuate massively, and where there is a constant churn in products as well as rotating offers.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but selecting the right approach for your business will dramatically influence how efficiently your brand can grow. Whether you choose an agency, an internal team, or a hybrid structure, the key is alignment. The people managing your paid media channels need the right expertise, as well as a clear strategy, and the capacity to execute at the pace your brand demands.

If you’re unsure which route is right for your business, we’re always happy to chat through your options and help you make an informed decision. Free free to pick up the phone and call us on 0117 374 1160, or drop us an email on stacey@digital-tonic.co