Cost
By far the cheapest to hire is an in-house, typically because they only have 3-5 years experience in the market. Most Online Marketers with more tenure than that work for agencies or as consultants. The cost of an agency is very expensive, usually billing at a rate of $150-$300 per hour, even though the “talent” only receives a small portion of it. My rate is a standard $200, but when you pay me that money, I don’t pass the work to a junior associate with a year of experience and pocket the rest. I am the one that works on you account. |
Face to Face Meetings
By far the in-house person takes this, but you need to decide what is most important and if you really need a real-time full time presence. Agencies are not the best at this simply because they have a lot of accounts on their own, and a lot of people touching your account. When I work with your team, I work with the entire team, very similar to how an in house would. |
Experience Level
Hiring me or a consultant takes the cake here. Agencies have a lot of high-level people in them, but most of them are used to manage processes and employees, not accounts. In-house staff will typically have 5 years or less experience. I have been in the online marketing space for 15 years, and with me, when you hire me, you get me, not a 2-year associate out of college. |
Access to Links
Agencies typically will win here because of buying power. I have a lot of relationships for SEO links, and I can move quicker than an agency can. An in-house will undoubtedly lose this battle. |
Internal Politics
Agencies will politic (on their own side and your side) and typically spend more time doing this than actually working on your account. In-house people, you need to deal with internal employee motivations, etc. With me, I tell you how it is. |
Horse Power
Agencies have the largest horsepower for sure. In-house people will always be at the mercy of your own staff. I have substantial horsepower, and have a lot of access to a lot of people quickly if needed. |
Technology
Myself, and Agencies will have access to a lot more technology than your typical in house hire. |
Stay Up to Date
I would say I would win this battle. Agencies are pretty good at this, but most of them are worried about legacy processes, and in-house simply don’t have the time to keep up on Search, Social and the ever-growing world of technology. |
Long Term Commitment
Agencies typically require a 1-2 year engagement, employees, well, depending on your state laws, some times they are hard to fire. My term is 3 months at a time. Simply engagements as if it is going to work for both parties, then we keep going. |
Engagements Per Person
Agencies have a lot of overhead that does not relate to your account that you have to pay for. This means that most of their account managers are managing 20-30 clients or more. I will typically have 5. An in-house wins here with only you! |
Breadth of Services
Most in-house staff will have a particular strength, in search, social, email, CRO, etc. Agencies have the largest breadth of services but typically costs a lot more money to access them all. I have a wide breadth of knowledge because I had to learn them, first hand, for my own companies. |
Funneling Successes from Other Sites
If the agency has good internal processes to share individual experiences with the entire team, then they would win this one. In-house people would have almost no insight. I am involved in a network of 5 other really high-level consultants and we share shifts and changes in the landscape. |
Coordinating Departments
Agencies are not good at this as they are process-oriented and it is too hard to fit 100 clients processes in their own. In-house is probably the best here as they know most of the people in the company, but a consultant can deliver this well too. |
Turn Over
Turn over is critical to the success of your account. Agencies have an abnormally high turn over it most instances due to the highly-competitive nature of their business. Employees will also leave at the first site of more money. Me? I am here to stay as long as you want me. |