Should You In-House or Outsource Growth Marketing

Should You In-House or Outsource Growth Marketing

Blog Article

Deciding whether to keep your growth marketing in-house or outsource it is kind of like deciding whether to do your own dental work or go to a professional. Sure, you could try a routecanal at home, but is it really a good idea?

Okay, maybe that’s a little extreme. But seriously, it’s a big decision—whether you're a new startup or a growing business, how you handle marketing can make a big impact.

Let’s break it down.

In-house marketing teams are part of your daily operations. They live and breathe your brand. They understand your company culture, what you stand for, and what makes your product or service special. Communication tends to be quicker because everyone works under the same roof (or in the same Slack channel). Over time, in-house teams can build deep knowledge about your customers and industry.

But building an in-house team also means hiring the right people, training them, and making sure they stick around. It takes time and money. And if your team is small, they might be juggling too many hats — content, ads, emails, analytics — all at once. That can slow down progress.

Outsourcing your growth marketing, on the other hand, gives you access to people who do this kind of work all day, every day. Agencies or freelancers have likely worked with different companies and know what’s working now across industries. They bring fresh ideas, tested strategies, and can usually get things off the ground faster. It’s also easier to scale up or down based on your needs.

The downside? They’ll need time to understand your business, and you might have to work harder to stay on the same page. Some external teams can feel “outside” the loop, especially if communication isn’t regular.

So which is better?

Well, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Some businesses start with outsourcing to learn faster and avoid hiring too early. Others want full control from the start and build their own teams. Some even blend both — keeping certain parts in-house and hiring out help for big campaigns or technical work.

The best choice depends on how fast you want to grow, what kind of team you have (or want), and how comfortable you are with managing outside partners.

Either way, the goal is the same: to grow in a smart, thoughtful way that works for your business.