In-house vs Outsourced
In-House vs Outsourced Marketing: What's Right for UK SMBs?
Hiring a marketing manager costs £35-55k. An agency costs £1-5k/month. Here's how to choose.
In-house
Full-time employee owns marketing.
Best for:
Businesses doing £500k+/year ready for a marketing function.
Pricing:
£35-55k/year + tools
Pros
- + Total focus on your business
- + Lives the brand daily
- + Compounds knowledge
- + Cheaper at scale
Cons
- − £40k+ all-in
- − Skill gaps (no one is great at everything)
- − Holiday + sick cover
- − Slow to hire
Outsourced
Agency or freelancer team.
Best for:
Most SMBs under £1m revenue.
Pricing:
£800-5,000/month
Pros
- + Specialist skills on tap
- + Flexible monthly cost
- + Fresh perspective
- + No HR overhead
Cons
- − Less brand immersion
- − Juggling multiple clients
- − Communication overhead
- − Pricier per hour
The verdict
Outsource until you're spending £4k+/month consistently. At that point an in-house hire usually makes financial sense.
RIOT's take
Best setup we see: one in-house marketing coordinator (£25-30k) plus a small studio for design, web, ads. Best of both worlds without the senior salary.
FAQs
Should I hire a marketing manager or director first?
Coordinator. A director without a team is just an expensive manager — you need someone who'll do the work.
How do I know if my agency is performing?
Monthly reporting against agreed KPIs (leads, revenue, ranking). If they can't show you numbers, replace them.
Can I do hybrid?
Yes — and it's usually the best answer. One generalist in-house, specialists outsourced.
Need help choosing?
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