Digital Marketing Company vs. In-House Marketing Team

Full-service digital marketing companies are swiftly winning ground in 2021. Even so, the debate of whether you should turn to a professional agency or build an in-house marketing team never seems to cease. And it makes sense! We believe the answer is industry-specific and context-driven.

So if you operate in the F&B industry, should you keep the marketing work in-house or outsource it to an expert agency? Let’s find out.

Working with a Digital Marketing Company in 8 Points

1. Increased specialization: a digital marketing company that focuses on one specific segment (F&B) has already gained profound expertise and heaps of foodservice-specific knowledge. 
2. Lower cost: you spend less because you won’t have to invest in recruiting, training, research, and industry-tailored tech (like web developers for your home delivery platform). 
3. Full coverage: not all digital marketing companies are full-service. But those that are (such as Dine Agency) can take over the hefty responsibility of online business management.
4. A different perspective: marketing companies offer out-of-box insights and a refined perspective on your industry, as well as on your specific brand and how it compares to competitors.
5. Result-driven partnership: with agencies, results must be promptly visible. Why? Because the credibility of the digital agency is at stake.
6. Efficiency and credibility: Digital marketing companies typically know how to adapt to a fast-paced market and its changing needs (as it’s the case in our current pandemic-affected economy). 
7. Competitor knowledge: agencies have expertise collaborating with different clients in the food industry. Thus, they know the competition better than an in-house marketing team without spending extra time and money on research. In addition, having already learned from previous clients means they can perform swift knowledge transfers.
8. Cohesive team: you benefit from a pre-existing, cohesive team. Different experts are well-accustomed to cooperating, conceptualizing, and executing marketing campaigns.

TAKEAWAY: It’s best when marketing agencies are full service and industry-focused. They should also be capable of showcasing their work and experience better than any personal CV. Explore our foodservice Case Studies to see what we mean.

Hiring an In-House Marketing Team in 8 Points

• Faster communication: when the marketing team is in-house, ideas are quickly review, approved, and information circulates easier.

1. Reactivity and promptitude: in-house marketing teams – if well-trained – are more reactive to changes in your business strategy.
2. More transparency: you get more transparency since you can monitor marketing processes personally – but foodservice business owners rarely have the time for that. 
3. Stress on company culture: an in-house marketing team may feel more cohesive and, in time, easily aligns with your unique brand vision and company values.
4. Full-time dedication: Compared to digital marketing companies, your in-house team has your brand alone to focus on – which means it dedicates all time and effort to improving your brand’s unique marketing strategies.
5. Flexible team: you decide on the size of your team depending on your budget, whether that’s one or five people dedicated to creating and deploying your marketing strategies.
6. Training required: it takes extensive time and effort to discover the right people, provide training, and create a cohesive team. And if you do find people with plenty of pre-existing experience, hiring them will always be more expensive than hiring an agency. 

TAKEAWAY: In-house marketing teams are harder and more expensive to build, more suitable for industries with a critical focus on the company culture. 

Digital Marketing Company vs. In-House Marketing Team – A Foodservice Close-Up

Partnering up with an industry-specific agency can ramp up your online sales, and it’s significantly cheaper than doing all your marketing in-house. Let’s sum up what we’ve gathered so far

At the end of the day, an in-house marketing team can be great if you’re ready to spend more and perhaps wait longer, too. Still, there is no guarantee that the employees you invest in will always work for you. 

In our experience, foodservice businesses focus on promptitude and quick, quantifiable results, which means that full-service digital marketing companies are typically the right choice.

Wrapping Up 

By the way, we might be just the people you’re looking for. After ten years working with foodservice businesses, we know the tools of the trade. Dine Agency has all the specialists you’re looking for. Full-funnel approaches, tech solutions, competitor insights, and SEO-friendly content strategies are all tailored to present-day food market needs.