The benefits of an in-house marketing team

Building an in-house marketing team can have wide-ranging benefits for your business.

More and more, large companies like Walmart are bringing some or all their marketing functions to an in-house team. Statistics show that there has been a significant increase in firms using in-house marketing teams. From 2013 to 2018, the percentage of advertising teams that use some kind of in-house agency increased from 58% to 73%.

Why are brands “in-sourcing” their marketing functions? There are several reasons for investing in an in-house marketing team versus relying solely on marketing or advertising agencies. While these reasons may not apply to your business, they might ring true for some companies currently working with marketing agencies.

Greater brand control

The first and most obvious reason for building an in-house marketing team is having greater control over your business’s brand. Your brand is the space you occupy in your target audience’s mind. It encompasses the thoughts and feelings consumers have when they think about your business.

If you do not have a strong brand, it can be difficult to make sure all of your marketing is cohesive and working towards the same idea. Even if your brand identity is clearly defined, outsourcing your marketing can dilute the core message you want to convey to your customers. By owning more of your marketing in-house, you will have greater control over your brand messaging. This can allow you to strengthen a new brand more quickly, or protect your hard-fought, existing brand equity.

Team connectivity

Another clear advantage for in-house marketing is the ability to work across teams more efficiently. When everyone is under one roof, it can be much easier for sales, marketing and operations teams to collaborate. Data can be quickly evaluated to determine the effectiveness of a certain type of marketing campaign or tactic, whereas the analysis by an outside marketing agency can slow down pivoting to a new strategy that could lead to better results.

Creative culture

Having creative marketing folks on your team can be a real boost for overall company culture. A diverse team is one that has different genders, ethnicities, national origins, personalities and working styles. While marketing professionals can come from all backgrounds, they are usually some of the most creative people in the room. Having an in-house marketing team with creative employees is a great way to bring new ideas to your overall culture.

In fact, many firms are working with their marketing departments to refine their company culture since it can have a huge effect on your business outcomes. Not only is company culture important for employee satisfaction, it’s becoming a deciding factor for recruitment in an increasingly competitive job market.

Building an in-house marketing team can seem daunting, but it can have a huge payoff for your business. But this doesn’t mean you have to completely stop using agency help. In fact, a mix of in-house marketing and outside input is probably the best solution for most brands. For more marketing tips, check out our other blog posts here.