When businesses begin their marketing efforts, they often try to do as much as possible by themselves, or in-house with the staff they have. But when is enough enough? At a certain point, it’s in a company’s best interest to hire out to an experienced marketing agency.

Whether you’ve just begun pursuing new marketing initiatives or you’ve long been handling them in-house or on your own, there are many drawbacks associated with “do-it-yourself” marketing, not in the least of which is decreased efficacy and productivity all the way around.

So, before you try the “DIY” marketing approach, or if you’re still trying to pull it off, consider these drawbacks:

• Handling marketing in-house means you’re putting undue stress on your existing team
• Marketing activities are likely getting in the way of the jobs you and your people do best
• You don’t have the time or resources to execute a fully-optimized marketing strategy, and that’s costing you money.

Now that we’ve pointed out the biggest drawbacks, the question becomes: When is it time to hire a professional?

Rarely is there a business who thinks, “Oh, marketing is easy. I’ll save a bunch of time and money and get way better results by doing it all myself.”

Let’s face it, there are really only two reasons why businesses end up taking the DIY approach, and that’s because they’re either trying to save money or they don’t think their brand or budget is big enough to justify hiring it out. Fortunately, in either case, you’re wrong.

1. Is your budget too small for an agency?

Addressing these concerns (i.e., a limited budget) is very important, so let’s do that first. If your brand is operating on a tight budget, don’t think for a second that this somehow forces you to do things in house, or that you’ll be more effective if you do.

In reality, outsourcing to an agency is going to help you stretch your budget further because marketing agencies have the tools, expertise, and resources necessary to make sure you get the best possible results — all while minimizing your own team’s hands-on time, thereby letting you and everyone else at your company get back to what they do best.

In other words, outsourcing your marketing helps ensure that your marketing initiatives (and budget) are handled by the professionals who know how to best utilize them, leading to an optimized ROI. Meanwhile, you and your team don’t have to fret over figuring out the best practices, tools, or other complexities that some along with this ever-evolving discipline.

2. Can a brand be too small to outsource?

Another concern you might find standing in your way of growth is the thought that your brand or business is simply “too small” to reap the benefits of outsourcing.

For a long time, it’s true that outsourcing was limited to major companies who had the resources to go out finding contract labor then hiring, training, and invoicing on a mostly manual basis. However, thanks to the advent of freelancing platforms, now anyone — even individual entrepreneurs — can easily outsource their marketing.

What’s more, there are many agencies who cater to the budgets of SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses), so don’t think for a moment that your business isn’t big enough to start using one.

Outsourcing to a professional marketing agency may seem daunting, but truly the most difficult part will be choosing the right one. From there, the benefits really just keep adding up. For instance, once you have an agency working for you, you’ll enjoy…

• Optimized campaigns that stretch your budget farther and help you see more traffic, conversions, and overall better results
• Hands-free management so that you and your team can focus on what you do best
• A growing business that’s thriving on a reliable and sustainable marketing strategy

So, if you’re still asking “when” it’s time to hire on an agency, the answer is now.

Seeking the right marketing agency to partner with? As you continue your search, make sure you have your company’s industry and other special considerations in mind. Above everything, prioritize an agency who listens to and understands your needs, and try to find one with the niche experience that matters.

One thing is for sure: Once you partner with the right marketing agency, the benefits will be undeniable, and it’s a partnership that will scale with your business, too, helping you continue to grow for years to come, even as things within your company and industry evolve and change.