How to Decide What’s Right for Your Business:
When it comes to building a strong marketing presence, most businesses reach a crossroads: should you hire internally or partner with a full-service marketing agency?
At NLA Media, we’ve worked with businesses at every stage from solo founders ready to scale, to established teams looking for outside firepower. If you’re weighing your options, this guide will help you make the best decision based on your needs, resources, and growth goals.
Option 1: Hiring an Internal Marketing Team
Building an in-house team gives you hands-on control over your brand, messaging, and strategy. But it’s not without challenges.
Benefits of an Internal Team
Brand immersion
Your internal team lives and breathes your business every day. They absorb your tone, understand your culture, and can act as brand stewards across every channel.
Real-time collaboration
In-house marketers are often just a Slack message or desk away. This proximity leads to faster brainstorming and quicker execution for time-sensitive tasks.
Institutional knowledge
Long-term employees gain a deep understanding of your customer base, products, and history. That knowledge can fuel more relevant and consistent messaging over time.
Drawbacks of an Internal Team
Limited skill sets
Marketing today is diverse: it encompasses SEO, PPC, content, email, social media, video, analytics, web design, and more. A small team (or solo hire) may struggle to cover it all effectively. In fact, a 2022 HubSpot survey found that 40% of marketers say they lack the skills needed to keep up with changing tech and trends [source: HubSpot 2022 State of Marketing Report].
Higher overhead
Full-time salaries, benefits, equipment, training, and management costs add up. For small businesses or startups, this can strain resources.
Burnout risk
Many companies rely on one or two marketers to do the job of five. This is one reason why marketing professionals experience some of the highest burnout rates among white-collar roles [source: Marketing Week Career & Salary Survey 2023].
Option 2: Working With a Marketing Agency
Partnering with a Colorado Springs marketing agency like NLA Media gives you access to a deep bench of professionals, without the time and cost of building a department from scratch.
Benefits of an Agency
Broader expertise
Agencies employ strategists, designers, writers, analysts, and media buyers. You benefit from specialized talent at every level without hiring 10 people.
Scalable support
Whether you need one campaign or year-round strategy, agencies are built to scale with you. You can dial services up or down as your needs evolve.
Strategic perspective
Agencies bring an outside view, industry benchmarks, and cross-sector experience. That perspective often uncovers opportunities and gaps you can’t always see from inside the business.
Faster execution
With established workflows and dedicated teams, agencies can move faster than internal staff juggling multiple roles. According to a 2023 Deloitte survey, 53% of companies say they outsource to improve speed to market [source: Deloitte Global Shared Services Survey].
Drawbacks of an Agency Relationship
Less day-to-day visibility
Your agency partner may not be in every internal meeting. It’s important to establish clear lines of communication and shared project timelines to stay aligned.
Requires collaboration
Like any good partnership, success depends on strong communication. Clear goals, feedback loops, and regular check-ins are essential.
When to Hire Internally
Hiring an in-house team may be the right fit if:
You have consistent, long-term marketing needs
You’re focused on daily content or customer communication
You already have a well-defined strategy and just need hands-on help executing it
When to Work With an Agency
A Colorado Springs advertising agency makes sense when:
You need fast results or campaign-specific expertise
You’re launching a new brand, product, or seasonal push
Your internal team is overwhelmed or missing key skills
You want the strategic benefit of a full-service team—without full-time hires
Agencies are especially effective for services like digital advertising, social media management, SEO, content marketing, and video production—areas that evolve quickly and require both creativity and technical expertise.
Why Many Businesses Choose Both
It doesn’t have to be either-or. A hybrid model, combining internal staff with an external agency, is often the smartest approach.
In fact, 59% of CMOs now say they use a mix of in-house and agency support for digital marketing, allowing them to stay flexible while covering skill gaps [source: Gartner CMO Spend and Strategy Survey 2023].
At NLA Media, we often work as an extension of your existing team. Whether you need full-scale campaign strategy, help with execution, or just want to fill in gaps (like paid ads or video), we’ll meet you where you are and grow with you.
Final Thoughts: Choose What Moves You Forward
There’s no universal answer. The right approach depends on your goals, resources, and growth timeline.
If you’re not sure where to start, let’s talk. We’ll walk you through the options, evaluate your current strategy, and help you decide whether internal hiring, agency support, or a combination of both is the best fit for where you want to go.
Want a custom marketing plan built for your business?
Contact NLA Media today and let’s create your next big win.
