The Ideal Marketing Team: Should I Build an In-House Marketing Team or Start with an Agency?

In a recent presentation, a small business leader asked a great question that many organizations face early in their growth: “We don’t currently have a marketing team. Should we start by building one in-house or work with an agency?”

My answer: Start with an assessment.

Before you jump into hiring or signing a retainer, take a step back and think about what you really need marketing to accomplish for your business. Once you’re clear on your vision and goals, the right team structure becomes much easier to determine, and you can decide what type of support will deliver the most impact and value. You may find the best answer is a combination of solutions, not a single hire.

Step 1: Start with Strategy

Ask yourself: What do we want marketing to do for us right now?

Do you need to build brand awareness? Drive leads? Support a sales team? Launch a new product? Strategy should always drive structure. Without clear goals, it’s easy to over hire, under-resource, or misalign your team. When you have the vision, it is easier to design the right structure to get there.

If you're not sure how to answer that question, bringing in a consultant to help define your strategy can be a smart first step. A marketing strategist can help clarify your vision, prioritize initiatives, and determine the roles and resources required to get it done. They can also support the hiring process if you have limited HR resources.

Step 2: Identify Gaps and Skill Sets

Once you know where you're headed, assess the skills required to get there. Most marketing initiatives need a mix of competencies, from brand strategy and content writing to graphic design, social media, and digital ads.

Here’s the catch: There’s no such thing as a marketing purple unicorn.

While some marketers are strong generalists, no one is an expert in everything. If you’re expecting one hire to manage branding, design, writing, SEO, social media, email, and analytics, you’re setting them (and your marketing) up to fail.

Instead, look at which skills you need in-house versus which ones you can outsource. Think about:

• What skills are essential for our day-to-day marketing?

• What expertise do we need for campaigns or specialized projects?

• Where would outside support give us the greatest lift?

Step 3: Budget with Flexibility in Mind

Your budget should guide your marketing structure, not limit it. A common misstep is trying to stretch one full-time hire to cover too many roles, when a smarter path might be combining an in-house coordinator with outsourced specialists.

• In-house roles are ideal for day-to-day execution, coordination, and internal collaboration.

• Outsourced roles can provide deeper expertise or temporary bandwidth, especially for creative work, projects, refreshes, or campaign execution.

• Fractional leadership (like a Fractional CMO) gives you strategic guidance without the cost of a full-time executive.

This blended model allows you to scale up or down based on your goals and capacity, and is especially helpful for project-based work or seasonal refreshes.

Step 4: Consider Fractional Support for Strategic Marketing Leadership

If you’re not ready for a full-time Marketing Director or Chief Marketing Officer, consider working with a Fractional CMO. This role provides high-level strategic insight, team leadership, and roadmap development on a part-time or contract basis.

A Fractional CMO can:

• Provide clarity and direction

• Lead marketing through change or growth

• Mentor internal staff

• Connect the dots between brand, messaging, and business goals

This model works especially well for small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits who want experienced leadership without the full-time cost and overhead. To learn more about the role of a Fractional CMO, check out: 7 Reasons You Might Be Ready for a Fractional CMO »

There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Answer

There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to building a marketing team. Start by defining your strategy. Then assess what skills and support you need to bring that strategy to life. From there, you can build a marketing structure that aligns with your goals, capacity, and budget.

If you need help with this process, Amped Up Marketing can help assess your needs and recommend a plan that works for your stage of growth.