Is outsourced marketing worth it? One Redditor’s opinion was that outsourced marketing agencies are “pixie dust peddlers” that are only good if you “need urgent leads right now”. As a marketing agency, of course we disagree, but it was interesting to explore people’s reservations about working with one.

Some come with the territory, like not having as much control as you would if you had an internal marketing department. Others can be easily avoided with the right partner, or by asking the right questions.

In this blog, we dissect some of the common downsides people see in outsourced marketing and how to avoid them.

1. Getting enough ROI from marketing.

A common frustration when working with marketing agencies is cost. Either it feels like the monthly fee is too high, or companies aren’t seeing the return on investment they expected. Sometimes, an agency just doesn’t deliver the way you think it should. But often, this complaint is actually an indicator of other problems, like:

• A misalignment in goals or expectations
• Poor communication about results or progress
• A lack of transparency about where your money is going

How to avoid poor ROI:

• Choose a payment option you’re comfortable with. Some agencies are paid monthly, others are paid for the entire contract, and others are paid based on results. Choose an agency that aligns with your payment expectations. And don’t forget, paid advertising often comes at an additional cost.
• Set clear expectations about what your business goals are upfront. Your agency should define marketing goals accordingly, and suggest the timelines and budgets they need to achieve them. This should all be agreed before kick-off.
• Ask for regular communication. When picking an agency, make sure to choose someone who offers consistent meetings and reporting. This way, you always have opportunities to check in and realign if performance isn’t as expected.

It’s also worth remembering ROI isn’t instant and can be hard to quantify. For example, a website project won’t show cash returns right after launch but could eat a significant portion of your budget.

Similarly, social posts will help nurture prospects, but it’s difficult to directly attribute them to pipeline revenue or converted leads.

See how outsourced marketing can save you £280,000 compared to hiring an in-house team

2. Prioritising short vs long-term results.

For other people, cost wasn’t the concern. Some felt that outsourced marketing solutions were best suited for quick lead generation, not long-term results.

These concerns were more about marketing agencies not having the senior expertise needed to build a marketing strategy. Or, not providing the kinds of services needed to deliver sustainable activity. In other words, being an advertising ‘delivery’ agency rather than a fully functioning and strategic marketing team.

How to achieve long-term results:

This problem can be avoided by picking the right agency for your needs. For example, some agencies specialise in lead generation. These agencies tend to work on shorter-term marketing campaigns which means they deliver shorter-term results.

But if you’re looking for a sustainable marketing solution and long-term results, a full-service agency is a much better choice.

Look for an agency that:

• Includes strategy and brand building as part of their offering. This will give you the roadmap and solid foundations needed to help you achieve long-term results.
• Provides long-term marketing plans, and ongoing support, that change as your goals do.
• Offers contracts that include multiple services (such as graphic design, email marketing, Google Ads, social media management, video, and digital content creation).
• Establishes best practices, builds processes, and even educates you along the way.

For example, at EV, our goal isn’t to deliver one-off results. It’s to build a reputable brand and establish consistent marketing activity that will continue to deliver ROI long term. While we offer lead generation services, we wholeheartedly believe that these only provide long-term benefits if you also invest in brand marketing.

Discover tips for choosing the best digital marketing agency for you

3. Staying on brand.

Another common belief shared on Reddit is that an agency can’t effectively represent your brand.

Some people believed this because of expertise; that “you know your business better than an outsourced marketer ever could”, especially if you work in a niche or complex industry. Others were worried about authenticity. They felt an outsourced marketer couldn’t create anything as relatable as the people that worked there, or couldn’t represent the personal elements of the brand.

Either way, the conclusion is that the quality of marketing will be better if kept in-house.

How to ensure authentic brand marketing:

Again, this is about picking the right agency.

Firstly, some agencies are very hands-off, while others are more collaborative. The closer your agency works with your own team, the more authentic the marketing will become.

For example, at EV, we work like an in-house team. We run workshops with the executive team to help inform rebrands. Our content writers interview your team to help write blogs. And our account managers have weekly meetings with you, sometimes even attending internal sessions, to embed themselves in your business.

We believe this helps us create high-quality marketing assets that reflect your voice and feel authentic to your brand.

Secondly, a unique perspective can be valuable. We never claim to be experts in your field, which is why we draw on your team for insight, but we are experts in ours. An outsourced marketing agency can provide a different viewpoint to help you stand out.

And a final tip that is particularly relevant today: if you’re worried about quality, ask about your agency’s AI policy and if they write everything themselves.

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4. Processes and skills.

Finally, another pet peeve with agencies is that they don’t always support you to build your own full-time marketing function. Some agencies don’t share things they consider to be their ‘IP’, such as design files or the ‘secrets’ behind their processes.

This leaves people feeling reliant on them, rather than empowered to take it on themselves. But if your goal is to have your own marketing department one day, then you want an agency who will help you to build the infrastructure, capabilities, and best practices needed to run it.

How to get lasting support:

To make sure you have the tools, skills and marketing expertise to develop your own internal department, look for agencies that:

• Create and share brand guidelines, and any other assets they use to create designs, content and more
• Communicate regularly and are open about their processes
• Create a transparent calendar or timeline of activity
• Offer marketing training or mentoring services
• Support you with technology set up and implementation, such as CRM HubSpot onboarding

Read more: Outsourced marketing services that help you build your own internal capabilities

Check out our Big Book of Case Studies to see the benefits of outsourced marketing from our past and current clients.

Impact of outsourced marketing