We are Christina and Peter Pilarski, founders and leaders of CIPR Communications.

In our ongoing discussion about the balance between digital marketing agency vs in-house resources, we look at how to assess your current in-house resources. From the outset, you need to remember one very important point: you will not succeed when you hire a digital marketing agency if you do not dedicate some part of your in-house resources to working with that agency. As an agency, we can’t help to realize your business goals and bring your digital marketing strategy to life, if we don’t have a point of access in your company. There has to be at least one person, if not a team of people, with whom we can work. Digital marketing is a collaborative process. The best results will always be achieved when an agency is in constant contact with the in-house team.

Start by knowing what your in-house marketing team is capable of

The basis of a good working partnership between your in-house team and a marketing agency is knowing what your in-house staff can and cannot do. Don’t assume that everybody with the word ‘marketing’ in their title can handle all the tools and tactics involved with digital strategies. There should be an honest and open relationship between in-house marketers and managers that allow for the effective distribution of resources and delegation of tasks. For example, you may have a highly educated team of marketing experts, but they don’t know their way around social media. With this knowledge, you can delegate that part of your marketing to an agency, allowing it to implement a strategy according to its expertise, and in line with the marketing goals established and approved by your in-house marketers.

The skills and capabilities of your various marketing resources – in-house and agency – should all complement one another, working in tandem to set and reach goals. In order to make this happen, start by assessing what you have – then decide what you need a digital marketing agency to add.