Internal vs external marketing

In today's digital marketing landscape, businesses grapple with a pressing dilemma – whether to cultivate their strategies internally or to delegate them to external agencies.

As the quest for genuine, industry-tailored content intensifies, the roles and advantages of both internal and external teams come under the spotlight.

In this article, we will explore the unique strengths each brings to the table. From the depth of understanding and consistency offered by internal teams to the broad reach and specialised expertise of external agencies, we'll dissect how best to allocate tasks and harness the full potential of both worlds for a holistic marketing approach.

One of the main reasons this has become a major problem for companies is because of the internet, access to information and the type of content people are looking for. When someone has discovered that they have problems, they take to the internet and social media to find information about them, learn about the people/companies solving them and then look for social-media proof of whether the product works or if the business is a good one to patronise.

The type of information they require is usually the type of information and content that only an expert in their respective space can create.

Say I have health issues – maybe my back is hurting me – and the only person who can create the right content and make recommendations for a product or service would be a doctor or someone in the medical space. Therefore, they should be the ones creating the content. They can outsource shooting and editing of the content, but ultimately, we need the content to come from them.

So let’s look at who is better for your organisation.

Content depth vs surface appeal

Internal teams: Content marketing often requires a deep understanding of the industry, the company's products or services, and the target audience's pain points. Internal teams, being closely aligned with the company's mission and having first-hand knowledge of its offerings, can produce content that genuinely resonates with and educates the audience. They also are the experts or have a deep understanding of the respective industries they are in.

Outsourced teams: Advertisements, especially those that don't require industry-specific knowledge, are about capturing attention quickly. Outsourced teams, with their diverse experience across various sectors, can bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to create eye-catching and engaging ads but would struggle to create content that requires substance, since they do not know or understand your industry.

Long-term strategy vs short-term campaigns

Internal teams: Content marketing is a long-term strategy that builds trust, authority and a loyal audience over time. Internal teams can plan and execute content strategies that align with the company's long-term vision and goals.

Outsourced teams: Ad campaigns, especially those not rooted in industry specifics, are often short-term, aiming for immediate results. Outsourced teams, accustomed to working on multiple campaigns simultaneously, can quickly design, test and iterate ads for maximum impact.

Relationship building vs broad reach

Internal teams: Content marketing is about building and nurturing relationships with the audience. Internal teams can leverage their deep understanding of the company's values and audience needs to create content that fosters genuine connections.

Outsourced teams: When the goal is broad reach and visibility, outsourced teams, with their wide-ranging expertise and access to various ad platforms and tools, can effectively target and capture a large audience, even if the message is more general.

Continuous feedback loop vs specialised expertise

Internal teams: Being part of the company, internal content marketing teams can continuously gather feedback from other departments, such as sales and customer service, to refine their content strategy. This iterative process ensures content remains relevant and impactful.

Outsourced teams: For ad creation, outsourced teams bring specialised expertise in areas like graphic design, copywriting, and media buying. Their singular focus on ad creation, combined with their exposure to various industries, allows them to craft compelling ads that stand out, even if they don't dive deep into industry specifics.

Ad agencies can be great for creating ads in a variety of formats, but you also need to keep in mind that your audience is conditioned to ignore ads, and are getting better and better at that.

What your business needs to focus on is creating the type of content that helps to solve problems in your related niche or helps to achieve people's desires.

The content needs to be rooted in substance. That type of evergreen content will also last a lot longer than ads or content that focuses on leveraging the latest trends on social media.

If you truly want a framework for how to approach building an internal team to create the type of content to help your brand truly grow in the digital age, check out the book They Ask, You Answer by Marcus Sheridan.

Keron Rose is a digital strategist who works with Caribbean businesses to build their digital presence and monetise their platforms.

Learn more at KeronRose.com or listen to the Digipreneur FM podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast