You might think that hiring someone in-house is the best way to go. One person to handle it all, right? The catch is, when you break down what goes into a solid marketing strategy, it’s more complex than you’d think.

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Hiring In-House: One Role, Too Many Hats

You might be looking at the cost of an external partner and thinking, “I could just hire a marketer to do all that.”

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But the reality is modern marketing covers a wide range of skillsets and expecting one person to do it all is a big ask (and that's me being polite about it). If you wanted to fully cover the scope of services we offer at EDP for your business, and build out your own marketing team, you’d likely need to hire for roles like:

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• Web Designer
• SEO Specialist
• Graphic Designer
• Social Media Manager
• Copywriter or Content Creator
• Aerial Videographer / Photographer
• Email Marketing Manager
• Paid Ads Specialist
• Branding Consultant
• Marketing Strategist

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The list really does go on. Each of these roles brings a specific skillset and most small businesses don’t have the budget or need for a full team. But even if you tried to roll several of these into one hire, you’re still looking at an overloaded to-do list, unrealistic expectations, and inevitable skill gaps.

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Another potentially overlooked factor is the fact that hiring in-house means paying more than just a salary. There’s pension contributions, holiday pay, National Insurance, onboarding and training time, equipment costs, office space (or WFH setup), and management overhead.

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That’s a massive commitment, especially if your marketing needs change or evolve over time.

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The Flexibility You Don’t Get with Full-Time Hires

With a partner like EDP, you’re not locked into anything long-term.

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Need a one-time brand refresh? We’ve got you.

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Want six months of support to get your marketing up and running? That’s doable.

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Want someone to build a system and train your team to take over? We can do that too.

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We're not here to take over, we're here to support, strengthen, and simplify.

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Sometimes that’s an ongoing partnership that involves comprehensive management, sure. Other times, it’s more of a “marketing injection” to get things off the ground so you can focus elsewhere.

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And trust me when I say, hiring someone full-time, only to realise you don’t need them anymore, is a hard position to be in for everyone involved.

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Letting staff go isn’t just awkward, it’s emotionally draining.

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A marketer is for life, not just for Christmas, right? Or something like that.

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So to conclude this part, working with an external partner gives you the breathing room to get what you need without the long-term pressure.

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What You Get with an External Partner

We come equipped with the experience, the systems, the tools and a track record of getting things done.

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Unsure which CRM to use? We've tried and tested loads. Trying to get your head around unfamiliar SEO tools? We've explored and used many.

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It’s that collective, real-world experience from more than one mind that brings a level of insight you simply don’t get from a single hire.

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A huge advantage of using an external partner like EDP is that we also have access to a wider network of specialists and trusted professionals we can plug in as needed. That might be a photographer for a specific shoot, a developer for a custom integration, or a PR contact for a targeted campaign.

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It’s not just a team. It’s a team with a network.

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You don’t get that with one internal hire unless you’re hiring at a senior strategic level, and paying a salary that reflects it. Even then, they’ll still need to outsource parts of the work. With us, that’s already built in.

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The Case for In-House (When It Makes Sense)

Now, we’re not saying in-house isn’t an option. If you’ve got the resources to hire and manage a team, it can absolutely work. But it’s a big commitment, and it takes time to build that expertise and get the right systems in place.

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On top of that, you’ll still have to make sure everything’s aligned (that’s SEO, social media, content creation, analytics, and so on).

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You have to ask yourself, with everything else you’re juggling, is there time to make sure every piece is working as it should?

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Because marketing isn’t just about having a person in place to keep things moving and create aimless noise, it’s about having a strategy that works, and the expertise to implement it effectively.

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So, What's the Right Choice for You?

It all comes down to what will help you move faster, and more effectively.

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If you’re looking for a team that can handle the full scope of marketing from strategy and implementation to ongoing management then working with an external partner might be the most practical and effective choice.

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But if you’ve got a clear plan and the internal resources to build a team around it, that can work too. It just depends on where your business is right now, and what kind of support will get you to where you want to go.

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Final Thought

Hiring internally can be great, but if you’re looking for a way to hit the ground running and actually see results, you’ll need a team behind you that’s got the skills, experience, and tools to make it happen.

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Whether that’s ongoing support, a one-off project, or a short-term marketing push we’re here to make your life easier, not harder.

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If that sounds like something you need, let’s have a chat.

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