When it comes time to choose a marketing partner, there are a lot of factors to consider. From budget and experience to personality and work ethic, the choice you make can play an integral role in the success or failure of your marketing objectives. If your goal is to hire a marketing employee or team of employees, consider the following five reasons a medical marketing agency may be the better choice for your business.

1. Unmatched Experience – Often, when attempting to put together an in-house marketing team, businesses struggle to find the adequate experience and camaraderie in those they hire. Choosing the right marketing agency can open your business up to decades of experience specific to your industry and a team of highly qualified people committed to your success.
2. Diverse Skill Sets – A full-service marketing agency will provide a team that is dedicated to your business and can quickly launch your marketing vision. It is virtually impossible for any one employee to take on all of the marketing needs most businesses have within a 40-hour work week. In addition, it is highly unlikely that you can find one employee that is skilled at being a graphic designer, web designer, social media marketer, SEO manager and marketing strategist. When you hire a marketing agency, you get a team of professionals that share in the work, and their experience allows projects to move quickly with less cost.
3. Team Approach – The best ideas are often those that come from brainstorming sessions. A marketing team will be able to bounce ideas off one another. They also have years of experience in using a variety of marketing tactics. This can help eliminate the trial and error approach often found when a single marketer is managing the campaigns. Most businesses are bombarded with radio, newspaper, and other advertising opportunities and scramble to decide whether or not that tactic will pay off. The right marketing agency – especially one that is local – will be able to tell you what has worked in the past for other clients, which allows you to avoid spending money on ineffective campaigns.
4. Professional Consultant – Do you want someone who simply implements the marketing tactics you say or do you want a team that will give you the insight needed to make the best decisions for your business? Depending on your goals, you may wish to have someone who will “give it to you straight,” rather than someone who is merely a workhorse. It is the job of the marketing consultant to provide well-thought and experience-backed recommendations so that you can make an informed decision. You are paying for a different level of experience when you hire an agency. Trust that experience.
5. Cost Effective – If you add up the cost of hiring a marketing employee or team of employees, insurance, vacation and other associated costs, it can easily cost more than an agency. The average price of hiring a marketing manager, according to GlassDoor is $80,673. Depending on what your marketing agency is contracted to do for you (and who you hire), their cost may be a fraction of this amount. When considering outsourcing your medical marketing efforts, have the agency create a statement of work that outlines an agreed upon set of deliverables and expectations for each month they will work on your behalf. This will provide you with clearly defined expectations you can depend on being completed throughout the project or retainer. They should also be able to provide outcome reporting, so you can see what is working and what isn’t.

Many businesses feel that hiring an in-house marketer is the best option for their organization. While they may hire an amazing employee, chances are they will need to outsource some of the work. This will add to the marketing cost in the long run. Rather than learning the hard way,  interview a few agencies that specialize in your business specialty and see what they can offer your business. Do your homework and choose a person or team that understands your vision and will work 110% to help you achieve it.