Jan 08 2026
Scaling your business is a thrilling journey. But with growth come some tough decisions. Should you keep doing certain tasks in-house, or outsource them to outside experts? Especially when it comes to marketing…
One of the most important choices you'll make as a business owner is this…
Should your marketing efforts stay 100% in-house? Or is it time to start enlisting external help?
The answer is not as black and white as you might think. But it could be the difference between scaling quickly and stagnating.
In this guide we'll walk you through everything you need to know to make this crucial decision. We'll cover…
The world of marketing is constantly evolving. More channels, tools and strategies are at the disposal of marketers than ever before. But here's the catch…
With more options comes more complexity. And complexity takes time. The fact is most small business owners already have full plates, with operational responsibilities, managing staff, and dealing with customers.
So where does marketing fit into all that?
Well, studies show that companies which combine internal and external marketing services report 2.5 times more marketing success than those that do not. That is a huge difference.
The secret is in recognising which marketing functions benefit from your personal involvement. And which are better outsourced to specialists.
Take SEO services and consultancy, for instance. Search engine optimisation is one of the most technical and labour intensive of all the marketing disciplines. It requires ongoing education, testing, and adaptation to algorithm changes. For most businesses, working with a specialist SEO agency Manchester makes far more sense than attempting to build this level of expertise in-house.
On the other hand, not all marketing activities are best left to outside experts. In fact, quite the opposite.
Let's break it down…
The problem is most small businesses simply don't have the resources to do all the marketing themselves.
Marketing is time-consuming. It requires constant learning, testing, and adjustments. A single social media manager can easily manage multiple accounts, keep up with publishing new posts daily, and engage with customers.
The problem is you can't do it all. Most small business owners can't.
Especially not when there are so many other responsibilities to balance.
In light of this, it's no surprise that businesses are outsourcing more and more of their marketing activities. In fact, the global marketing technology outsourcing market is expected to reach USD 8.9 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of just over 10%.
But just because it's popular, doesn't make it right. Or at least not for every task.
Some marketing activities are so central to who you are as a business that it makes little sense to hand them off to external suppliers. These typically require detailed knowledge of your brand, your values, and your customers.
They are the functions that need your personal attention. These typically include:
Pretty simple, right?
If it's your voice, your brand, or your content, it probably makes the most sense to keep it in-house. Or at least have someone in your business overseeing it all closely.
On the flip side, certain marketing tasks are highly specialised. They require significant investment in tools, infrastructure, and time to be done properly.
If they're not a core part of your business, chances are you don't have that kind of capacity. In that case, outsourcing is the smart move.
Take SEO services and consultancy for example. We already mentioned how technical SEO is, and how much ongoing effort it requires. It is something of a dark art.
Achieving results requires deep knowledge of keywords, analytics, technical website health, content optimisation, link building, and so on. Not to mention the time investment required to actually do the work.
The good news is you don't need to.
You can outsource SEO. In fact, as we've seen, successful businesses are doing it all the time.
Other examples of specialised marketing tasks to consider outsourcing include:
The list is by no means exhaustive, but as you can see, the theme remains the same. Technical, time-consuming, or require special tools and training. Outsourcing these functions can free up your time and budget to focus on more important tasks.
The question then becomes how to decide which tasks fall under which category. Is it brand messaging or strategy? Content production or SEO?
While there are no hard and fast rules, here are some questions to ask yourself when making that call:
Here's a handy summary to illustrate:
| Keep In-House | Consider Outsourcing |
| Brand messaging | SEO and link building |
| Customer engagement | Paid advertising |
| Strategy and planning | Technical web development |
| Reactive social content | Large-scale content production |
| Internal communications | Data analysis and reporting |
The point is there is a balance to be struck. You should absolutely protect your brand and do the things you do best in-house. But there is no shame in outsourcing the rest.
Outsourcing, after all, doesn't have to mean handing off control. The most effective partnerships are built on clear communication, shared goals, and regular check-ins. Treat external agencies as an extension of your team, not a separate entity.
Scaling a business requires making smart decisions about where to invest your time and money. Marketing is no different.
Knowing which tasks to keep in-house helps protect your brand and maintain its authenticity. At the same time, hiring outside help for certain activities gives you access to expertise and efficiencies you simply cannot develop overnight.
The most successful scaling companies understand this balance. They focus their resources and time on what they do best. And they outsource the rest to trusted specialists.
Take a long, hard look at your marketing operations today. What is working? What is not? Where could some external help make the most impact?
Get this right and you'll watch your business scale like never before.
Tell me what you need and I'll get back to you right away.