We’re happy to see you here today, as that most likely means you’re past juggling posting on Instagram and saving lives, or having your front desk staff multitask between marketing and managing appointments and communication.
This milestone, as you may already know, comes with its own inevitable dilemma: Should you build an in-house marketing team, or should you hire an external marketing agency?
Each option has its own set of advantages and challenges, and the right choice depends on your healthcare organization’s specific needs, goals, and resources. So, let’s explore the pros and cons of both approaches to help you make an informed decision about how to manage your marketing efforts best.
In-House Healthcare Marketing Team: Pros & Cons
Building an in-house healthcare marketing team offers direct control and deep brand understanding but also comes with its own set of limitations. Let’s review the pros and cons of having an in-house marketing team for your healthcare practice.
Pros of An In-House Marketing Team
An in-house marketing team offers multiple alluring advantages, especially for healthcare organizations that prioritize direct control over their marketing efforts.
Deep Understanding of Your Brand
An in-house team lives and breathes your practice every day. They have an intimate understanding of your brand’s values, mission, and patient demographics, which allows for more authentic and consistent messaging.
Immediate Availability
Having a full-time team at your disposal means they can respond quickly to any marketing needs or changes. Whether it’s a quick website update, a last-minute social media campaign, or strategy optimization based on real-time data, an in-house team can jump in almost immediately.
Synchronicity
With an in-house marketing team, you have more direct control over your marketing efforts. This can lead to better alignment with your business goals, as communication is more straightforward, and campaigns can be optimized in a short timeframe based on internal discussions.
Cost Predictability
While the initial costs of hiring and maintaining an in-house team may be high, they are often predictable. You know what you’re paying in salaries, benefits, and other associated costs each month, which can make budgeting simpler.
The Cons of An In-House Marketing Team
Despite the benefits, there are also significant challenges to maintaining an in-house marketing team:
Limited Skill Set
An in-house team may not have the broad range of expertise that a specialized marketing agency offers. You might find that your team lacks certain skills, or simply a specialist with a certain skill set (such as web developer, graphic designer, or data analyst), which could limit the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Higher Overhead Costs
Building and maintaining an in-house team can be expensive, especially if you decide to cover the whole scope of positions. You need to account for salaries, benefits, training, and the tools and software necessary to conduct marketing strategies effectively.
Scalability Issues
If your practice experiences rapid growth (which, by the way, is a good problem to have) or if marketing needs suddenly increase an in-house team may struggle to scale up quickly. Hiring and training new staff takes time, which could postpone the necessary marketing initiatives.
Hiring A Marketing Agency for Your Healthcare Business: Pros and Cons
Choosing to work with a marketing agency offers a different set of advantages and challenges compared to an in-house marketing team. Agencies bring specialized expertise and flexibility but may come with trade-offs in terms of control, communication, and workload.
The Pros of Hiring A Marketing Agency for Your Healthcare Business
Marketing agencies offer significant benefits for practices that need a broad range of skills and fresh perspectives without the commitment of an in-house team:
Access to a Comprehensive Skill Set
Marketing agencies typically have teams of specialists in various areas, including SEO, PPC, content marketing, social media, graphic design, web development, and more. This scope of expertise can lead to more effective marketing strategies that stand out among the competition.
Scalability and Flexibility
Marketing agencies can easily scale their services to match your healthcare organization’s needs. Whether you need a comprehensive marketing approach or just a low-scale project, agencies can adjust quickly without the need for long-term commitments.
Cost Efficiency
While hiring a marketing agency might seem expensive upfront, it can actually be more cost-effective in the long run. You only pay for the services you need, without the overhead costs associated with maintaining an in-house team. Plus, agencies worth their salt invest in premium tools and software that might be out of your price range independently.
New Perspectives
A marketing agency can bring a fresh, objective point of view to your marketing strategies. They can identify opportunities and challenges that may be overlooked by those who are too close to the business.
The Cons of Hiring A Marketing Agency for Your Healthcare Business
Despite the advantages, working with a marketing agency also has its drawbacks:
Onboarding Time
There is a learning curve when bringing a marketing agency on board. They need time to understand your healthcare organization, your business goals, and your brand voice. Additionally, agencies tend to start by conducting a general audit, competitive research, and setting up a strategy first, which can delay the implementation of marketing strategies.
Less Direct Control
When working with an agency, you might have less direct control over the day-to-day execution of your marketing strategies. And while delegating is highly beneficial, if communication isn’t managed properly, this can lead to potential misalignment with your practice’s goals.
Longer Delivery Times
Agencies work with multiple clients and they often offer retainers that begin at 8 hours per week. This means that work will be planned at least a month ahead, and any ad-hoc ideas or needs might not be applicable immediately or might cost extra. It’s worth noting that this isn’t always a disadvantage, as good agencies will properly guide and advise you and ensure all initiatives fit the overall goals.
Uniform Solutions
Many agencies offer pre-built retainers and standardized packages, which might not fully address the unique needs of your healthcare business. Not all agencies take a fully personalized approach, leading to strategies that feel generic and less effective.
HIPAA Compliance Concerns
Many marketing agencies aren’t specialized* in the healthcare sector, which makes it challenging to provide services that are both effective and compliant. The majority of tools and platforms most agencies heavily rely on don’t meet HIPAA requirements, potentially putting your practice at risk of non-compliance or failing to deliver highly targeted campaigns with high ROI.
*Choose an agency that specializes in healthcare marketing and understands the specific regulatory landscape to ensure that all marketing strategies reach their full potential while protecting patient privacy and complying with regulatory standards.
An In-House Team or A Marketing Agency: Which is the Better Pick for Your Practice?
The decision between an in-house marketing team and a marketing agency is ultimately quite subjective and depends on your healthcare organization’s needs and resources. Here’s some advice that might make this decision-making process easier for you.
Choose an in-house marketing team if your practice has the resources to support a team in the long run and if you highly value brand alignment and feel more comfortable having direct control over your marketing activities. This option allows for a more personalized approach to your marketing efforts, ensuring that every message aligns perfectly with your brand’s identity and patient needs.
Choose a marketing agency if you need access to a wide range of expertise, flexibility, and scalability. This choice can provide your practice with the marketing power it needs without the overhead costs and limitations of building an in-house team.
In some cases, healthcare organizations find that a hybrid approach works best—using an in-house team for day-to-day marketing tasks and partnering with an agency or independent contractors for specialized projects or campaigns. This combination can offer the best of both worlds, giving you the control and brand alignment of an in-house team while leveraging the expertise and scalability of an agency.
Ultimately, the key is to assess your practice’s unique situation, including your budget, marketing goals, and growth plans, and choose the option that aligns best with your long-term goals.
Finding the Right Fit: Leveraging Healthcare Marketing Technology
As you navigate the tricky decision between an in-house marketing team and hiring a marketing agency, you shouldn’t overlook the critical role of healthcare marketing technology in achieving your goals. Whichever path you choose, having the right tools at your disposal can make a significant difference in the effectiveness and efficiency of your marketing campaigns.
SocialClimb’s comprehensive healthcare marketing platform offers an ideal solution for both in-house teams and marketing agencies alike. With robust healthcare marketing analytics, HIPAA-compliant predictive targeting capabilities, and automated patient surveys and reputation management, SocialClimb ensures reach high-value patients at the right time.
In-house teams can rely on SocialClimb to manage and optimize campaigns with real-time data, ensuring your marketing strategies are always aligned with your practice’s goals. Agencies use SocialClimb to offer scalable, efficient delivery of high-impact campaigns that meet the strict regulatory requirements of the healthcare industry. Not to toot our own horn, but a healthcare marketing agency having SocialClimb’s platform in its marketing tool belt is usually a good sign.
Ultimately, the choice between an in-house team and a marketing agency should align with your practice’s unique needs and objectives. But no matter which route you take, leveraging a powerful healthcare marketing platform can help you maximize your marketing potential and ensure scalable growth in today’s competitive healthcare environment.
