Doing digital marketing yourself is tempting – it seems cheaper and keeps you in control. But many business owners discover a year later that they have spent more time and money than working with an agency would have cost. Let’s look at why an experienced digital marketing agency is often the smarter choice than hiring individual specialists. If you have already made your choice, also see how to choose a digital marketing agency and what to ask about in a quote.
An agency has experts in several fields
Successful digital marketing requires at least: an SEO specialist, a Google Ads specialist, a social media marketer, a copywriter, an analyst, and a web developer. No single person has all of these skills.
In an agency, these people work together. If your SEO campaign needs a change on a landing page, the developer can make it right away – without you having to find a freelancer and wait for weeks.
A full-service agency is more cost-effective than you think
The salary of one experienced digital marketing specialist in Estonia is €2,500–4,000/month (gross). Add license fees for tools (Semrush, Ahrefs, Hotjar, etc.) – another €500–1,000/month. That is €3,000–5,000/month in total for one person who can only cover a single area of marketing.
An agency offers all of these services as a package, often for the same price or less – with all the tools and expertise included.
Broader experience = fewer costly mistakes
An agency has seen what works and what does not – across dozens of different industries. An in-house marketer learns together with the company: their mistakes cost you money.
Marketing Sharks has run Google Ads campaigns, SEO projects, and web development for hundreds of Estonian companies. The value of that experience is measurable: we know which strategies work in the Estonian market.
Continuity – even during vacations and sick leave
An in-house marketer goes on vacation, gets sick, leaves. In those situations, marketing grinds to a halt. An agency always has a replacement – campaigns keep running, reports keep coming, results do not stop.
Access to premium tools
Professional SEO and marketing tools cost €500–2,000/month. A small business cannot carry that on its own. An agency already has these tools – and you benefit from their data without paying the full price.
When does it still make sense to hire an in-house marketer?
An in-house marketer is the right choice when:
- Your marketing budget is over €10,000/month and you need a full-time coordinator
- You have a very specific market that requires deep industry knowledge
- You want to build up a content owner who knows the product inside and out
Many companies use a combination: an in-house marketer coordinates the strategy, and the agency handles the specialized workload (Google Ads, SEO, web development).
Marketing Sharks has helped Estonian companies do digital marketing professionally for 10+ years. See our services or ask for a free consultation.
A good agency covers all channels as one system, including Google Ads management.
