Content creation is an essential part of any good marketing strategy. But who is ultimately responsible for creating it? Generally speaking, you have two options:

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• In-house: Your company creates its own content. In larger or mid-sized businesses, this would usually be a job for your marketing team.
• Agency: You outsource your content creation to an expert content agency, who might also take care of things like content strategy and branding as well. 

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Both strategies come with benefits and drawbacks, so it can be tough to pick the best option for you. However, the importance of content creation means that making the right choice is crucial.

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Read on for our analysis of both in-house and agency content creation. We’ll highlight their advantages and disadvantages to help you make an informed decision. 

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Agency

Advantages

• Expertise: An accredited content marketing agency can offer incredible insights into how to build the right kind of content for your industry. You can rely on an agency to provide qualified marketing talent, saving you from intensive recruitment drives. Most agencies will also have a broad skill set, so they can assist with strategy, design, personal branding, improving your SEO ranking, as well as content creation.
  
  
• Flexibility: Content creation takes time, and small to mid-sized businesses may not have enough staff to make in-house content creation feasible. Hiring an agency for marketing support allows you to improve flexibility and lets your team focus on more productive tasks within their area of expertise.
   
• Scalability: Building your own marketing team might leave you overstaffed if your marketing needs decline. Using an agency allows you to scale your marketing efforts up during busier periods (or as your business grows) or scale down as necessary without significantly impacting your business. 

Disadvantages

• Location: Even in the current digital age, picking the right content marketing agency isn’t just about finding the most qualified team or the best price. Location (specifically time zones) has a huge effect on marketing, as you may find it difficult to align your schedules. However, some agencies may have experience with working alongside international clients and have processes in place to deal with time differences. 

• Briefings: Clear and detailed instructions are a must when working with an agency. You’ll need to be able to communicate exactly what you’re looking for in order to get the most out of your agency’s writers and designers. 

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In-House

Advantages

• Cost: When it comes to the actual creation of content, employing in-house staff is cheaper than paying an agency. Additionally, you’ll be able to enjoy a much more transparent view of how your money is being spent. However, the savings may disappear if you need to hire specialised marketing staff or content creation and management software.
  
  
• Accessibility: Checking in on your in-house marketing team is as simple as sending a message to your colleague or walking over to their desk. Aligning ideas is much easier if your content creators are accessible.
   
• Consistency: An internal marketing team will know your brand already, whereas agencies might take time to get to know your company’s values and tone. In-house content creation makes it easier to make sure all your content has the same tone, from your industry whitepapers to your social media content.

Disadvantages

• Recruitment: Establishing an in-house marketing department takes a lot of time and money, even if you’re only hiring a single person. As well as standard hiring procedures like interviews and reviewing CVs, hiring content creators might mean requesting design portfolios or setting copywriting tests.

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• Experience: Most content marketing agencies are operated by experts with decades of marketing and advertising experience. Your in-house team likely knows how to create basic written content but may not know more specialised skills like how to build a content strategy from scratch or graphic design. Using an agency means you can benefit from external experts who can optimise your marketing campaigns. 

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Benefit from agency expertise with CopyHouse

Do you need insightful, engaging content, but don’t have the time or expertise to create it in-house? CopyHouse offers the perfect solution.

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We’re an award-winning B2B content marketing agency, specialising in the tech and fintech industries. Our team of talented writers and designers can put together a range of impressive marketing assets to help your business attract new clients and achieve greater success. 

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If you’re looking to take your content creation to the next level, don’t hesitate. Get in touch today.

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