Hire in house when there is enough steady, everyday work to fill a full time role and the skills it needs are fairly narrow. Engage a marketing consultant when the work spans several disciplines, when you need senior strategy as much as delivery, or when the volume does not yet justify a salary. Many growing businesses do both: a consultant leads and delivers the senior work while an internal coordinator handles the daily tasks, or a consultant runs the marketing while the right hire is found.
By Claudia High Impact Marketing, Brisbane
Start with how much work there is
The most useful question is not which option is better, but how many hours of marketing your business genuinely needs each week. If the honest answer is a full working week, every week, a hire starts to make sense. If it is closer to a day or two, a full time salary means paying for time the business cannot use, or filling it with low value tasks.
Most small and mid sized businesses sit in the second group. That is why retainers of set monthly hours exist: you buy the level of support you need and nothing more. See how our packages work.
Then look at the breadth of skills
Modern marketing covers a lot of ground. Strategy and positioning, paid media on Google and Meta, social media management, photography and video, copywriting, search, podcasts, events, and now AI tools set up inside the business. It is rare for one hire to be strong across all of it, and a single hire at a junior or mid level will usually lean towards whatever they are best at.
A senior consultant brings experience across many disciplines and many businesses, and can bring in a trusted network of photographers, videographers and designers when the plan calls for them. You get breadth without building a team.
When a consultant is the stronger choice
A consultant usually fits best when you need someone to set the direction as well as do the work; when the work is spread across several channels rather than one; when you want to start within weeks rather than months; when there is a launch, a rebrand or a busy season coming that needs senior hands now; or when the founder is currently doing the marketing at night and it is time to hand it to someone.
It also fits when you are not yet sure what the role should be. A few months with a consultant makes the shape of a future hire much clearer.
When an in house hire is the stronger choice
A hire usually fits best when there is a full week of work every week; when the work is concentrated in one or two channels with a clear daily rhythm; when someone needs to be physically on site every day, for example in retail or hospitality; or when the business already has a marketing leader and needs more hands inside the team.
In those situations a good hire becomes part of the culture in a way an outside partner cannot, and that is worth a great deal.
The full cost of a hire
When comparing the two, count everything. A hire carries salary plus superannuation, leave, equipment and software, the time it takes to recruit, and the months it takes for a new person to learn the business, its customers and its numbers. A retainer has none of those overheads and can usually start within two weeks.
That does not make a consultant cheaper in every case. It means the comparison should be made on the full cost, not the salary alone. Our guide to what a marketing consultant costs covers how fees are structured.
The middle paths
The choice is often not either or. Three combinations work well. A consultant leads strategy and senior delivery while a junior or coordinator inside the business handles daily posting and admin. A consultant runs the marketing while you recruit, then helps write the role and brief the new person. Or an experienced internal team brings in a consultant for the disciplines nobody in house covers, such as podcasts, events or AI.
We work alongside existing teams all the time. Your people know the business and the customers. We bring the strategy, the senior execution and the parts nobody internally has time for, and we are clear about who owns what.
Five questions to ask yourself
How many hours of marketing does the business really need each week? Which disciplines matter most over the next twelve months? Who will set the strategy? How quickly do you need things moving? And if you hired tomorrow, could you write a clear job description today?
If the last question is hard to answer, that is usually a sign to start with a consultant and let the role take shape. If you would like an outside view on it, book a discovery call.
Related services: Brand Strategy, Campaign Creation, Content Creation.