Like with most business services, quality differs. And when it comes to marketing, choosing the “right” marketing partner is a critical decision that can significantly impact your business’s success. While hiring an in-house marketing employee or team might seem like the obvious choice, a medical marketing agency often provides distinct advantages that can lead to more effective and efficient results. Let’s explore five key reasons why an agency could be the better choice for your healthcare business.

Marketing Agencies Tout Unmatched Experience

Building an in-house marketing team with the right level of expertise and cohesion can be a significant challenge. When you partner with a specialized marketing agency, you gain access to a wealth of industry-specific experience—often decades of collective knowledge in medical marketing. When choosing an agency, you’re not just hiring individuals; you’re selecting a team of marketing experts committed to your success.

Diverse Skill Sets

A full-service marketing agency, such as MindStream Creative, offers a team with a diverse range of skills. It’s unrealistic to expect one in-house employee to handle all your marketing needs within a standard work week, let alone possess expertise across every discipline. Think about it: finding an individual who excels as a graphic designer, web designer, social media marketer, SEO manager, and marketing strategist is virtually impossible. We call them marketing unicorns. An agency, however, offers a collaborative team where professionals share the workload, bringing specialized skills to each task. Having a team accelerates project timelines and can lead to more cost-effective outcomes.

Collaborative Team Approach

Some of the most innovative marketing ideas stem from collaborative brainstorming sessions. An agency’s marketing team can freely bounce ideas off one another, drawing on years of collective experience with diverse marketing tactics. This collaborative environment helps eliminate the costly trial-and-error approach often seen when a single marketer manages campaigns. Furthermore, an experienced agency can offer invaluable insights into what has worked for other clients in your industry. This allows you to avoid spending money on ineffective campaigns, whether they involve radio, newspaper, or something else.

Professional Consultation

Do you want someone who merely executes your instructions – a yes, sir, man – or a team that provides the strategic insight needed to make the best decisions for your business? A marketing agency offers a professional consulting relationship where experts “give it to you straight,” rather than simply being a workhorse. It’s the agency’s job to provide well-thought-out, experience-backed recommendations, empowering you to make informed decisions. When you hire an agency, you’re investing in a higher level of expertise, trusting that experience can yield significant returns.

Another benefit of using an agency is in-depth reporting, which should be part of your deliverables. If you’ve done marketing in the past but don’t know how it performed, you will be amazed when you receive outcome reporting and understand the effectiveness of your marketing investment.

Are Marketing Agencies More Cost-Effective?

When you factor in the costs of hiring an in-house marketing employee or team—including salary, benefits, insurance, vacation, and other associated overhead—it can quickly surpass the cost of retaining an agency. For example, while the average salary for a marketing manager can be around $80,000 (according to Indeed), the cost of an agency’s services, depending on the scope of work, may be a fraction of this amount. Plus, have we mentioned you are getting a team, not just one person?

When considering outsourcing your medical marketing efforts, always request a statement of work (SOW) from the agency. This document should clearly outline the agreed-upon deliverables and expectations for each month. A well-defined SOW provides transparency and ensures you know exactly what to expect from the person managing your marketing. 

Many businesses initially believe that an in-house marketing person is the optimal choice. While you might hire an exceptional employee, some specialized work will likely still need to be outsourced (because marketing unicorns don’t exist), which can add to your overall marketing expenses in the long run. Instead of learning this the hard way, consider interviewing a few agencies that specialize in medical marketing. Do your due diligence, understand what they can offer your business, and choose a partner that truly grasps your vision and is committed to helping you achieve it.