“I’m thinking about hiring an agency, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the cost.” I’ve heard this many times at business networking events.
Fair question. Agencies cost real money, and they’re not the right answer for every business. In this article, I’ll break down the benefits, the downsides, and when it makes sense. By “hiring an agency,” I mean hiring an agency on a retainer, not for a one-off project. I’ll use this definition throughout the article.
The Key Benefits of Hiring a B2B Marketing Agency
Let’s start with what you actually gain when you hire an agency.
Cost-effectiveness and speed.
Building an in-house marketing team is time-consuming and expensive. A marketing manager in Australia costs $90,000–$135,000 annually, plus superannuation and tools. Add a writer and a specialist and you can quickly get to $200k–$250k+ per year, before super and tools (assuming you find the right candidates). An agency gives you access to multiple specialists, often for less than hiring several full-time roles, and they can start immediately.
Specialised expertise.
For many B2B businesses, basic marketing knowledge is not enough. They need specialised professionals who understand how to tie together positioning and messaging that resonate with buyers in complex sales cycles, and campaigns that nurture and convert. An agency gives you access to that mix without hiring a strategist, a content lead, and a performance marketer separately.
Outside perspective and strategic insight.
When you’re inside your business every day, it’s hard to see what’s unclear. Your messaging might be confusing. Your positioning might be weak. Your website might be losing visitors. Agencies bring an outside perspective. They see patterns across many clients and can bring fresh eyes to your strategy. You’ll still need to share context and industry insight, especially if the agency doesn’t know your space.
Consistency in execution.
Agencies provide structure. Content gets published on schedule. Campaigns are monitored regularly. Reporting happens monthly. Marketing becomes systematic rather than reactive.
Cost flexibility.
Agencies can adjust scope as your needs change. For example, if you want to pause a campaign or increase content output, agencies can flex up or down. With in-house teams, you’re committed to fixed salaries regardless of workload.
The Downsides of Hiring a Marketing Agency
If you’ve met me you know: I like to talk about uncomfortable things too. I think it’s necessary. So, let’s talk about where agencies fall short.
Focus.
Agencies, especially larger ones, work across multiple clients, which can mean less attention and slower turnaround on implementation
Results take time.
B2B marketing typically takes 3–6 months to show results. If you’re expecting immediate results, you’ll be frustrated.
You still need to stay involved.
Agencies need your time: typically 1 to 3 hours per week for follow-ups, strategy calls, reviewing work, providing input, and approving content. They may also need your expertise to create content. If you’re hoping to hand everything off and disappear, it won’t work.
Control.
Agencies, especially large and established ones, work to an agreed scope and cadence, not your daily priorities. If something urgent pops up, it may need to wait until the next check-in or be traded off against other work.
When Hiring a B2B Agency Is Not Worth It
Here are situations where hiring an agency is probably the wrong choice.
Your budget is constrained.
Most B2B agencies charge $2,000–$20,000+ per month. For smaller businesses, this can be a significant portion of revenue. And you typically need to commit for at least six months to see meaningful results. Anything less, and you may be paying for setup without seeing the compounding results. If your budget can’t realistically support the number of leads you need, this investment might not make sense yet. Consider waiting until revenue grows.
You can’t follow up leads.
If your sales process is broken, or if it takes you a week to respond to enquiries, generating more leads won’t help. Fix that first.Unclear positioning.
If your offer, positioning, and messaging are not defined, campaigns won’t deliver results because the fundamentals are not in place. Agencies can help sharpen it, but you need to be willing to make decisions and commit to a direction.
A Final Word
Before you hire anyone, get three things clear: your offer, your follow-up process, and your budget. If any of those are weak, fix them first. Then set a realistic 3–6 month window to judge results. You’ll make a better decision and avoid wasting money.
