When to Hire a Marketing Agency (And When to DIY)

"Should I hire a marketing agency?"

I get this question constantly. And my answer is always: it depends.

Agencies aren't universally good or bad. They're a tool that works well in certain situations and poorly in others. The question isn't "are agencies worth it?" but "is an agency right for MY business right now?"

Here's an honest assessment.

When DIY Makes Sense

You're Just Starting Out

If you're running 1-2 trucks and doing under $300K/year, you probably shouldn't hire an agency.

Here's why:

Budget math: A decent agency costs $1,500-3,000/month minimum. Add $1,000-2,000 in ad spend. That's $3,000-5,000/month, or $36,000-60,000/year.

At $300K revenue with 40% gross margin, you're working with $120K gross profit. Spending $40-50K on marketing doesn't leave much for everything else.

Learning value: Doing your own marketing forces you to understand what works. This knowledge helps you manage agencies later and spot when they're underperforming.

Simplicity: Your marketing needs are straightforward at this stage. Google Business Profile, basic ads, maybe a website update. You don't need strategic sophistication. You need execution.

You're a Solo Operator

If you're the owner and the technician, your time is split between doing work and running the business.

Marketing agencies don't reduce your workload much. You still have to answer leads, manage the agency relationship, provide information, and make decisions.

What you actually need is simple systems that work with minimal attention: - Automated lead follow-up - Google Business Profile optimization (one-time work) - Basic Google Ads (can learn yourself or get consulting help)

Your Marketing Needs Are Simple

Some businesses don't need sophisticated marketing:

• You're in a small market with limited competition
• Most business comes from referrals and you just need basic online presence
• You have a specific niche that doesn't require broad advertising

For these situations, a marketing agency is overkill. You need: - A decent website (one-time) - Google Business Profile (optimize once, maintain monthly) - Maybe some basic Google Ads (set up once, tweak occasionally)

A good freelancer or consultant can set this up for a fraction of agency cost.

You Actually Enjoy Marketing

Some owners genuinely like marketing. If you're: - Interested in learning how ads work - Enjoy testing and optimizing - Find satisfaction in growing your business yourself - Have time to dedicate to it

Then DIY makes sense. You'll learn valuable skills, maintain control, and save money.

When to Hire an Agency

You've Hit a Growth Ceiling

You're doing $500K-1M+, you have 3-5 trucks, and growth has stalled.

You've tried the basics yourself. You're running ads but don't know if they're working well. Your website exists but doesn't convert. You know you should be getting more leads but aren't sure how.

This is where agencies earn their money. They bring: - Experience across many businesses (pattern recognition) - Technical skills you'd take years to develop - Time and focus you can't spare

At this revenue level, the budget math works. $3,000/month is 0.5% of $600K revenue. If that investment improves revenue by even 10%, it's wildly profitable.

Your Time Is More Valuable Elsewhere

The real question isn't "can I do marketing myself?" It's "should I?"

If you're the owner of a 5-truck operation, your time is valuable. Let's say you could reasonably bill yourself at $150/hour for operational work (managing techs, closing sales, doing estimates).

10 hours/month on marketing = $1,500 opportunity cost.

If an agency can do it better for $2,000/month, that's only $500 more than your time cost, and likely better results.

You Need Specialized Skills

Some marketing requires expertise that takes years to develop:

Paid advertising: Google Ads is genuinely complex. An experienced agency knows: - Bid strategies that work - Negative keywords for your industry - Landing page optimization - Conversion tracking setup

SEO: Technical SEO, local SEO, link building. These have learning curves measured in years, not months.

Analytics: Setting up proper tracking, understanding attribution, making data-driven decisions.

You can learn these things, but the question is whether you should spend 100+ hours learning when an expert could start delivering results immediately.

You're Ready to Scale

You want to go from 5 trucks to 10. From $1M to $3M.

This requires marketing that scales with you: new markets, new services, bigger campaigns. It requires testing and optimization you don't have time for.

Growth-stage businesses need marketing partners who can grow with them, not static solutions that worked at a smaller scale.

What to Look For in an Agency

If you do hire an agency, here's what matters:

Industry Experience

Agencies that specialize in service businesses understand: - How phone-heavy your leads are - Seasonal patterns in your industry - What messaging works for homeowners - Realistic benchmarks for your market

Generic agencies waste months learning what specialists already know.

Clear Pricing

Beware of vague pricing. You should know: - Exactly what you pay monthly - What's included vs. extra - How ad spend is handled (pass-through vs. markup) - What happens if you want to change scope

"Starting at $1,500/month" that becomes $3,500 with necessary add-ons is bait and switch.

Transparent Reporting

You should own your data and ad accounts. You should be able to see: - What's being spent - Where money goes - What results are generated - Comparison to previous periods

Agencies that hide data are hiding poor performance.

Realistic Expectations

Good agencies set realistic expectations upfront: - "Google Ads should generate leads within 2 weeks" - "SEO typically takes 3-6 months to show significant improvement" - "Here are reasonable benchmarks for your market"

Bad agencies promise everything: "#1 on Google! Double your leads! Triple your revenue!"

Actual Communication

You should be able to reach your agency. Monthly reports aren't enough. You need responsive communication when you have questions or issues.

Ask: "If I email you on Tuesday, when can I expect a response?" If they can't commit to 24-48 hours, find someone else.

The Middle Ground: Consultants and Specialists

Between DIY and full-service agencies, there's a middle ground:

Marketing Consultants

A consultant can: - Set up systems you then maintain yourself - Provide strategic guidance without full management - Help you hire/manage in-house marketing - Audit what you're doing and suggest improvements

Cost: $150-300/hour, used as needed.

Best for: Businesses that want guidance but prefer control.

Specialists

Instead of one agency for everything, use specialists: - Google Ads specialist ($500-1,500/month) - SEO consultant (one-time project + quarterly check-ins) - Website developer (project-based)

Cost: Often less than full-service agency.

Best for: Businesses that need specific skills, not full service.

Fractional Marketing Directors

Part-time marketing leadership: - Strategic planning - Vendor management - Internal marketing team management

Cost: $2,000-5,000/month for 10-20 hours.

Best for: Growing businesses that need strategy but not full-time leadership.

The Decision Framework

Answer these questions:

1. Budget: Can you comfortably afford $3,000-5,000/month for marketing (including ad spend)? - Yes → Agency is an option - No → Focus on DIY or limited consulting

2. Time: Do you have 10+ hours/month for marketing? - Yes → DIY could work - No → Need outside help

3. Interest: Do you actually want to learn marketing? - Yes → DIY makes sense - No → Outsource it

4. Complexity: Are your marketing needs complex? - Yes → Agency or specialists needed - No → DIY or consultant can handle it

5. Growth: Are you trying to scale significantly? - Yes → Agency probably needed - No → Simpler options work

If you answered "agency" to 3+ questions, start talking to agencies.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring

1. . "Who specifically will work on my account?"
2. . "How many other clients does that person manage?"
3. . "Can I see results from businesses similar to mine?"
4. . "What happens if this doesn't work? What's your process?"
5. . "How do you communicate and how often?"
6. . "Do I own my ad accounts and data if we part ways?"
7. . "What's your cancellation policy?"

Red Flags

Long-term contracts: Agencies that require 12-month commitments are protecting themselves, not you. 3 months maximum to start, then month-to-month.

Won't share data: If you can't see inside your ad accounts, walk away.

Guaranteed results: No one can guarantee rankings or leads. Anyone who does is lying or planning to cheat.

No industry experience: Learning on your dime is not worth paying for.

Can't explain what they do: If they can't clearly articulate their approach, they probably don't have one.

The Honest Truth

Agencies are not a magic solution. The best agency in the world can't fix: - A business with no competitive advantage - Pricing that's way off market - Poor phone skills and lead handling - A product or service people don't want

Marketing amplifies what you already have. If your business is fundamentally sound, good marketing accelerates growth. If it's not, marketing just costs money faster.

Before hiring an agency, make sure your business is ready to handle what good marketing brings.

Not sure if you're ready for an agency? [Let's have an honest conversation](/contact) about what makes sense for your situation.