Can you have an in-house email marketer AND an agency?

Can a company work with an agency while also having an in-house email marketer?

Has your company ever considered hiring an email marketing agency?

— Why? — an in-house email specialist might say, perceiving this question as a threat to their job. — We already have someone handling email marketing, and that someone is me!

There’s a belief that businesses must choose between either an agency or an in-house specialist, with no option to combine both. This is a common misconception that, as our own experience shows, is based on misunderstandings.

Most large companies we work with either have an email marketing specialist or a digital marketer who spends at least 50% of their time on email. We collaborate with them as one team, and here’s why this is much more effective than working alone:

The internal specialist ensures that the email marketing strategy aligns with the company’s overall goals and coordinates efforts with other departments.

Meanwhile, we focus on producing email campaigns, analytics, and refining strategy.

Each of us is an expert in our field. At Bonfire, we have designers, copywriters, developers, engineers, analysts, and strategists.

No matter how talented an in-house email marketer is, they can’t match the expertise our agency offers in each of these areas. This is why we achieve higher-quality results.

The volume of work related to the email channel is always substantial. With the right approach, tackling these tasks can significantly increase revenue from email marketing.

An in-house email marketer often cannot cover the entire scope of work—from hypothesis development and data collection to testing, coordinating calendars, monitoring automated sends, and checking deliverability.

There are always many tasks, and time is always lacking. This is a common complaint among email marketers. Just look at LinkedIn—everyone feels the pressure. In this case, hiring an agency can be an excellent solution.

The reason companies think they need to choose one option often boils down to budget: hiring both an agency and an employee may seem too expensive. However, this approach isn’t always justified. It’s crucial to do the math to determine if investing in email marketing can pay off in the long run.