In-house is still treated with caution in B2B. Even with household names like Vodafone, Barclaycard, and Unilever taking at least a portion of their agency work in-house, it remains somewhat unusual to explore a non-traditional setup in 2018. Especially among B2B marketers.
It’s generally seen as ‘a B2C thing’. Something that complements campaigns rooted in emotion, therefore only good for brands launching consumer-facing TV ads or OOH displays. But that’s just not the case.
Sure, in-housing seems the obvious way forward for B2C, given the close proximity between agency and client. But given my own experience, having worked with an in-house agency for the past few years as part of a hybrid model, it’s obvious that similar benefits can be enjoyed from a B2B position.
There’s logic behind ABM and in-housing
The number of B2B marketers using account-based marketing methods increased by 32% between 2016 and 2017 alone. Given that ABM is a highly personal, customised marketing tactic, one that aims to appeal to buyers and influencers within prospective clients’ walls, it makes sense to bring your agency as close to that as possible. Surely, having an in-house team at hand, ready to offer a second opinion and tailor assets, wouldn’t go amiss? It’s an objective third party while, in the same breath, being able to look at your marketing communications and advise on the best strategy going forward.
Have an agency that runs at the same speed as you
The advantage of speed is also something in-housing brings. If you work with a traditional, external B2B marketing agency, chances are getting work over the line can end up being a complicated and long-winded process. There’s always the risk of lack of integration and changing demands within the business, resulting in delays. Even just commissioning work can take much longer than anticipated, due to the number of briefings, engagements and stakeholder involvement required. An in-house team tends to understand more about what you want and the processes involved, because they’ve seen it first-hand. If there are any differences in opinions, they can be discussed and resolved quickly.
The agency is no longer viewed as a contractor or an outsider – they’re an extended part of our marketing team, with on-site resources working directly with internal stakeholders. This understanding of our business, relationships and immediacy can turn a two-week job around in days or hours because the agency is a part of what’s happening. For example, last week we had a situation where some creative needed working on. The agency, marketer and stakeholders got together to work through a brief. By the next day, we had three different creative options. By the following day, we had a decision on which creative route should be taken – agreed on by all stakeholders.
With these benefits in mind, it’s no wonder the tide is turning. 37% of B2B companies in the US solely use in-house, while the remaining 63% either outsource or use a combination of both. This is a definite shift, and with more big brand names adopting in-house capabilities, from creative to strategy and execution, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The idea of in-house agencies being unable to provide the same breadth of perspective as an external agency just doesn’t add up in this scenario. In-house is not yet the majority — and it may well never be — but the increase in its usage proves that it’s good for more than just quick, easy content creation.
I’m not suggesting purely in-house is the absolute truth, that it will instantly solve all the problems you’re having internally and externally. There will always be a place for external agencies and internal marketing teams, but having an in-house function as part of the mix offers an opportunity to build a hybrid model that will future-proof B2B operations in terms of creative and efficiency. It’s too rich to ignore.
