Marketing Agency vs In-House Marketing: What Actually Makes Sense for Bedford Businesses

Marketing agency vs in-house marketing for Bedford businesses. Honest comparison of costs, benefits, and what actually makes sense for Bedfordshire companies in 2026.

Every growing Bedford business hits the same question eventually: "Should we hire a marketing person or just pay an agency?"

It feels like it should be an easy answer. It's not. Because if you hire wrong, you've just committed to paying someone £30k+ who might not deliver. And if you pick the wrong agency, you're locked into a contract watching money disappear with nothing to show for it.

So what actually makes sense?

Here's what nobody tells you: there's no universal right answer. It depends entirely on where your business is and what you actually need.

A Bedford restaurant with no marketing at all doesn't need a marketing manager. They need someone to sort their Google Business Profile, get some decent photos, and start collecting reviews. That's a few days work, not a salary.

A Bedfordshire property developer doing £2 million a year with zero online presence needs proper strategy, ongoing content, and someone managing leads. That's a full-time job, or it's an agency relationship.

The mistake is treating these like they're the same problem. They're not.

In-House Marketing Person

This works if you've got consistent marketing work to fill 40 hours a week. Not "we should probably do marketing" work. Actual work: planning campaigns, creating content, managing multiple channels, analyzing data, coordinating with sales.

You're looking at £25k-£40k for someone decent in Bedfordshire, plus laptop, software subscriptions, training, and their time ramping up. Call it £35k all-in for someone mid-level.

The advantage is they're fully focused on your business. They learn your industry inside out. They're there for internal meetings. They understand your customers. They become part of the team. If you need something urgently, they're there.

The disadvantage is that you get one person's skill set. If you hire someone great at social media but weak at Google Ads, guess which one doesn't get done properly? If they're brilliant at strategy but can't design, your content looks amateur. And if they leave, you're back to square one while you recruit and train someone new.

It makes sense if you're established, growing steadily, and need someone embedded in the business day-to-day. If you're doing over £500k in revenue and marketing is a genuine priority, it starts making sense.

Agency

This works if you need expertise across multiple areas but don't have 40 hours of work to give them every week.

You're looking at £800-£2,500 per month for a decent local agency in Bedfordshire. The lower end gets you basics: social posts, Google updates, maybe a blog. The higher end gets you strategy, multiple channels, proper tracking, and actual results focus.

The advantage is you get a team. Someone who knows SEO, someone who does design, someone who understands paid ads. If one person leaves the agency, you don't care - they replace them internally. You get diverse skill sets without paying five salaries.

The disadvantage is you're not their only client. They've got other businesses to look after. Communication happens in scheduled calls, not spontaneous office chats. And if the relationship doesn't work, you're often locked in for 6-12 months.

It makes sense if you want professional marketing without the commitment of a full-time salary, or if you need specific expertise your business is too small to hire for. Most Bedford businesses under 20 staff find this more practical.

The simple test

If you've got less than £30k to spend on marketing this year, you probably want an agency. You'll get more for your money.

If you're spending more than £50k and you've got consistent, daily marketing work, consider hiring. You'll get more attention and integration with your team.

If you're somewhere in between, it depends on your industry and growth stage. Steady manufacturing company? Agency probably makes sense. Fast-growing tech startup? You'll want someone internal.

And here's the thing nobody mentions: you can do both. Start with an agency to build foundations and figure out what you actually need. Then hire someone to work alongside them or take over. Most successful marketing setups we see are actually a combination - internal person for day-to-day, agency for strategy and specialist stuff like SEO or ads.

The Bedfordshire Reality

In Bedford and Bedfordshire, good marketing people are hard to find and expensive to keep. There's competition from Milton Keynes, London's close enough to poach talent, and local salaries have been pushed up by remote work.

Most Bedford businesses under 20 staff find agencies more practical. Most businesses over 50 staff have internal marketing and supplement with agencies for specific projects.

Where you fall in that range tells you most of what you need to know.

What we actually recommend

Look, we're an agency, so obviously we'd rather you paid us. But we've also told clients to hire internally when that made more sense for them. A few of them still use us for specific projects like website rebuilds or SEO.

If you're trying to figure out what actually makes sense for your Bedfordshire business, we're happy to talk it through. No pitch, just a conversation about where you're at and what would actually work.

Get in touch here. Sometimes the answer is "neither - you need to sort your sales process first." We'll tell you that too.