It’s the crossroads every growing organization eventually hits:
“Should we hire a Communications Director—or work with a marketing agency? Do we need both?”
It’s a great question.
It’s also a trick question.
Because in reality, this decision isn’t just about filling a role. It’s about building momentum. It’s about doing more with your time, your team, and budget.
Communications Director: Your Voice, In-House
A strong Communications Director becomes the hub for all things messaging. They oversee your brand, write content, manage vendors, keep teams aligned, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
In short? A great Communications Director brings order to the chaos.
But even the most skilled directors can only do so much solo. At some point, they’ll need to outsource or hire more staff to keep things moving. Without that extra support, burnout becomes real...fast.
Marketing Agency: Your Dream Team, On Call
This is where a creative agency can help lighten the load.
An agency brings a full crew of experts ready to handle both strategy and execution:
- Video
- Design
- Digital advertising
- Social media
- Copywriting
- Web design
- And more—just name it.
Rather than hiring multiple roles and juggling internal bandwidth or scrambling to find freelancers, you gain a built-in dream team without the overhead.
All of them aligned to your goals and brand.
All of them ready to move quickly.
All of them working as one.
An agency isn’t just about getting more done. It’s about getting the right things done—backed by decades of combined experience.
What About Cost?
We’re glad you asked.
Here’s a simple cost breakdown comparing the average salary and overhead for a full-time Communications Director vs. the investment in a full-service agency partnership. (Spoiler: The results might surprise you.)
| Expense | Communications Director | Agency Retainer |
| Salary* | $60,000 | $60,000 |
| Insurance Benefits | $10,000 | $0 |
| 10 Days PTO | $3,000 | $0 |
| Payroll Taxes | $4,000 | $0 |
| Turnover Costs** | $7,000 | $0 |
| Annual Cost | $84,000 | $60,000 |
**Turnover costs vary by position: entry-level turnover costs about 16-20% of salary, mid-level 50-100%, and executive up to 400%.
Why Not Both?
Here’s the best part: you don’t have to choose one over the other.
The most effective teams we work with pair a Communications Director with an agency—and that’s where the real magic happens.
- Your Communications Director brings vision and deep organizational insight.
- Your agency brings the tools, talent, and capacity to execute.
Together, they’re an unstoppable duo.
If You Can Only Choose One…
If your budget allows for both a director and an agency, the combination is powerful.
But if you're deciding between the two? Many growing teams find they get more done—and move faster—by starting with an agency.
An agency will give you:
- Creative expertise
- Strategic insight
- Multiple hands to execute projects
- Project management
- ^ All without adding internal overhead
Don’t Have a Director? No Worries.
If your organization isn’t ready to hire in-house just yet, an agency can handle the full scope of your marketing needs. We’ve worked with dozens of teams in that exact spot—and helped them grow into the kind of organization that can support a director down the road.
Whether you’re in startup mode or scaling fast, a great agency fills in the gaps and brings the strategic expertise and creativity you’ve been missing.
Ready to Grow Your Marketing?
If your team is stretched thin, your messaging is scattered, or your campaigns aren’t delivering the results you want, the answer isn’t necessarily to hire more people.
The answer is to get the right people.
And sometimes? The right people don’t all sit under your roof.
With the right agency partner, you’ll find the momentum your team needs to keep moving forward. Let’s talk about what’s next for your organization.
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