# Agency or Internal Staff? How to Hire a Marketer

- Show: [The Manufacturing Executive](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive)
- Published: 2022-04-26
- Length: 37m
- Episode: 99
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer
- Listen: https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-manufacturing-executive#episode-de7fbd4f-7ca0-4200-93d9-702d2ac9b713

## Summary

Mary Keough, a Senior Marketing Strategist at Gorilla76, explains how manufacturing leaders should structure their first marketing hire by distinguishing between product-focused and market-focused companies. She argues that companies with budgets under $500,000 should avoid trade shows and instead hire a full-service agency, while those with larger budgets should hire a senior marketing leader reporting directly to the CEO. Keough emphasizes that marketing must focus on creating awareness for the 90-95% of the total addressable market not currently buying, rather than just supporting sales with bottom-funnel tactics.

## Chapters

- [0:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer#t=54) Introduction: Mary Keough and Gorilla76
- [3:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer#t=227) Critiquing generic marketing job descriptions
- [7:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer#t=450) Prioritizing skills: Product vs. Market focus
- [15:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer#t=909) Budget constraints: Agencies vs. Internal hires
- [22:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer#t=1360) When to use an agency versus an internal team
- [28:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer#t=1687) Marketing vs. Sales: Reporting structures and roles
- [34:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer#t=2064) Conclusion: Empowering internal marketing teams

## Topics

- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Indeed.com (other)
- Nike (company)
- Adidas (company)
- Under Armor (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#52 First Hire Series: Marketing with Vanessa Ting](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2022-07-12-52-first-hire-series-marketing-with-vanessa-ting) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Building an Industrial Marketing Roadmap with Joe Sullivan](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2020-08-25-building-an-industrial-marketing-roadmap-with-joe-sullivan) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [Marketing That’s Seen, Heard, and Felt | Sales & Marketing Game Changers Mini-Series | Ep. 1 of 4](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2020-09-11-marketing-thats-seen-heard-and-felt-sales-marketing-game-changers-mini-series-ep) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)
- [First Hire Series: Sales with Jake Huber](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2022-05-17-first-hire-series-sales-with-jake-huber) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Advice Line with Michael Dubin of Dollar Shave Club](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-10-09-advice-line-with-michael-dubin-of-dollar-shave-club) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-04-26-agency-or-internal-staff-how-to-hire-a-marketer. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Manufacturing Executive.