Agency or Internal Staff? How to Hire a Marketer
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.