In-house marketing teams can cost $300K+ a year. Here’s what an agency really costs, how we measure ROI, and how one client went from break-even to 21 to 1.
The Real Question Behind This Question
If you’re a marketing director, you’re probably not asking whether marketing works. You know it does. You’re asking something more specific.
Should I hire an agency, or build the team in-house?
It’s a fair question. And the answer comes down to two things. What it costs you, and what it brings back. Let’s look at both with real numbers.
What It Costs to Build a Marketing Team In-House
On paper, hiring one marketing person looks cheaper than an agency. But one person can’t do it all. To cover what a good agency covers, you need a team.
Here’s what that usually looks like:
A marketing manager
An SEO specialist
A Google Ads specialist
A designer
According to Robert Half’s 2026 Salary Guide, those roles pay between $50,000 and $115,000 each in Montreal and Toronto, depending on the role and experience. A marketing manager sits at the top of that range. A designer sits closer to the bottom.
Add them up and you’re looking at $255,000 to $337,000 in salaries alone.
Then come the extras. Benefits and payroll costs. SEO software, ad platforms, design subscriptions, reporting tools. And the time it takes to hire, onboard, and train everyone.
For a medium to large company, a realistic total lands between $300,000 and $400,000 a year.
And that’s if every hire works out.
These are Canadian figures, in CAD. If you’re in the US, salaries for the same roles typically run higher, so the gap is even wider.
What It Costs to Hire an Agency
At Flint, our Google Ads and SEO strategy starts at $3,000 CAD a month. That’s about $36,000 a year. Your ad budget is separate, and it goes straight to the platforms.
So you get specialists in both channels, strategy, and reporting, for less than half of one in-house salary.
But cost is only half of ROI. The other half is what comes back.
A Real Example: From Break-Even to 21 to 1
One of our clients is a sports therapy clinic. Before working with us, they were running their marketing themselves. They were doing the work. They were spending the money. But the return was barely break-even.
Nothing was broken, exactly. They just didn’t have the time or the experience to make it perform.
We took over their SEO strategy and their Google Ads. Today, they’re averaging a 21 to 1 return. For every dollar they put in, they get about $21 back in revenue.
How We Measure It
A number like that sounds too good. So here’s exactly how we calculate it, because you should hold any agency to the same standard.
We count the full cost. That’s their ad spend plus our monthly retainer. Not just the ads.
We remove a percentage from attributed revenue every month, set for each business. That covers walk-ins, referrals, and repeat clients who would have booked anyway.
What’s left is revenue we can tie back to the marketing.
That cut makes the number smaller on purpose. We’d rather show you an honest number than a big one.
Why an Agency Often Wins
You’re Buying Experience, Not Hours
When you hire in-house, you’re paying people to learn. Every new hire has a learning curve. Every channel has its own.
An agency has already climbed that curve. We’ve seen what works across different clients and industries. You get the benefit of that from day one.
You Get Accountability Built In
With Flint, you get monthly meetings, clear stats, and regular follow-ups. You always know what’s working, what isn’t, and what we’re changing.
It’s like having your own marketing department in-house. Without the overhead of building one.
You Get Both Channels Working Together
SEO and Google Ads do different jobs. Ads bring results fast. SEO builds results that last. When the same team runs both, they feed each other. What we learn in ads tells us what to focus on in SEO, and the other way around.
How Long Until You See ROI
This is where expectations matter. Different channels move at different speeds.
Google Ads: 1 to 3 Months
Ads are the faster lever. Within the first one to three months, you should start seeing real results. Leads, calls, bookings.
SEO: 3 to 6 Months and Beyond
SEO is a long game. You can start seeing movement between three and six months. But the real value builds over time. It’s a journey, not a switch you flip.
That’s why running both makes sense. Ads carry you early. SEO compounds later. And both work harder when they send people to a website built to convert.
When an Agency Isn’t Worth It
An agency is not a magic fix. It’s a bad investment in two situations.
The agency can’t show proof. If they can’t show you real stats from real clients, walk away.
The client won’t show up. If you skip the monthly meetings and ignore the follow-ups, even a great agency will struggle. This is a partnership.
Questions to Ask Before You Sign
Before you hire any agency, ask these:
Can you show me results from a client similar to us, with real numbers?
How do you calculate ROI? What do you include in cost, and what do you take out of revenue?
How often will we meet, and what will the reports show me?
Do you handle both SEO and paid ads, or will I need someone else?
If the answers are vague, that tells you something.
The Bottom Line
Building a full marketing team in-house can cost $300,000 to $400,000 a year. A specialized agency starts at a fraction of that and brings proven experience from day one.
But the real ROI isn’t just the savings. It’s what comes back. For one of our clients, that went from break-even to 21 to 1.
Flint works with companies across Canada and the US. If you’re weighing an agency against an in-house hire, let’s look at what the numbers could be for your business. No pressure, no long pitch. Just a clear picture of what’s possible.
