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Once upon a time you didn't have a need (or the means) for a marketer and now you're trying to postulate whether it makes more sense to keep your virtual marketing assistant or hire full-time in-house marketing help.
We will definitely break down the pros and cons of each and ultimately help you decide which is right for your business, but before we can do that - let's take a moment to just let that sink in.
You have made it.
Your business is thriving!
This is a very big deal.
And you deserve to take just a moment to relish in that!
But first, what's the difference?
Great question.
A virtual marketing assistant is a marketing assistant that works with you remotely, usually for less than 40 hours per week, and as a contractor.
Typically, the take-away here is they don't work for you, but you have a working partnership where they remain a freelancer who works remotely. Due to the nature of this arrangement, they are typically managing more brands than just yours.
An in-house marketer is typically an employee that works for your company at your company for a standard, agreed-upon schedule.
Due to the nature of this arrangement, they typically only work on your brand, but you will also have to provide benefits and otherwise compensate like an employee.
So which is better, a virtual marketing assistant or an in-house marketer?
This is another valid question. When our grandparents ran businesses, there were no such things as virtual marketing assistants, and there were certainly fewer freelancers, which makes this area a bit of a blindspot in business. You can find and digest hundreds of books on the importance of marketing but you likely won't find one that covers this exact topic.
As a virtual marketing assistant who is also an in-house marketer - I know crazy, right? - I think I am uniquely qualified to help you answer this question.
In fact, I have on several occasions helped my clients determine whether it made more sense to keep me on as a virtual marketing assistant, hire me as an "in-house" marketer or decide to hire another marketer with outcomes falling in all three scenarios.
And today I'm going to attempt to do the same with YOU!
Key Benefits of an In-House Marketer
Physical Presence– Focuses entirely on your brand and business goals.
More Control - You can control how they spend their working time and even what their working time is.
Predictable Payment Schedule - When salaried cost is predictable.
Solely Focused on YOU – No juggling multiple clients, always working on your business.
When an In-House Marketer Makes More Sense
If you need someone in-person
There are just some companies that will need in-person marketing, and in that case, virtual can never make more sense. If you need someone for community outreach, to attend conferences on your behalf, go door-to-door, or anything of the sort, you can't really even consider virtual help until you're hiring for more than one marketer.
When you want someone to only work for you
Most virtual marketing assistants are freelance, and the nature of that is they likely can't pay their rent on just the projects you're paying so they will almost always have other gigs. For most people this isn't a problem, but if you were someone who felt more comfortable being the only 'boss' of a person - this would matter.
It is important to note that there are plenty of freelancers that only work for one person, but hiring someone full-time would guarantee that.
Key Benefits of a Virtual Marketing Assistant
More Cost-Effective – Only pay for what you need, when you need it—no salary, benefits, or overhead costs.
Greater Flexibility – Easily increase or decrease hours/services as your business grows or slows.
Larger Skillset – Freelancers who work for multiple clients have to stay up to date on all things marketing at all times.
When a Virtual Marketing Assistant Makes More Sense
When you're in the start-up stage
When you're small it's simple—virtual all the way. Only pay for what you need and save the rest. Your capital is so valuable in the beginning, and being able to just order up the marketing you need piece by piece, and pause it when you need to is invaluable.
I know very few (as in zero) start-ups with enough capital or sales generated to justify being a full-time marketer. But plenty who can afford a landing page to be built, or a logo created, or social media consulting.
I honestly believe virtual marketing assistants are the best kept secret for start-ups. You can piece together what you want as you can afford it and the information you can get access to with a quick email or text can save you literally HOURS of watching tutorials or talking to Chat GPT (which will lie to you by the way).
You want the flexibility of a contractor
An In-house marketer would be an employee and not a contractor. Employees have rights such as being paid consistently, receiving benefits, and following company policies. Contractors, on the other hand, work on an as-needed basis, meaning you can scale up or down depending on your budget and needs.
Suppose your business experiences seasonal fluctuations or unpredictable growth, a virtual marketing assistant allows you to stay agile.
Plus, hiring a contractor often means skipping the extra hidden costs that come with employees, like payroll taxes, insurance, and office space. For small businesses, that can mean the difference between staying lean and stretching resources too thin.
When you need someone REALLY FREAKING smart
I might get some hate for this but I'm going to say it. A person who has to patchwork together a living - which, let's be clear, is what freelancers do - will almost ALWAYS be more capable than they're salaried counterparts by the sheer nature of the fact that they have to be.
An in-house marketer in a way has their skillset frozen in time when they start working for you. They have no reason to improve or learn new platforms. This isn't their fault - it's just quite literally not their job.
However, a virtual marketing assistant, on the other hand, learns new things every day - usually not even at your request. When working with a virtual marketing assistant, you get to benefit from the need to always be learning without paying for the training time or renegotiating pay agreements because your original job description didn't include TikTok.
The Choice is Yours
At the end of the day, it’s not about choosing between a virtual marketing assistant or an in-house marketer—it’s about making sure you have the support you need to grow.
For some businesses, that means leveraging the flexibility and cost-effectiveness of a virtual marketing assistant. For others, an in-house marketer provides the consistency and brand immersion they need. And for many, a combination of both works best—using a virtual assistant for specialized projects while keeping an in-house marketer for day-to-day operations.
What really matters is that you’re not doing it all alone. Marketing is too important (and too time-consuming) to be an afterthought. Whether you hire remotely, in-house, or mix and match, the right help will save you time, drive results, and allow you to focus on what you do best—running your business.
& The Clever Catalyst is here to help!
The Clever Catalyst is uniquely suited to solve this problem. We are a boutique marketing firm, which means we specialize in both virtual marketing assistant-ing and marketing in general.
We have transparent pricing and crazy-convenient package pricing, making us ideal for those looking to take the virtual assistant route, and we're a full-stack (and semi-successful) agency, which means we're also happy to discuss more consistent and affordable full-time marketing options - such as monthly retainers with discounted rates.
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