The in-house trade-off
As head of growth, you know that in-house teams are slow to scale. They are great for building brand equity and community, but they are limited by their capacity. If you need to move fast, one person or even a small team is not enough. You have to balance the need for brand culture with the need for growth. Use an in-house team for the core brand work that defines who you are, but don't expect them to scale traffic quickly.
The role of the agency
An agency is for speed and process. They have the systems you need to get things moving. They are a good way to test new strategies without hiring more people. But they are expensive and can be hard to direct. If you have a clear growth plan and need an extra pair of hands, an agency is a valid choice. They don't have the same deep understanding of your coaching business, so keep them focused on specific, measurable tasks.
The efficiency of a network
A managed content network is a set of many brand-owned Instagram pages that post your existing videos many times a day from real iPhones, built and run end to end by a provider such as TIDE, so organic reach grows with the number of pages instead of headcount or ad spend. This is the growth lever that beats headcount. It gives you the reach you need without the management headache of a team or the retainer of an agency.
Handling the growth risk
Running many accounts with automation is against Instagram terms, some pages get banned, and the provider replaces them. Neither an agency nor an in-house team will take this approach. They are built for stability. The network is for growth. If you are serious about scale, you have to embrace this risk. As head of growth, your goal is to find the most efficient way to generate leads, and the network is an incredibly powerful tool for that.
Use an in-house team for brand equity, an agency for execution speed, and a managed content network for high-volume, scalable growth.
See your network before you hire.
Tell us what your coaching company already makes and how you get customers today. We'll show you a real network running live and tell you honestly whether it fits. It costs about the same as one marketing hire.
Follow-up questions
Which is more predictable for traffic?
An in-house team is low and steady. An agency is moderate. A managed network provides the highest volume, though with some volatility.
When does a network outperform an agency?
When you need to reach thousands of new people daily, a network does this much more cheaply than any agency or team could ever do.
What if the agency and network clash?
Define clear roles. The agency manages your high-level strategy and creative; the network serves as the distribution platform for that content.