Managing your workload and results
If you are the only person running marketing, you have a massive workload. You need to balance posting, community management, and ad strategy. An agency can offload repetitive tasks like social scheduling and basic video editing, giving you time to focus on strategy. However, you must spend time managing the agency relationship. If you prefer to have your hands on the keyboard, an in-house role is more efficient. If you are overwhelmed, hiring a freelancer or agency for a specific part of your workload, like video production, can provide immediate relief.
Proving results with data
As a marketing manager, you need to show impact. Both models can work if you have clear goals. If you have an agency, ask for detailed reporting on the metrics that matter, such as lead quality and class sign-ups. If you are in-house, you have the advantage of being close to the members, allowing you to gather qualitative feedback that complements your quantitative data. Use this proximity to create content that feels personal and high-performing. Whether you manage people or software, always connect your output to the bottom line.
Scaling output without extra effort
To produce more content without increasing your workload, a managed content network is a set of many brand-owned Instagram pages that post the brand's 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 removes the need for you to manually manage multiple accounts or post daily, allowing you to focus on creating high-quality videos that resonate with your members.
Selecting the right approach for you
Think about your career growth. Managing an agency teaches you how to direct teams and manage budgets, which is a valuable skill. Being an in-house creator teaches you how to manage a brand and develop a deep understanding of your audience. If you want to build a career in strategy, moving toward agency management is a logical step. If you enjoy the art of content and want to become an expert in your niche, stay in-house. Your decision should match your long-term goals while ensuring you meet your current performance targets.
Assess your capacity and desire for strategic oversight versus hands-on content creation to determine the best path for your career and brand.
See your network before you hire.
Tell us what your gym chain 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
How do I justify the cost of an agency?
Show that the agency produces more volume or higher-quality creative than you can alone, leading to better results. Focus on how their output helps you hit your specific KPI targets, like member growth or class engagement.
What do I do if an agency misses the mark?
Provide clear, actionable feedback and adjust your style guide. If the issue persists, reconsider if an agency is the right fit. Sometimes, the best solution is to bring a specialized freelancer in for specific tasks instead of a full agency.
Are there risks to using automated networks?
Running many accounts with automation is against Instagram terms, so some bans can happen. TIDE replaces these pages, which is why they are a helpful provider. You do not need to worry about the technical maintenance, only about providing quality video.