A framework for deciding what to build in-house versus bring in externally
Frequency of need and depth of specialism required are better guides than headcount budget alone.
The build-versus-buy decision for a marketing capability is usually made on budget alone, which misses two more important variables: how frequently the capability is needed, and how deep the specialism required actually goes.
A capability needed constantly and requiring moderate depth (day-to-day paid search account management, for a company running search year-round) is often a strong in-house hire. A capability needed occasionally but requiring deep specialism (a technical SEO migration audit, a one-off attribution model build) is usually better brought in externally, since an in-house hire for it would sit idle most of the year.
Use this framework before writing a job description or an agency brief: plot the capability on frequency and depth, and let the quadrant guide the decision rather than defaulting to whichever option is easier to get approved this quarter.
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