Creative and Social

My internship experience: the difference between in-house marketing and agency marketing

Lara Rogić, Content & Social Media Intern
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I chose ForgeBIT for my internship because I wanted to see what it was like to work in a marketing agency, considering I only worked in the in-house marketing sphere before. The fundamental difference between agency and in-house marketing is that in an agency, there are multiple clients, while an in-house marketing team exclusively focuses on the company whose employees are marketing team members.

In-house vs. Agency

From my experience, the primary difference between working at ForgeBIT and as an in-house marketing team member is the job organization and task distribution. At ForgeBIT, there’s a protocol for content creation, arrangement, and publication. At the same time, my previous in-house marketing team was a bit more challenging to manage due to frequent changes that needed quick implementation. Additionally, at ForgeBIT, information is received on time through official communication channels with clients, whereas in the in-house team, information is coming in an uncontrolled manner, requiring quick adaptation and the ability to change priorities and strategy accordingly. One of the main reasons this was happening was the higher involvement of the relevant personnel in the team’s affairs. In ForgeBIT, clients know they’ve left their work to professionals, so the team can work smoothly with only occasional advice or requests from the company.

Based on my experience, all mentioned goes in favor of working at an agency. However, limited client involvement in the agency’s activities can also be a drawback. Neglecting the relationship with the agency can result in a lack of information and materials that the agency possesses. I also found it easier to establish communication with users in an in-house marketing team, due to my complete dedication to one company, ForgeBIT on the other hand, which was a challenge. Working with multiple clients simultaneously seemed impossible to me, but ForgeBIT taught me how to give my best to each client.

What were some of my tasks?

At ForgeBIT, some of my tasks included creating social media plans for clients (communicating with designers regarding visuals, brainstorming online activations, content and copywriting, scheduling posts, etc.), communicating with clients’ customers on social media, and writing blogs. While I performed similar duties related to social media as a member of the in-house marketing team, all of it was based on given instructions. At ForgeBIT, I had the opportunity to participate in marketing strategy planning for the first time and work on strategies for new clients, and devise new strategies for existing clients.

What did I learn?

Even though that may seem demanding, it is precisely what intrigued me and motivated me to try working at an agency in the first place, and I’m glad I did. With ForgeBIT, I learned what true multitasking means and how to work with multiple clients where each requires a different approach and, therefore, different types of content and activations. I had the chance to push my creativity to the maximum, share my ideas, and work with an excellent team in a supportive environment. Even though both types of marketing activities have their advantages and disadvantages, which I witnessed personally, I believe that a marketing agency is an excellent environment if you want to learn something new or progress in something. An agency environment is full of challenges, and with a team like the one at ForgeBIT, even the most significant challenges were not a problem.

  • In-house vs. Agency
  • What were some of my tasks?
  • What did I learn?

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