DIY vs. Hiring an Agency: The Real Cost of Doing Digital Marketing Yourself

You could spend 10 hours per week learning and manage your digital marketing.

Or you could spend $395.00/month and actually see results.

Here's the math many contractors get wrong.

The DIY Trap

Let's say you decide to do your digital marketing yourself. You've got time, right? You can figure this out.

Here's what happens in reality:

Week 1: You spend 4-6 hours setting up your Google Business Profile. Uploading photos. Writing your description. Creating your review request link. Learning how to post on your profile.

You feel productive. You got something done.

Weeks 2-4: You're managing reviews. Taking new photos. Creating posts. Responding to customer messages on Google. It's 3-4 hours per week. Doable.

Month 2: Life gets busy. You land a big job. You're on-site more. The marketing gets pushed down the priority list. You post once. Then nothing for two weeks. Then you remember and post three times in one week.

Consistency dies.

Month 3: You're not asking for reviews as regularly. You're posting sporadically. Your profile starts looking stale. Google's algorithm notices inactive profiles and stops showing you to as many people.

You've spent 50+ hours on this, and it's actually making things worse.

The Real Time Cost

Let's be honest about what DIY digital marketing actually requires:

• Month 1: 4-6 hours/week (setup, learning curve)

• Months 2-3: 4-5 hours/week (maintaining momentum)

• Ongoing: 5-8 hours/week (once you add website updates, email follow-up, more photos)

That's not "a little side project." That's a part-time job.

In one year, that's 260-400 hours.

Now, what's your time worth? If you're a plumber, electrician, or general contractor, your billable rate is probably $75-$150 per hour.

260 hours × $75 = $19,500 in lost job revenue

400 hours × $150 = $60,000 in lost job revenue

You're not paying nothing for DIY. You're paying $20,000-$60,000 in opportunity cost. Time you could have spent doing actual jobs.

Most contractors don't think about it this way. They think "the service is free, so I'm saving money." But you're not saving money. You're spending your most valuable asset—your time—on work that doesn't pay.

The Mistakes That Cost You

And here's the thing: you're probably not even doing it right.

Most contractors who go DIY make predictable mistakes:

Mistake #1: Inconsistency You post three times one week, nothing for two weeks. Google sees inactive profiles and punishes you with lower visibility.

Mistake #2: Incomplete setup You skip fields in your profile that seem unimportant. They're not. Every missing field costs you ranking and credibility.

Mistake #3: Not asking for reviews systematically You ask some customers, forget others, ask again when you remember. You end up with 2-3 reviews per month instead of 8-10.

Mistake #4: Weak marketing message You're pitching features ("We do plumbing!") instead of solving problems ("We fix leaks fast"). Contractors who aren't in marketing don't naturally think like marketers. It's not a skill you have.

Mistake #5: Never updating anything You build your website once and ignore it for a year. You upload photos once and stop. Google rewards fresh, active profiles. Yours looks abandoned.

These mistakes compound. And they cost you $20,000-50,000 in lost visibility and credibility that you could have avoided.

What You Get With An Agency

Now let's talk about what actually changes when you hire someone.

An agency handles:

• Consistent GBP management (posts, photos, reviews, updates)

• Systematic review generation (they manage the ask, the follow-up, the response)

• Website optimization (fresh content, mobile-friendly, fast loading)

• Automated lead response (no missed calls, instant follow-up)

• Monthly reporting (you see exactly what's working)

You focus on:

• Running your business

• Doing jobs

• Making money

The agency costs $1,000-2,000/month = $12,000-24,000 per year.

But here's what changes: You get consistent execution. Not perfect execution. Consistent execution. Every single week. No excuses. No "I was too busy."

The Cost Comparison (Honest Math)

Factor

DIY

Agency

Your time investment

10-15 hrs/week

0 hrs/week

Your time value

$19,500-60,000/year

$0 (you do jobs)

Service cost

$0

$12,000-24,000/year

Mistakes/lost results

~$20,000-50,000/year

Minimal

Total real cost

$39,500-110,000

$12,000-24,000

Time to see results

6+ months

60-90 days

Results quality

Maybe 5-10% improvement

20-40% improvement

The agency is literally cheaper. And faster. And more effective.

But most contractors don't see it that way because the agency cost is visible ($1,000/month) and the DIY cost is invisible (your lost time).

The Real Question

Stop thinking about whether an agency is "expensive."

Think about this instead: What's 15 extra calls per month worth to you?

Let's say you close 30% of calls. That's 4-5 extra jobs per month.

At an average job value of $2,000-$5,000, that's $8,000-$25,000 in extra revenue per month.

Your agency costs $1,000-2,000.

You're making back 4-25X what you're spending.

That's not an expense. That's an investment with a 400-2,500% return.

When DIY Actually Makes Sense

Now, I'm not saying every contractor should hire an agency.

DIY makes sense if you:

• Have extra capacity. You're not fully booked, so you have 10+ hours/week to actually dedicate to marketing. (Most contractors don't.)
  
  

• Actually enjoy marketing. Some people like learning this stuff. If that's you, go DIY. But be honest—most contractors hate it.
  
  

• Can commit for 6+ months. You understand it takes half a year to see real results, and you're willing to wait. (Most contractors want faster results.)
  
  

• Have done this before. You know what you're doing and have proven systems. (Most contractors are starting from zero.)
  
  

Be honest. Do you meet these criteria?

If yes, DIY might work. You'll probably get 60-70% of the results an agency would get, at a lower cost, with significant time investment.

If no, hiring someone isn't optional. It's the faster, cheaper, smarter choice.

The Hidden Advantage of Hiring

Here's something most contractors don't think about:

When you hire an agency, you're not just buying the service. You're buying their experience across 50+ contractors.

They've seen what works. They've seen what doesn't. They know the mistakes because they see contractors make them constantly.

You're getting 10 years of learning compressed into your execution. That's worth something.

DIY means you're learning through trial and error. You'll eventually get there. But the cost of your errors—the lost time, the lost opportunities—might exceed what an agency would have charged you.

The Decision Framework

Ask yourself:

1. Can I honestly dedicate 10+ hours per week to marketing? (Not "maybe," but honestly?)

2. Do I have results in 6+ months? (Or do I need results faster?)

3. Am I willing to do this for the next 12+ months consistently? (No breaks, no excuses?)

If you answered yes to all three, DIY is an option.

If you answered no to any of them, hiring an agency isn't a luxury. It's the only decision that makes sense.

What Happens Next

Let's say you decide hiring someone is the right move. What should you look for?

You want an agency that:

• Shows you real results (not vague promises)

• Understands contractors specifically (not generic marketing)

• Provides monthly reporting (you see what's working)

• Focuses on reviews and Google visibility first (not expensive ad campaigns)

• Charges a flat monthly fee (not "we'll see how it goes")

You want to avoid:

• Agencies that promise overnight results

• Agencies that push you into expensive ad campaigns

• Agencies that are vague about what they'll do

• Agencies that charge per lead or per job (misaligned incentives)

The Next Step

The fastest way to figure out if hiring is right for you is to see the numbers for YOUR specific situation.

How many reviews do you have right now? How many does your top competitor have? What's that costing you in lost visibility?

That's the real question.

Our free 15-minute consultation shows you:

• Your current review count vs. top 3 local competitors

• Exactly how many calls/jobs you're losing monthly due to that gap

• What a realistic timeline looks like to close that gap

• What the financial impact could be

• Whether DIY or hiring makes sense for YOUR business specifically

No pressure. No pitch. Just honest numbers and your best path forward.

Click the 'Book A Free Consultaion Call' button to book your call today.

Sometimes DIY is the right call. But if it's not, you'll want to know that sooner rather than later.