PSM Marketing’s outsourced marketing costs $2,000 to $4,000 per month for a fixed-scope Quickstart and $4,000 to $10,000 or more per month for a full outsourced marketing department. Both are 12-month agreements, so the annual cost runs from $24,000 to $120,000 or more. By comparison, one in-house marketing manager costs about $238,000 a year in pay and benefits, based on national Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
What outsourced marketing costs at PSM Marketing
| Option | Monthly cost | Annual cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quickstart | $2,000 to $4,000 | $24,000 to $48,000 | Firms that want core services at a smaller, fixed scope, often branding and a fast website |
| Full outsourced marketing department | $4,000 to $10,000+ | $48,000 to $120,000+ | Firms that want one team running strategy, website, content, SEO and communications every month |
If you already have a marketing team and need senior leadership, a fractional CMO may fit better. PSM Marketing will talk through the scope and price with you.
What’s included
Every capability is scaled to your plan and delivered by one coordinated team:
- Strategy: annual and quarterly plans built on The Four Pillars of Marketing™
- Branding: positioning, messaging, logos and visual identity
- Websites: design, development, hosting and ongoing updates
- SEO: technical, on-page and local search visibility
- AI search optimization: visibility in Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, ChatGPT and other AI tools
- Content and communications: blogs, newsletters, social media and client communications
Engagements start with a free marketing assessment. Phase I covers one-time foundation projects, such as a website, brand and SEO audit, a strategic marketing plan, and branding and website work as needed. It typically takes one to three months.
Phase II is the ongoing work. Your PSM team carries out the plan month to month, meets with you each month and reports on the return on your investment. Read more about how PSM Marketing engagements work.
What affects the price
Four things have the biggest effect on where your firm lands in the range:
- The size of your firm: larger firms usually have more services, people and audiences to market.
- How quickly you want results: a faster pace takes more work each month.
- How much foundation work you need: a firm that needs a new brand and website starts with more work than a firm that has both.
- How much ongoing work you need: more content, communications and website updates mean a larger scope.
PSM Marketing combines Phase I and Phase II into one fixed monthly fee, so you can plan your marketing budget for the full year.
Outsourced marketing vs. in-house costs
Hiring in-house costs more than a salary. Benefits make up 30% of total compensation for private industry workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Here’s what the roles behind a full marketing program would cost, using national median pay:
| Role | Median annual pay | Estimated cost with benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing manager | $166,790 | $238,000 |
| Web developer | $92,650 | $132,000 |
| Marketing specialist or market research analyst | $78,760 | $113,000 |
| Writer | $76,910 | $110,000 |
| Graphic designer | $62,960 | $90,000 |
| Total for all five roles | $478,070 | $683,000 |
Pay figures are national medians from May 2025. Estimated costs divide pay by 70% to account for benefits, using June 2026 data. They don’t include recruiting, software, training or the time it takes to manage the team.
Most firms wouldn’t hire all five people, and that’s the real tradeoff. One hire gives you one person with one set of skills, and the role resets if that person leaves. A full outsourced marketing department gives you partner-level strategy and a team of writers, designers, web developers and SEO specialists for $48,000 to $120,000 or more a year.
When in-house makes more sense
Outsourced marketing isn’t right for every firm. An in-house hire can make more sense if you have enough steady work in one specialty to keep someone busy full time. It can also make sense if you need someone on-site every day.
Outsourcing may not fit if you only need a one-time project. PSM Marketing focuses on ongoing relationships rather than one-off work, because marketing builds momentum over a full year.
Many firms are somewhere in between. For more on the decision, read why outsourced marketing is a smart move and 11 reasons to outsource your marketing.
What you get for the investment
The cost only makes sense if the work moves your business forward. PSM Marketing’s clients have seen results like these:
- Cedar Creek Energy built a marketing engine that generated more than $3.7 million in revenue in one year.
- Avisen Legal grew from 6 lawyers to 15+ with PSM Marketing as its marketing department.
Results depend on your market, your goals and your starting point. See more case studies, or see how PSM Marketing works with law firms, contractors, nonprofits and small businesses.
“We have worked with several other outsourced marketing firms and it was always the same line: ‘we will make your online marketing efforts easy.’ We never saw results, progress, and the answer was always to throw more money at it. PSM is different, they have a strategy, experts, and walk you through the process. I am so glad we found PSM!!!”
Jacob H., Google review
“PSM has been our outside marketing firm since 2019 and they have been great partners. Our law firm has grown from six lawyers to 15 now, and PSM has kept pace with our growth. They are strategic, practical, knowledgeable, and enthusiastically helpful.”
Todd T., Google review
Outsourced marketing cost questions
How much does it cost to outsource marketing?
At PSM Marketing, outsourced marketing costs $2,000 to $4,000 per month for Quickstart and $4,000 to $10,000 or more per month for a full outsourced marketing department.
Is outsourcing marketing cheaper than hiring in-house?
Often, yes. A full PSM Marketing engagement costs $48,000 to $120,000 or more a year. One in-house marketing manager costs about $238,000 a year in pay and benefits at the national median.
Are foundation projects an extra cost?
No. PSM Marketing combines one-time foundation projects and ongoing outsourced marketing into one fixed monthly fee.
How long is the agreement?
PSM Marketing engagements are 12-month agreements, because marketing builds momentum over a full year.
Find out what your firm would need
The best way to get a clear number is to talk through your goals. Contact PSM Marketing to schedule a free marketing assessment.
