The DIY Marketing Fallacy: Why In-House Alone Won’t Scale B2B Growth

By Kristin Oelke, Managing Director, Growth Services, Brightrose Ventures, and author of Trust: Unlocking B2B Growth in Today’s AI World

Raise your hand if you’ve thought: “We’ll just keep marketing in-house. It’ll save money.” (Cue nervous laughter.)

Here’s the fallacy: DIY marketing often costs more in the long run. Why? Because your team isn’t built to be marketers full-time. Sales leaders writing content between calls, founders running HubSpot on weekends, and interns trying to “do demand gen” with a Canva subscription - that’s not execution, that’s chaos.

According to Content Marketing Institute’s 2024 Benchmark Report, 71% of B2B marketers say they’re under pressure to do more with less. The problem isn’t effort - it’s capacity. Stretching internal teams across too many marketing functions leads to half-baked campaigns, inconsistent execution, and, worst of all, wasted budget.

Meanwhile, companies leveraging fractional experts see higher ROI, faster speed-to-market, and better alignment with sales. Why? Because you’re not reinventing the wheel - you’re plugging in specialists who already know how to drive results.

DIY may work for your IKEA furniture, but not for building a scalable GTM engine.

At Brightrose Ventures, our Integrated, Fractional Marketing Team is purpose-built for small and mid-market B2B companies. Demand gen, content, HubSpot ops - all managed, integrated, and executed with one monthly fee. No duct tape required.

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About Kristin Oelke

Kristin Oelke brings 20 years of experience modernizing and scaling marketing functions across Big Tech, high-growth startups, and global partner ecosystems. She partners with investors, founders, and C-Suite leaders to design and execute strategies that drive measurable revenue impact.

She is also a frequent speaker and the author of TRUST: Unlocking B2B Growth Strategies in Today’s AI World, where she explores how companies build credibility, reduce buyer friction, and scale predictably through transparent execution, public proof points, and trust-driven content.

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FAQs

What are the top reasons SMB and mid-market tech companies work with advisory firms?

Companies partner with advisory firms to tap into battle-tested expertise, access fractional support without long-term overhead, and gain faster connections to trusted resources proven to work with early-stage and scaling businesses. Advisory partners also bring fresh perspective, speed to execution, and the ability to build trust with investors through transparent reporting and measurable outcomes.

How are Brightrose Growth Services different from other tech advisory offerings?

Brightrose Growth Services combine proven operator experience with fast, execution-first support built for today’s AI-driven B2B environment. We help companies break through digital noise with content that educates and resonates, build scalable tech foundations, and deliver the proof points and reporting that earn trust with both buyers and investors.

What makes the Brightrose Growth Services fractional model more effective than hiring in-house?

Rather than relying on a single marketing leader, Brightrose Growth Services provide a senior-led team across demand gen, CRM, lifecycle, content, and analytics. We accelerate growth with integrated execution, a more efficient demand engine, transparent reporting, and trust-building content—all at a predictable monthly cost.

How can startups begin leveraging Brightrose Growth Services on a small budget?

Most begin with a Brightrose Assessment to get a clear, prioritized plan and identify immediate quick wins. From there, startups activate a fractional team that scales with the business—gaining early proof points, trusted content, a scalable tech stack, and investor-ready reporting without overinvesting.