This article was first published in “displayadsdeepdive.com”

One of the biggest problems companies have these days when it comes to employee engagement is that many businesses don’t have room for them to grow or move from one area to another. And in an era as competitive and ambitious as the one we are living in, these factors have turned into differential ones when it comes to whether or not an employee will want to remain in our companies. And of course, the digital marketing and PPC world is not an exception. 

And if you think about it, it’s not really about being a more or less competitive company in the eyes of your employees, it’s really a matter of common sense. So imagine the following scenario: you are an awesome PPC professional and happen to be working at a digital marketing agency with a good enough job, and an almost lame project in charge. And then this huge client that happens to be from one of your niches of interest comes in, and your boss starts looking for a PPC to be in charge of this project. And you show up and tell them you are interested in the job and would love to take over, but they respond that, no matter how great they know you are, they are still hiring someone new so you can stay in your project. Imagine how frustrating and annoying that can be, and imagine how much you’d like to leave the company and search for a job that not only you enjoy more, but also encourages you to grow in the company and advance to better suited roles you’ll be happier in. 

And that’s why today, my fellow PPC seekers, we’ll be talking about a very important, yet not talked about enough matter: should I or shouldn’t I hire a PPC internally? So let’s jump right in and find out! 

It’s a far easier procedure 

Hiring a PPC who already is an employee from your company means a lot less paperwork, which makes it a much faster and cheaper process. Hiring someone from the outside means a complete hiring + onboarding process that you won’t have to go through if you hire a PPC internally. So first pro: if you don’t feel like spending so much time or money in the hiring process, then make things easier by choosing a PPC that is already your employee. 

They already know you 

It’s not just that the hiring process is easier, but really the entire thing is much more practical. When a new person comes in, it’s not just that they have to learn the PPC job, but they also have to learn all the insights and manners that your company has. If instead, you hire someone that has already been in your company for a while, then you can definitely trust them to know the ropes of your business, how things get done, how the teams work, and more specifically how they should work. So again, if you are looking for a way to make your life easier, then hiring a PPC internally will probably be the best option for you. 

An interesting tangent to go through here is whether or not you are looking to train a PPC. Basically, if you do want to have an employee that sort of works like a white linen for you to paint all your PPC and company lessons in, then definitely hiring an insider will not be your best option. If that’s your case, then I’d definitely recommend hiring a PPC from the outside world and, obviously, the less experienced the better. 

Improving employee loyalty 

As we talked about before, a PPC that feels they have no chance at growing and that doesn’t feel they are contributing as much as they’d like to is a PPC that’s a lot more likely to leave your company. If instead, you encourage your employees to grow within your business, improve themselves and reach for the stars (or better PPC positions) then they will for sure be a lot happier there. Making someone feel like they are allowed to learn more and find better opportunities, and that the company supports them really makes a difference when it comes to the experience of working there. So if you know you have a PPC looking for a better opportunity, guarantee them that you’ll support their desire to grow. 

Watch out for becoming a hermetic culture 

Probably the biggest issue that comes along with hiring internally is the possibility of, in the long term, becoming more and more hermetic. If every time there’s an opening you hire someone that has been in the company for ages, that might close the door to the innovation and fresh ideas that may come from people who have never worked for you. Also, keep in mind that, if you hire a PPC internally, that means there will be another vacancy to fill out — and if you fill it with another internal hiring, then you will ongoingly have this problem. So make sure you know what you are doing, who do you want where and make sure your company doesn’t get stuck out of a total lack of new ideas. 

So basically the keys here are two: make sure you create a work environment where employees feel encouraged to grow, get better, and aspire for more. But also make sure you keep a healthy balance among your internal and external hires, so you don’t run out of workforce and/or get stuck and run completely out of innovative perspectives that only people who haven’t seen you every day for the past few (or many)  years can bring along.