How is the in-house digital marketing hiring cost estimated?

The calculator adds job advertising, internal HR or recruitment time, hiring manager time, interview panel time and an adjustable estimate of the productivity impact while the vacancy remains open.

What is DMRA's introductory recruitment fee?

The introductory fee is 6% of the successful candidate's first-year base annual salary for an employer's first three successful hires through DMRA.

Is the 25% campaign deposit an extra fee?

No. The 25% campaign deposit is paid per vacancy to launch the recruitment campaign and is credited in full against the final placement fee.

What replacement cover is included?

Subject to the placement agreement, the introductory offer includes up to two replacement placements for the same vacancy after the original placement.

Can I submit multiple hires on one vacancy form?

No. Each vacancy form covers one intended hire. Employers recruiting more than one person should submit a separate vacancy form for each hire, even when the job title is the same.

Employer hiring cost calculator

Calculate the Cost of Hiring a Digital Marketer In-House

Estimate the real cost of recruiting internally - advertising, staff time, interviews and vacancy impact - then compare it with our introductory specialist recruitment fee.

6% introductory feeApplied separately to each of your first three successful hires through DMRA.

25% campaign depositPer vacancy, credited against the final placement fee.

75% on successful placementNo remaining placement fee if no DMRA candidate is hired.

Up to 2 replacementsReplacement placements for the same vacancy, subject to the agreement.

Build your estimate

What does this vacancy cost to fill yourself?

Use our starting assumptions or replace them with your own figures. The calculation updates immediately.

The role

Market, specialism, seniority and annual salary.

Country / market Digital marketing role Seniority Annual base salary

Currency: GBP

Your hiring process

Use the market benchmark or enter what normally happens in your business.

Expected time to hireCalendar days from opening the vacancy to accepted offer. Job advertising / board spend

Paid listings, boosts and sourcing media for this vacancy. HR / recruitment hoursPosting, sourcing, CV review, calls, scheduling and administration. Hiring manager hoursBriefing, shortlist review, feedback, approvals and offer work outside interviews.

Adjust interview and cost assumptions

Candidate interviews People per interview Minutes per interview HR / recruiter hourly cost

Hiring manager hourly cost

Vacancy productivity impact

50%

We default to 50% of salary-equivalent output rather than assuming the vacancy costs 100% of the missing employee's output.

Cost is only half the decision

Better candidates change what a hire costs you.

A cheap hiring process is not cheap if senior people spend weeks screening applicants who cannot do the work, or if the final hire has to be replaced.

Typical in-house burden

Your team writes and places the advert
Your team screens the application volume
Managers spend time on first-stage qualification
Technical ability may be judged from a CV and interview alone
Your team carries the administration and follow-up load

DMRA specialist screening

Digital marketing role-specific sourcing and screening
Practical capability and problem-solving questions
Technical questioning appropriate to SEO, PPC, content, automation and related roles
Portfolio, evidence and real-world work reviewed where relevant
Smaller shortlist intended to protect hiring-manager time
Up to two replacement placements under the agreement

Turn the estimate into a search

Register this vacancy with DMRA.

Your calculator result travels with this vacancy, so we can see the role, salary, market and commercial comparison without making you repeat the exercise.

View Introductory Agreement + Addendum AComplete the vacancy fields below first. Addendum A is generated fresh from the current details.

One hire per form.This submission covers one intended hire only. If you are recruiting more than one person, complete a separate form for each hire - even when the job title is the same. Each hire receives its own vacancy record, campaign deposit, recruitment campaign and reference number.

Annual salary£60,000

DMRA fee£3,600

Campaign deposit£900

Balance on placement£2,700

Legal company / organisation nameCompany registration number

Company websiteContact person

Work emailPhone / WhatsApp

Job title / vacancyInternal position number

Role categoryEmployment type

Working modelLocation / jurisdiction

Salary / budget

Choose a role category and we will pre-fill a practical position description, must-have skills and suggested agency tools. Edit anything to match the vacancy.

Position description

Must-have skills

Commercial terms for this hire: this form covers one intended hire. The completed vacancy details become Addendum A to the Placement Agreement. The introductory 6% Placement Fee applies separately to each of the employer's first three successful hires; a 25% Campaign Deposit applies to this vacancy and is credited against that fee; the remaining 75% is payable on successful placement; and up to two replacement placements are available for this vacancy subject to the Placement Agreement. Banking details and the unique vacancy reference are issued directly after engagement confirmation.

I have read the Placement Agreement. I understand that this submission is for one intended hire only, the vacancy-specific details are recorded in Addendum A, and the 25% Campaign Deposit for this vacancy must be received before advertising and active sourcing begin unless alternative terms are agreed in writing.

Hiring again? After submitting this hire, return to the calculator and complete a new form for each additional person you want us to recruit.

How the estimate works

Transparent assumptions, not a magic number.

The in-house estimate combines direct recruiting spend, internal staff time and an adjustable vacancy productivity factor. Interview cost is based on the number of interviews, number of interviewers, interview duration and the hiring-manager hourly cost you choose.

The vacancy figure converts the annual salary into a working-day equivalent and applies only the percentage of productivity impact you select. Change any assumption to reflect your own hiring process.

Market	Starting hiring benchmark
United States	42-55 days for many digital marketing hires
United Kingdom	35-40 days for many digital marketing hires
Canada	30-45 days for many digital marketing hires
Australia	About five weeks for permanent hiring as a broad market benchmark
South Africa	About 2-6 weeks, depending on role and seniority

Senior, specialist and scarce-skill roles can take materially longer. Benchmarks are starting assumptions only and are editable in the calculator.

Cost calculator FAQ

Before you register the vacancy.

How is the in-house cost calculated?

Advertising + HR/recruitment time + hiring-manager time + interview-panel time + an adjustable estimate of the productivity impact while the role remains open.

What does DMRA charge?

The introductory offer is 6% of annual base salary for each of your first three successful hires through DMRA. Each intended hire is submitted separately and has its own vacancy campaign and deposit.

Is the 25% deposit extra?

No. It is 25% of the expected placement fee for that vacancy and is credited against the final fee. The remaining 75% is payable on a successful placement.

What happens if the candidate leaves?

The Placement Agreement provides up to two replacement placements for the same vacancy when the guarantee conditions are met.

Can I submit several hires on one form?

No. One form covers one intended hire. If you need two or more people - including two people with the same job title - submit a separate form for each hire.

Does this calculator guarantee a saving?

No. It is an estimate. In some businesses the direct financial cost of in-house recruitment may be lower. DMRA's value also includes specialist sourcing, screening, practical evaluation and reduced internal hiring workload.