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Over the last few years, AI has rapidly become a part of everyday life. 

In 2025, AI is everywhere, from search engines and online shopping to customer service and surveillance. 

And it’s massively transformed marketing, empowering teams to work faster than they ever thought possible and enabling more precise decision-making. 

Its impact on content creation has been vast, with AI-powered tools equipped to generate high-quality copy, images, and videos. 

In SEO, AI analyses search trends and user intent, optimising content for higher rankings. 

Data analytics has also seen significant advancements, with AI processing vast amounts of consumer data to uncover insights, predict trends, and personalise marketing strategies.

And, of course, then there’s AI-powered marketing automation. 

AI has supercharged marketing teams through chatbots, email machine learning automation, and programmatic advertising, which ensure brands achieve customer engagement at the right times. 

But as exciting as these futuristic developments are, AI is not here to replace marketing agencies.

Instead, it must be used to enhance marketing strategies. 

So it’s less digital marketing vs AI and more of a complementary strategy that taps into the strengths of both disciplines. 

This cutting-edge tech empowers marketers to work smarter, freeing them from repetitive tasks so they can focus on strategy, creativity, and relationship building.  

The challenge for businesses now is adopting a hybrid approach combining AI with marketing agencies’ human-led efforts to maximise results. 

The Marketing Landscape in 2025: AI vs Agencies

How AI is changing digital marketing is a hot topic in the industry.

There’s no question that AI tools have dramatically shifted the marketing landscape, empowering marketers to work more efficiently and get better results for less. 

However, it’s not as simple as just investing in some AI tools and letting them get to work. 

While an AI marketing tech stack may work (much) faster than a human marketer and can be cheaper than investing in full-service agency solutions, they remain limited when it comes to creativity and strategy.

And your audience will notice. 

Indeed, a massive amount of AI-generated content is floating around the internet, just a few years after many of these tools came to market — and it’s pretty easy to spot.

This content is often monotonous, lacking the personality and spark that human content creators inject. 

So, to get your content to stand out, the human touch is essential.

Matic Jug, Head of Growth at ICONOMI, told SaaStorm:

AI is super helpful for experimenting, generating ideas, and writing content — it definitely makes life easier. That said, if you rely too much on it, your marketing can start looking and sounding like everyone else’s. It’s great for speed and efficiency, but you still need to add your own creativity and personality to stand out.

The best marketing agencies excel when it comes to strategy and creative services. 

These experts know precisely what they need to do to engage your audience and have the resources and knowledge to execute end-to-end marketing campaigns to hit your goals. 

In contrast, AI solutions typically handle one task, such as bulk emailing or data analytics, and piecing together their workflow is still a full-time job. 

Evidently, both agencies and AI have a major role to play in the marketing campaigns of the future — it’s all about finding the right balance. 

What AI Can Do for SaaS Marketing

Let’s start by taking a deeper look at AI and how you can best harness it to optimise your marketing efforts. 

As outlined above, AI is excellent at specific marketing tasks but inevitably falls down when it comes to those that need a more unique, human touch. 

Here are some of the activities AI excels at. 

✅ Pros of Using AI in SaaS Marketing:

  • The generation of content briefs and outlines
  • Providing help with keyword research, topic clustering and SEO optimisation
  • Automating email marketing and personalisation
  • Creating AI-assisted content (but bear in mind a human must work alongside your AI tool for the best results)
  • Data analytics, predictive analytics, and reporting 

We spoke to several SaaS professionals to find out how businesses are harnessing AI in real-world settings and what results they’re seeing. 

Matic Jug, Head of Growth at ICONOMI, revealed that the company uses AI to make its content creation process smoother:

Tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly help us draft blog posts, ads, emails, and articles quickly. We also use Opus Clip to turn webinars and podcasts into short, engaging clips.

Market insight platform Statzon is also using AI in the content creation process, according to Karri Takki, the brand’s Head of Growth, but taking a slightly different tack:

We utilise AI to aid in developing ideas and researching additional information on relevant topics. AI is also used to generate summaries of market research reports available on our market insights platform, as well as for our editor’s highlights. On the platform, AI-generated summaries are published as they are, while the editor’s highlights undergo a review by a human editor before publication.

Karri also noted that while Statzon has not extensively used AI for data analysis, the team does use the tech to transcribe, analyse, and summarise customer interviews. 

In this way, it can be used to speed up qualitative analysis.

While many have questioned how valuable AI is when it comes to relationship building, Per Clingweld, Founding Team Member at sales enablement platform Andsend, reports progress in this area:

AI is making it possible to maintain meaningful connections with your network at a scale that was previously impossible. At Andsend, we’re seeing professionals using our AI-powered tools to keep track of hundreds of important relationships without losing that personal touch.

Of course, at this stage in its development, very few marketing professionals would recommend using AI alone, with little to no human intervention. 

⚠️ Cons of Using AI Alone:

  • Limited strategic thinking
  • Lack of deep audience understanding
  • Quality issues (without human oversight)
  • Unable to build long-term strategies or brand authority effectively

Can AI replace digital marketing jobs?

Not if you want great results. 

AI’s lack of limited strategic thinking was highlighted by Statzon’s Karri, who emphasised the importance of human strategy behind AI:

The effectiveness of AI in your daily work largely depends on the strategies you choose to implement. If you lack a clear strategy and a deep understanding of your customers and Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), AI may only enable you to do more of the wrong things at a faster pace.

He pointed to chatbots as an example of a helpful AI tool that demands significant human input. 

With generative AI, you can provide real-time assistance to your customers and answer their questions quickly. However, this requires a solid understanding of the potential inquiries and the ability to equip the AI agent with a relevant knowledge base.

Meanwhile, Andsend’s experience speaks to AI’s lack of deep audience understanding. 

Per explained:

After working with over 7,000 companies through our previous venture, we noticed a concerning trend: as AI made it easier to reach more people, the quality of business relationships was actually declining. Everyone was blasting out automated messages, and genuine connections were getting lost in the noise.

Andsend “completely flipped” its approach as a result. 

Instead of maximising outreach volume, the team began using AI to help professionals build “stronger, more meaningful business relationships.”

Think of it as having a really smart assistant who helps you remember important details about your contacts, suggests relevant conversation points, and makes sure you never drop the ball on important follow-ups.

Per warned that implementing AI without considering the long-term impact on business relationships can lead to declining response rates, erosion of trust, and “relationship debt”.

Yes, AI can help you scale your network, but if you’re not careful, you might end up with thousands of shallow connections instead of meaningful professional relationships that drive real business value.

When it comes to quality, Bruce Johnson, Head of Digital Marketing at software company Kosli, says he believes “the current impact is negative”:

I receive so many AI-generated cold pitches that are really, really bad. Again, authenticity is everything. Do we really want to spam thousands of inboxes to receive a few customers? It doesn’t work on sophisticated buyers.

Matic Jug sums up the prevailing feeling:

AI’s great for getting the ball rolling, but we always put in that human touch to make sure it feels authentic and on-brand.

What Marketing Agencies Offer

So, in 2025, with multitudes of cutting-edge AI tools on the market, what exactly do marketing agencies bring to the table?

✅ Pros of Marketing Agencies:

  • Strategic planning 
  • Audience insights.
  • Content ideation and storytelling.
  • Expertise across multiple channels (for example, SEO, content, demand generation).
  • Consistent quality control and personalisation.
  • Full-service solutions that offer end-to-end campaigns 

AI tools cannot achieve long-term strategic planning. 

That requires a human who understands trends, sentiment, internal and external challenges, and — vitally — has the creativity necessary to disrupt an industry. 

Furthermore, you need a deep — human — understanding of your audience to achieve truly brilliant marketing campaigns. 

And it’s unlikely that an AI tool will ever be able to understand humans better than a human can. 

Sure, they can process trend and audience data and come to logical conclusions. 

But the content and storytelling that really engages an audience is rarely logical. 

Instead, it is adept at triggering human emotions. 

Bruce Johnston explains:

I very much doubt AI will fully replace creative work any time soon – if ever. Sometimes it just makes sense to throw a curveball and AI is still too derivative for that.

Per Clingweld agrees:

I’ve been in tech long enough to be sceptical of any claims about AI completely replacing human expertise. Marketing agencies bring something invaluable to the table – they understand human psychology and can craft stories that resonate on an emotional level.

Per’s words underscore why brands must continue to lean on marketing experts to stand out from the crowd. 

Matic also highlighted the importance of understanding your ICP, noting that AI “is introducing a lot of uncertainty” surrounding SEO and social media:

With the ease of producing content at scale, it will be challenging to stand out and gain impressions. Unique insights and well-targeted content aimed at your ICP will become increasingly valuable.

Furthermore, agencies offer end-to-end solutions that AI cannot, from strategy to execution to reporting, meaning that hiring a full-service expert agency really does free you up from marketing responsibilities. 

You’ll also learn from external digital marketers: these professionals are experts in everything from content and SEO to PPC and demand generation, and will provide consultative services too.

Matic explained that ICONOMI leans on external marketing expertise for specific activities:

Most of our marketing is done in-house, but we work with agencies for things like link building and PR. AI plays a big role in helping us move faster and experiment more, but we’ve found that combining it with human expertise — both internally and through agencies — gives us the best results.

Finally, no matter how much you lean on AI when it comes to content generation, you always need a marketing professional to look over it to ensure it’s high quality and aligned with your brand’s tone of voice.

So, there are myriad reasons to bring a marketing agency on board in the era of AI.

At the same time, you don’t want to get left behind. 

⚠️ Cons of Traditional Agencies Without AI:

  • Higher costs (e.g., $800-$1000 for a 3000-word article).
  • Slower production speed for scaling.
  • Dependency on manual workflows.

Ready to scale smarter? Let’s combine AI and expert marketing for real results!

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When considering which marketing agency to sign up with, it’s vital to ensure they have a thorough knowledge of AI solutions. 

When an organisation uses AI for tasks such as streamlining workflows or to analyze customer data, it can offer much better value for money. 

Sign up with an AI-equipped agency; you’ll get more bang for your buck, and production speeds will be faster. 

However, it’s important to investigate precisely how they’re using AI. 

For example, if you’re happy for your agency to use AI regarding internal processes but would prefer entirely human-generated content and social media posts, you must communicate this. 

The Smartest Approach: AI + Agency Collaboration

AI is a super useful tool, but it’s not a replacement for human expertise. 

In 2025, marketing success comes when you expertly combine AI tools’ efficiency with strategic human oversight. 

For example, SaaStorm implemented a hybrid approach for online employee training platform Lingio due to their limited budget

We combined:

✅ AI-assisted content for simpler blog posts.

✅ Human-written content for core landing pages and high-impact pieces.

The result?

➡️ Reduced costs while tripling output and performance.

More on our approach with Lingio later. 

Don’t choose — combine. AI + agency = the winning formula. Let’s chat!

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Many professionals we’ve spoken to about the AI vs digital marketing agencies debate have come to the same conclusion: in 2025, expertly combining both is crucial for success. 

Karri Takki told us:

Currently, AI does not replace agencies when it comes to strategic and creative work. I believe agencies need to possess deep expertise in strategy and a solid understanding of the ‘big picture’ as these are areas where AI still falls short. However, I would recommend looking for agencies that efficiently use AI to enhance their operations.

He noted that agencies familiar with AI can achieve much more with the same level of investment — but they must strive to keep up with this rapidly developing tech. 

Per Clingweld also emphasised the importance of hiring an agency that plays to its strengths and uses AI to enhance processes:

The most successful agencies I’ve seen are the ones embracing AI as a powerful tool while doubling down on their strategic and creative strengths. It’s like giving a master chef better kitchen equipment – they still need their expertise and creativity to make amazing dishes.

He explained that Andsend uses AI to handle the heavy lifting of data analysis, suggest content ideas, and identify trends in relationship-building patterns. 

All strategic decisions and creative direction, however, come from the team:

We’ve found this approach mirrors what our users need – tools that enhance their ability to build and maintain professional relationships without taking over the human element.

For Bruce, the AI/human split boils down to internal and customer-facing work:

My general rule is that it’s good for research, transcription, editing, and first drafts of various pieces of content, but the final copy that goes to the customer should always be written by a human. Authenticity is everything, so AI is great for internal work; customer-facing stuff needs the human touch.

Real-World Example: How Lingio Leveraged AI + SaaStorm

When e-learning platform Lingio came to SaaStorm, its online presence was almost non-existent. 

It was clear the brand needed rapid content production, but there was one problem — a limited budget. 

Challenged with creating 20 SEO blogs per month within this limited budget, SaaStorm harnessed the power of AI to develop an inbound strategy that would fuel Lingio’s growth for the long term.


Vitally, we used AI where it could best support our efforts and focused our agency’s expertise on the activities that really needed the human touch. 

This was our solution:

✅ Human-Written Articles (MOFU and BOFU)

✅ AI-Assisted Articles (mostly TOFU)

The results of this hybrid strategy were nothing short of spectacular. 

Lingio saw 500% growth in organic traffic and an 11x increase in inbound MQLs in just nine months. 

What’s more, this strategy reduced the company’s marketing spend by 60%, with no drop in quality. 

How to Choose Between AI and Marketing Agencies

We’ve established that a hybrid AI-agency approach is the way forward. 

But when should you bring in AI, and when should you turn to a marketing agency for support? 

When AI Might Be Enough:

  • If you’re a solopreneur or a small SaaS team on a tight budget.
  • If you need simple blogs and basic SEO tasks.

Matic Jug underlines:

AI can be a solid, affordable option if you’re just starting out or don’t have much experience in marketing. The trick is knowing how to craft good prompts — it can really help with brainstorming if you use it right. It’s not really about replacing one with the other, it’s about knowing where each adds value.

When You Need a Marketing Agency:

  • If you’re scaling and need consistent content production.
  • If you require strategic expertise and complex SEO strategies.
  • If lead generation and MQL growth are your core KPIs.

Karri spoke of how Statzon leans on agencies to bring in specialist expertise where required:

As a small company, we collaborate with agencies for specific projects when we need additional expertise in certain areas. Essentially, we are investing in specialised knowledge and strategic help. To address resource challenges, we also leverage AI and automation.

Of course, balancing an agency and AI tools can also be time-consuming and require significant expertise. 

There is a way around this, however. 

The best choice? 

Work with a hybrid AI-driven agency like SaaStorm that balances both.

SaaStorm’s AI-Powered Content Marketing Services 

SaaStorm combines top-level human marketing expertise with the efficiency of advanced AI tools to deliver content marketing, writing, SEO, and link-building services to SaaS brands. 

This hybrid approach to hitting your marketing goals allows us to deliver more for less while also boosting quality.

This means that our clients don’t have to worry about when to use AI and when to bring in agency expertise — our proven track record shows we know exactly how to combine the two to achieve outstanding results.  

Why Choose SaaStorm?

✅ AI-Powered Content Workflows: Faster production, better results.

✅ Proven SaaS Expertise: Delivered 500% traffic growth for Lingio.

✅ Smart Cost Management: Balanced AI + human expertise for budget efficiency.

Conclusion: AI and Agencies Together Drive Growth 

AI isn’t here to replace agencies — it’s here to amplify results.

To succeed in marketing in 2025, you still need the expert strategy, deep audience understanding, and creativity that the best agencies bring. 

But the right agencies have supercharged their teams with cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools, meaning you get much more for less. 

Indeed, SaaStorm blends AI tools with expert human strategy and creativity to deliver B2B SaaS marketing services with impressive, scalable results. 

Want a smarter way to scale your SaaS marketing? Get in touch with SaaStorm today!

FAQs

Can AI replace marketing agencies?

No, AI is a powerful tool, but it lacks strategic thinking, deep audience understanding, and creativity. AI works best when combined with human expertise to enhance content, automate tasks, and improve efficiency.

How can SaaS companies use AI for marketing?

SaaS companies can leverage AI for SEO research, content brief creation, automated email campaigns, predictive analytics, and AI-assisted content writing. However, human oversight is needed to maintain quality and ensure brand authenticity.

What are the biggest limitations of AI in marketing?

AI struggles with originality, brand voice, and strategic decision-making. It can generate content quickly but often lacks depth, emotional appeal, and true engagement with the audience.

What’s the best way to balance AI and human-led marketing?

A hybrid approach works best—use AI for efficiency (research, automation, analytics) and rely on human expertise for strategy, creativity, storytelling, and relationship building.

How does SaaStorm combine AI and human expertise?

SaaStorm blends AI-powered tools for research, content assistance, and automation with expert human strategy, creativity, and SEO execution to drive real, sustainable results for B2B SaaS brands.

AI or agency? Why not both? Let’s build a smarter strategy together!

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