The engine isn't magic and it isn't free labour — it's the coverage of a full department at the price of a junior hire, with a human on the last mile. Here's how it stacks up against what you'd otherwise do.
| Capability | Do it yourself | One in-house hire | Full agency | Auto Marketing Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real live-site audit | Sometimes | Depends | Yes | Yes — every run |
| Covers all 5 disciplines | No | No — one channel | Yes | Yes |
| AI-search (AISO) build-out | Rarely | Rarely | Sometimes | Built in |
| Produces work on a cadence | If you have time | Yes | Yes | Daily |
| Whole-network portfolio | No | No | Extra cost | Yes |
| Shareable branded report | No | No | On request | /report/<domain> |
| Human approves email & money | You | You | Yes | Yes — always |
| Time you spend | All of it | Managing | Little | Approvals only |
| Typical monthly cost | Your hours | $5k–$8k | $8k–$15k | $2,900 flat |
Cost figures are blended US market estimates for context, not quotes. Audit and coverage claims reflect what the engine actually does.
An agency covers every channel too — at three to five times the price, at agency pace, with work you can't see until it lands. The engine gives you the same coverage, a real audit every run, and full visibility, for a flat fee you can cancel any month.
One hire is one channel done well and four left undone. The engine runs all five and hands the specialist tasks — the last-mile approvals and the relationship — to a human, so nothing important is on autopilot.