Is Social Media Management Worth It for Small Businesses?
For many small businesses, social media is an important part of their digital marketing.
The challenge is finding the time and expertise to do it properly.
Posting occasionally when someone has a spare hour is very different from having a clear social media strategy, producing regular content, analysing performance and continuously improving what you do.
Hiring an experienced full-time marketer can solve that problem, but it can also be a significant investment for a small business.
This is where outsourcing your social media management to an agency can make sense.
What does social media management include?
Social media management should involve much more than simply posting a few times each week.
Depending on the business and package, a social media management service can include:
Social media strategy
Content planning
Graphic design
Video content
Copywriting
Scheduling and publishing
Community management
Performance reporting
Competitor research
Paid social advertising
Ongoing optimisation
A good social media manager should understand what the business is trying to achieve and create content around those objectives.
For one business, that might mean generating leads. For another, it could be building awareness, attracting customers to a physical location or establishing the company as an expert within its industry.
Why is managing social media difficult for small businesses?
One of the biggest challenges is consistency.
Many businesses start with good intentions. They create an Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or LinkedIn account and post regularly for a few weeks.
Then things get busy.
Client work takes priority, employees have other responsibilities and social media gradually becomes something that gets done only when there is time.
There is also a skills challenge.
Modern social media can involve photography, video editing, graphic design, copywriting, strategy, analytics and paid advertising.
Expecting one member of staff to master all of those areas while also doing their normal job can be unrealistic.
Is hiring a full-time social media manager expensive?
For many small businesses, it can be.
The cost of hiring someone goes beyond their salary. Businesses may also need to consider:
Employer PRSI
Recruitment costs
Paid holidays
Equipment
Software subscriptions
Training
Sick leave
Management time
For a growing business, hiring a team full-time may eventually make perfect sense.
But if you need professional digital marketing support without needing a full-time marketing team, an agency can be a great option to have access to a full experienced team for the cost of a Junior Hire..
Can a social media agency be cheaper than hiring in-house?
Often, yes, depending on how much support you need.
Instead of employing someone senior full-time, a business can pay a monthly retainer for a defined level of marketing support.
This can give a small business access to experienced marketers while avoiding many of the additional costs associated with employing another full-time member of staff.
There is also another important difference.
With an agency, you are not necessarily relying on one person with one skill set.
Your social media activity might require strategy, graphic design, video editing, copywriting, advertising and analytics. Hiring individual specialists in each area would be unrealistic for many small businesses.
An agency can give you access to several of these skills within one service.
Can an agency grow with your business?
This can be one of the biggest benefits of outsourcing.
Your marketing needs today may be very different from what you need in six or twelve months.
You might initially only need help managing your social media accounts. As the business grows, you may decide you also need:
Professional photography or video
Paid social advertising
Google Ads
SEO
AI Search Optimisation
Email marketing
Campaign strategy
PR
Influencer or UGC campaigns
Working with an agency can make it easier to add these services as they become necessary.
You do not necessarily need to hire another employee every time your marketing needs change.
You might start with social media management, add regular content shoots later, introduce paid advertising when you are ready to generate more leads, and then invest in SEO as the business grows.
The level of support can increase or change alongside the needs of the business.
This can be particularly useful for smaller companies that want access to a wider marketing team without needing to build one internally from day one.
What if you cannot afford an experienced marketing hire?
A business may know that its digital marketing needs work but simply not be in a position to hire an experienced marketing manager.
The alternatives are often to:
Do everything yourself: This saves money but takes time away from running the business.
Give social media to an existing employee: This can work, but only if they have the time and appropriate skills.
Hire a junior employee: This gives you an internal resource, but they may still need significant training and strategic support.
Use a social media agency: This allows you to access experienced marketing and creative support without employing someone full-time.
The right option depends on your business, budget and how much support you actually need.
Does outsourcing mean losing control of your social media?
It shouldn't.
A social media agency should work with you rather than simply taking control of your accounts.
You know your customers, products and business better than anyone else. The agency brings the marketing expertise.
A good relationship combines the two.
Before content starts, there should be a clear understanding of your:
Business goals
Target audiences
Brand personality
Products and services
Key messages
Competitors
Priorities
You should also have visibility over what is being created and how your social media is performing.
How do you know if social media management is working?
Followers are only one part of the picture.
Depending on your objectives, you might look at:
Reach
Engagement
Website visits
Enquiries
Leads
Sales
Video views
Audience growth
Cost per lead from advertising
The metrics that matter should relate back to what the business is trying to achieve.
A company trying to generate enquiries should not judge its entire social media strategy based on how many likes a post receives.
When is it worth using a social media agency?
Outsourcing your social media management could make sense if:
You struggle to post consistently
You do not have an internal marketing team
Your existing team does not have enough time
Your content quality needs to improve
You need more video or creative content
You want to run paid social campaigns
You need a clearer social media strategy
You cannot justify hiring an experienced marketer full-time
You want access to additional marketing services as your business grows
For many small businesses, it provides a middle ground between doing everything themselves and building an internal marketing department.
Social Media Management with Canopy Creative
Canopy Creative provides social media management for businesses in Dublin and across Ireland.
Our wider marketing services include:
Content creation
This means businesses can start with the support they need today and expand their marketing activity as their needs change.
We work as an extension of your business, giving you access to experienced marketing and creative support without necessarily needing to build an entire marketing team in-house.
Could Outsourcing Your Social Media Work for Your Business?
If your business needs a stronger social media presence but you are not ready to hire an experienced full-time marketing resource, outsourcing could be a more flexible and cost-effective option.
We can look at your current social media, what you want to achieve and the level of support your business actually needs.