Outsourcing social media: how much does it cost?

Which tasks can you outsource?

Social media is made up of lots of separate tasks. The more you outsource, the higher the price, but also the more time you have left yourself.

• Strategy. Which channels, which audience, which goals and which message.
• Content planning. A calendar with topics and timings.
• Content creation. Text, photos, videos and designs for posts.
• Scheduling and posting. Putting posts online at the right moment.
• Community management. Answering comments and messages, and engaging with others.
• Advertising. Setting up campaigns, choosing audiences, testing and adjusting.
• Reporting. Showing what it delivers in reach, clicks and enquiries.

How is the cost of outsourcing social media calculated?

There are three common ways of charging. Look carefully at what's included in each model.

• Hourly rate. You pay for the hours worked. Flexible, but you don't know exactly what it will cost in advance.
• Monthly package. A fixed amount for an agreed number of posts, channels or hours. Clear and easy to budget.
• Per post or per campaign. Handy for a one-off promotion, but often more expensive per item than a package.

A low monthly fee looks attractive, but check what you get for it. Are the posts made specially for you, or are they generic templates? Who takes the photos? And will someone also reply to messages from customers?

What mainly determines the price of a package is the number of channels, how often there's posting and how much original content needs creating. Video, for example, takes more time than a photo with text. Your industry counts too: in a technical or legal field, the creator first has to read up properly before they can post anything meaningful.

Freelancer or agency: what suits your budget?

• Freelancer. Often a lower rate and personal contact. But you depend on one person, so ask what happens during illness or holidays.
• Specialist agency. More knowledge of different channels and advertising. Usually more expensive.
• Full-service marketing agency. Social media is then one part alongside SEO and Google Ads. Handy if you want everything aligned.

Don't choose on price alone. Ask for examples of work for similar businesses and how they measure results. More tips on choosing are in outsourcing online marketing.

Costs that come on top of the package

Many business owners only get a shock after a few months. These items are often not in the package:

• Ad budget. What you pay Meta, LinkedIn or TikTok for ads usually goes straight to the platform and isn't part of the management fee.
• Photography and video. A photo shoot or short videos on location are often charged separately.
• Tools. Software for scheduling posts or creating designs, if it needs to be in your name.
• Set-up costs. Some suppliers charge a one-off fee for strategy, setting up accounts or a baseline measurement.
• Extra channels or posts. If you want more halfway through, the price goes up.
• Contract term. A one-year contract suddenly turns a low monthly price into a substantial commitment.

Want to know how much ad budget makes sense? Read advertising on Facebook and Instagram. And for your overall budget, online marketing budget helps.

Doing it yourself or outsourcing: what does your own time cost?

Doing social media yourself seems free, but it isn't. Coming up with a good post, taking a photo, writing the text, posting and replying quickly takes more time than you'd think. Add up your hours per week and multiply them by what an hour of your time is worth. That's your real price.

If you're good at it and enjoy it, doing it yourself is fine. If it often falls by the wayside, or you see no results, outsourcing is often cheaper than it looks. You're not just buying time, but also knowledge of what works on each channel.

What should you look for in a social media quote?

Compare quotes using these questions. You'll quickly see where the differences are:

• Which channels are included, and how many posts per month?
• Is content made specially for you, and who supplies the images?
• Are comments and messages answered, and how quickly?
• Is ad management included, and how big is the ad budget?
• How often do you get a report, and what's in it?
• What's the contract term and notice period?
• Do the accounts and the content created remain yours if you stop?

How to get more out of your budget

• Choose one or two channels where your customers really are, rather than a bit of everywhere.
• Supply material yourself. Photos of your work, your team or your customers are often stronger than stock images.
• Agree concrete goals, such as enquiries or visitors to your website. Not just likes.
• Ask for a short report every month and discuss it.
• Start without a long contract, so you can stop or adjust if it isn't working.
• Make sure your website is ready for visitors from social media. A slow or unclear site wastes your budget.

Outsourcing social media to Violexa

At Violexa, social media is part of online marketing, together with SEO and Google Ads. Online marketing starts from €599 excl. VAT (€725 incl. VAT) per month. There's no minimum term: you cancel monthly with one month's notice. You pay the ad budget separately to the platform, so you see exactly where your money goes.

We don't look at social media in isolation, but together with your website and your visibility on Google. That way every euro goes where it delivers the most.

Want to know what social media can do for your business, and what it costs? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your goals. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication. Entirely without obligation.

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