Who works on your account for the fee?

Key takeaways

A social media agency team structure usually includes an account lead, a strategist, content producers and a community manager, with ads specialists as needed. As indicative UK rates, senior time costs £100–£150 an hour, production £60–£90 and community work £40–£60. Ask who does your work each week.

• Senior strategy time costs about £100–£150 an hour.
• Production, such as design and copy, costs about £60–£90 an hour.
• Community management costs about £40–£60 an hour.
• Ask for the names and weekly hours of everyone on your account.

Which roles work on a social media account?

Most accounts are served by a small team. An account lead owns the relationship and results. A strategist sets the plan. Designers, copywriters and video editors produce content. A community manager handles replies. An ads specialist runs paid campaigns. In small agencies one person may hold several roles.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK
• Social media agency hourly rates in the UK

What does each role cost?

As indicative UK ranges, senior strategy and account lead time costs £100–£150 an hour, production such as design and copy £60–£90, and community management £40–£60. A typical retainer blends these, averaging around £75–£100 an hour. These are indicative figures, not a GBL price list.

• Account lead and strategist: £100–£150 an hour.
• Designer, copywriter, editor: £60–£90 an hour.
• Community manager: £40–£60 an hour.
• Blended retainer rate: around £75–£100 an hour.

Why does the mix matter?

The mix of roles decides what you get for the fee. A retainer heavy on senior hours buys thinking but fewer posts. One mostly made of junior hours buys volume but less strategy. Most small businesses need a little senior time and a steady amount of production and community work.

• How social media agencies set their prices

Which questions reveal real staffing?

Ask who will do the work each week, their roles, how many accounts each handles and how many hours a month go on yours. Ask who covers holidays. Vague answers such as "our team" often mean juniors with heavy workloads.

• Who does the work each week?
• How many accounts does each person handle?
• How many hours a month go on my account?
• Who covers holidays and absence?

• Boutique vs large social media agency: how prices differ

Does offshore delivery change the structure?

Offshore delivery often keeps a UK-facing account lead and moves production and community work to a team in another country. That can lower the blended rate while keeping a UK contact. Ask about time zone overlap and how quality is checked.

• Social media outsourcing for UK brands: why Sri Lanka offers stronger value

What does this look like in practice?

Global Bridge Labs (GBL) uses a UK-facing account lead with a Sri Lanka-based delivery team for design, copy, publishing and replies. A pattern we see is that clients value a single named contact who knows their business, backed by a team that covers holidays and busy months.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Team structure checklist

Ask for these before signing.

• Names and roles of everyone on your account.
• Hours a month for each role.
• Accounts handled per person.
• Holiday and absence cover.
• How quality is checked before publishing.

• What results to expect from each social media budget
• How much time does managing a social media agency take?

Next step

Tell us what you need each month. We will tell you who would work on your account and for how many hours.