Giving social media to a staff member vs an agency

Key takeaways

Giving social media to a staff member vs an agency looks free but is not. Illustratively, a £35,000 salary costs about £23.20 per worked hour, so 5 hours a week is roughly £500 a month of paid time, before the cost of their main job slipping. An agency at £950–£2,500 costs more in cash but brings skills and consistency.

• Staff member: about £500 a month for 5 hours a week, illustrative.
• Agency: £950–£2,500 a month for most SMEs.
• Staff member: knows the business but has a day job.
• Agency: specialist skills, but needs your input.

What does adding social media to a job really cost?

When a receptionist, office manager or salesperson takes on social media, the business pays for those hours whether or not posts appear. On a £35,000 salary, the employer's cost is about £40,363 a year, or £23.20 per worked hour. Five hours a week is about 21.7 hours a month, roughly £500.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK
• Handing social media to the intern or junior

What are the hidden costs?

The main job slips when posting takes longer than planned. Social media gets dropped in busy weeks, so consistency breaks. Training, tools and design help add cost: training at £450–£1,200 and tools at £20–£80 a month. If the person leaves, the knowledge and sometimes the account access go with them.

• Paid time: about £500 a month at 5 hours a week.
• Training: £450–£1,200 once.
• Tools: £20–£80 a month.
• Lost output from their main job: not on any invoice.

• Social media training costs in the UK

When does a staff member work well?

When the person enjoys it, has protected time in their week, is trained and has a simple plan. Staff often capture the best behind-the-scenes content because they are there. Some businesses keep a staff member for photos and replies and use an agency for planning and design.

• Done-with-you social media: the cost of a hybrid model

When is an agency cheaper overall?

When the staff member's main job earns more than their social media does, when posting keeps stopping, or when results need skills such as ads or design that the person does not have. Then the agency's higher cash cost buys back time and consistency.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: social media is added to an office manager's job, posts stop every busy month and the account looks abandoned. Keeping them as the content collector while an agency plans and publishes usually restores consistency without a new hire.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Staff or agency checklist

• Count the hours social media really takes each week.
• Price them at the person's hourly cost.
• Ask what their main job loses.
• Keep account access in the business's name.
• Compare with an agency or hybrid quote.

• Separate agencies for paid and organic social: the cost
• In-house content creator vs agency: the cost compared

Next step

Ask the person to log their social media time for two weeks. Price it, then compare with outside help.