What’s better: a full-time hire or a full team on speed dial?

The In-House Social Media Manager

Pros:

• They know your business inside and out
• They’re always available (in theory)
• You can loop them into everything from company culture to internal ops

Cons:

• Limited skill set (usually great at 1-2 things)
• Limited capacity (one person can only do so much)
• Salary, benefits, onboarding, and management time

The Social Media Agency

Pros:

• You get access to a team: strategists, designers, writers, and ad specialists
• Flexible capacity for campaigns, launches, and pivots
• No training required, and no vacation gaps
• Usually comes with proven systems and processes

Cons:

• Less embedded in your day-to-day
• Higher up-front cost if you’re only comparing to salary (not total cost)

What to Consider

• Your Goals: Are you just posting, or are you driving real outcomes like leads and conversions?
• Your Budget: Can you afford a full-time hire plus design, ads, and strategy help?
• Your Timeline: Need fast ramp-up or long-term cultural fit?

Our (Biased) Take

If your goal is growth, campaigns, and measurable performance, an agency makes more sense. We’re not your employee-we’re your secret weapon.

That said, we’ve also worked alongside in-house managers to supercharge their output. It doesn’t have to be either-or.