# Should You Outsource Social Media Marketing for Your Small Business? | Capterra > Should You Outsource Social Media Marketing for Your Small Business? | Capterra Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/outsourcing-social-media-marketing --- Social Media MarketingMarketing # Should You Outsource Social Media Marketing for Your Small Business? By Stephan Miller Stephan Miller Stephan Miller is a writer and software developer specializing in software and programming topics. He has written two published books and is a frequent contr... [See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/smiller/) Published November 24, 2022 7 min read Table of Contents - [What is a social media agency?](#what-is-a-social-media-agency) - [4 benefits of outsourcing social media marketing](#4-benefits-of-outsourcing-social-media-marketing) - [6 questions to answer before outsourcing social media](#6-questions-to-answer-before-outsourcing-social-media) ## Social media marketing is a great way to advertise, but it takes time and work. Social media isn't something a small business or startup can ignore or view halfheartedly in 2022; it's where a large audience of potential customers/clients are waiting. But there are challenges that come with [social media marketing](https://www.capterra.com/social-media-marketing-software/). Creating a strategy, training or onboarding team members, and managing multiple social media profiles takes time and effort. It isn't a part-time job; it takes skill and experience if you want your marketing efforts to be effective. Many businesses have found that outsourcing social media marketing can tackle such challenges head-on. If you're a small-business owner wondering whether outsourcing social media marketing is something you should explore, we're here to help you decide. ## What is a social media agency? A social media agency or social media marketing agency is a company that specializes in developing and running social media marketing strategies and campaigns for its clients. Some traditional marketing and [advertising agencies](https://www.capterra.com/resources/what-is-an-advertising-agency/) may also offer social media marketing along with their television, radio, and print marketing services. The work a social media agency carries out for its clients can be sorted into three broad categories: - **Strategy:** An agency works with its clients to create social media marketing strategies that mesh with their business goals and overall marketing strategy. - **Content:** An agency will also create content for their client's social media accounts, including articles, posts, videos, images, infographics, and more, tailored to each social media platform. They will also interact with followers and moderate comments and messages. - **ROI and metrics:** A social media agency will track all social media campaigns they handle and use the metrics they gather to determine ROI and improve marketing efforts for their client. ## 4 benefits of outsourcing social media marketing Now that you understand the work a social media marketing agency can do for your business, it's time to look at the benefits. Here are some of the most common benefits of outsourcing social media marketing. ### 1\. Instant expertise and better scalability When a small business does social media marketing part-time or assigns it to inexperienced staff, they are leaving their results to chance. Social media agencies are staffed with experts who have extensive experience managing [social media campaigns](https://www.capterra.com/resources/successful-social-media-campaign/). They can start strong and achieve quicker results than you would by doing it yourself. A social media expert can help you find opportunities within your social presence, create content that will generate more leads and help with customer retention, and use analytics to improve ROI. ### 2\. Access to premium marketing tools If you own a small business, many of the [digital marketing](https://www.capterra.com/resources/digital-marketing-channels-explained/) tools that social media marketers and large enterprises use to promote their content will be out of your budget or will take significant time to learn how to use. When you hire a social media agency, you level the playing field and gain access to such [advanced tools](https://www.capterra.com/marketing-planning-software/). ### 3\. Gain insights into your social presence When you work with a social media marketing agency, you no longer have to guess how well your campaigns are doing since that agency provides [social media analytics](https://www.capterra.com/resources/social-media-analytics-tools-to-grow-business/). An agency will track the results of social media campaigns and use this data to: - Determine where your [best leads](https://www.capterra.com/resources/lead-generation-strategy/) are coming from - Find which social platforms work best for your business - Discover new opportunities to target your audience ### 4\. Increase your social media response time Social media marketing is a two-way street. Customers will ask questions, voice concerns, and comment on your posts. Moderating and interacting with your followers is important, but can take a lot of time. An agency will handle these interactions and ensure that your customers don't feel ignored. ## 6 questions to answer before outsourcing social media Don't start looking for an agency just yet. Before you do, you need to determine whether outsourcing social media will work for your business, specifically. The many benefits of hiring a social media agency don't mean it's right for everyone. Ask yourself the following questions before hiring an agency. ### 1\. Do you have time to devote to social media marketing? Saving time is a common reason that businesses choose to outsource tasks. Handling social media takes more than just putting posts on a schedule. For it to be effective, you have to track brand mentions, monitor active conversations, respond to questions, and more. It's a full-time job, and if you don't quite have the time for it, outsourcing is a great option. Be sure to consider that while outsourcing social media will save you time in the long run, working with an agency will still take some of your team's time. Social media marketers aren't mind readers. There will be frequent meetings with your agency to determine your goals, set up KPIs, plan campaigns, pitch new content, and strategize. Make sure your team has the capacity to start this process when you're ready to hire an agency. ### 2\. Do you need to update your social media presence? If your business already has a social media presence that has been handled in-house, is it working? If it's not working or you can't really answer this question, you might need some help. Social media marketing agencies know what type of content gets results, both from their own experience and ongoing research into new [marketing techniques](https://capterra.com/resources/brand-marketing/). ### 3\. What kind of content will you publish? Social media marketing is about providing relevant content that your followers will interact with and share. Before you contact an agency, document the social media content you already have. An agency will use this content as a starting point when creating new content. There are many social media platforms to consider, as well. Will you share posts from a blog on [Twitter](https://www.capterra.com/p/214056/Twitter/) and [Facebook](https://www.capterra.com/p/247876/Facebook-Creator-Studio/)? Publish images of your products on [Instagram](https://www.capterra.com/p/210721/Instagram/)? Or create videos to share on [YouTube](https://www.capterra.com/p/237905/YouTube/) or [TikTok](https://www.capterra.com/p/237591/TikTok/)? Answers to these questions will help you find the right agency and set your budget. ### 4\. Is your social media strategy documented? There are different levels of outsourcing your social media marketing. If your business already has an effective social media presence and workflow, you may only need better tracking and analytics or fresh ideas and new content. If you have yet to build a social presence, you need an agency that will help you create your accounts from scratch and manage them going forward. Documenting your social media accounts and processes ahead of time makes you better prepared to narrow down your agency choices and vet potential candidates. ### 5\. What are your social media marketing goals? Every effective social media marketing campaign starts with a goal. This helps determine the KPIs that will be used to measure ROI. Are you trying to increase [brand awareness](https://www.capterra.com/resources/expand-brand-awareness/)? Improve [customer service](https://www.capterra.com/customer-service-software/) and support? Generate more leads or sales? Social media marketing can do any or all of these things for your business, but you need to know what you want before you look for an agency. ### 6\. Are your brand voice and values defined? A business' social media presence extends its brand and values. If these aren't well-defined, it will be hard for an external social media marketing agency to create content that effectively targets potential customers. Social media marketing agencies can work with businesses in any industry, but they need a starting point. Before you contact an agency, define your brand voice and—if you can—create a style guide so they know how to interact with your audience. ## Capterra's 2026 Software Buying Trends Report ### Download our 2026 Software Buying Trends Report to see how successful software adopters avoid disappointment and how your business can, too. * * * ### Was this article helpful? * * * ## About the Author [### Stephan Miller](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/smiller/) Stephan Miller is a writer and software developer specializing in software and programming topics. He has written two published books and is a frequent contributor to Capterra. ### RELATED READING - [Marketing ROI: Prioritizing Your Next Sales and Marketing CRM Investment](https://www.capterra.com/resources/marketing-roi-strategies/) - [How Integrating Email Automation With CRM Systems Boosts Customer Engagement](https://www.capterra.com/resources/integrating-email-automation-with-crm-systems/) - [How to Develop an Omnichannel Marketing Strategy for Customer Engagement](https://www.capterra.com/resources/crm-omnichannel-marketing-strategy/) - [CRM cloud vs. on-premise: Which is better for your business?](https://www.capterra.com/resources/crm-cloud-vs-on-premise/) - [CRM Data Management Explained: From Clean Data to Customer Insights](https://www.capterra.com/resources/crm-data-management/) - [Capterra Sales and Marketing Trends 2026: CRM and AI Adoption Requires Strategic Implementation and Integration](https://www.capterra.com/resources/sales-and-marketing-software-trends/) - [Email Marketing Trends: What SMBs Need To Know To Boost Campaign Performance](https://www.capterra.com/resources/email-marketing-trends/) - [Exploring Different Types of Video Content and Their Benefits](https://www.capterra.com/resources/types-of-video-content/) - [What Are the 8 Types of Digital Marketing?](https://www.capterra.com/resources/types-of-digital-marketing/)