Before you hire a social media manager, price the other option

What you buy when you hire a social media manager

A retainer is a number of posts a month on a set number of channels, plus the work around them: a calendar, the copy, the design, the replies and a report. When two quotes differ by a factor of four, that is usually what changed, not the quality. Ask every quote to say how many posts, which channels, who writes, who designs, who answers comments, and whether ads are included.

Where software is better, and where a social media manager is

Software wins on consistency and on what it costs you. It never misses a week, it publishes on six platforms at once, and it measures every post so next week is chosen, not guessed. A person wins on judgement in a crisis, on relationships and on anything that needs someone on site. Most small businesses pay a person for the first list and only now and then need the second.

• Posts, carousels, infographics, stories and AI reels, all in your own brand.
• For agencies, one workspace per client, each with its own approval queue.
• Review mode holds every post for your approval, or full autopilot publishes under rules you set once.
• Your brand rules are checked on every post before it goes out.

When hiring a social media manager still makes sense

If your marketing lives on one relationship-led channel, if your content is mostly filmed on site, or if you need someone to answer a customer in public within minutes and mean it, hire. Software will not do those. What it does is remove the reason most businesses hire in the first place: nobody has time to post.

See the month before you decide

The free content calendar plans a real month for your business from your website alone, with no signup. That plan is what most of a retainer pays for, and it takes about a minute to look at.