The Four Types of Social Media Managers

Are you a business owner looking to outsource social media management for your brand? If you’re reading this blog article, the answer is probably yes. At this point, you know you want to start building a social media presence, but you might not be sure how much to spend or which services are the most important. We get it – thousands of social media managers are out there, and they all structure their service offerings a little differently. This article will review the four types of social media managers and which is best for your business.

Types of Social Media Managers: Agency vs. Specialist vs. Budget vs. Freelancer

Social media managers fall into four different buckets:

1. Traditional, full-service agencies
2. Social media specialists
3. Budget-friendly social media “shops” 
4. Independent freelancers or contractors. 

Prices for these providers can range from thousands of dollars per month for a traditional agency to $5 to $10 per hour for outsourced freelancer labor. Additionally, each of these providers might offer various types of services, each in a different area of social media marketing. Let’s go through each of these options to help you decide which is the best fit for you.

1) Traditional, Full-Service Agencies ($$$$)

Price: Starts at around $1,000 to $2,000 per month.

Contract Terms: Typically require multi-month or annual retainers. 

Service Offerings: In addition to social media management, full-service digital marketing agencies often offer website design, SEO, paid social advertising, and PPC services.

Best Fit: Medium or large businesses with robust marketing budgets. 

Full-service agencies can be an excellent fit for established businesses with large marketing budgets. These firms not only offer social media management services, but they tend to also offer many other marketing services, from paid advertising and website design to brand development and SEO. Working with one of these firms isn’t cheap – they often charge thousands of dollars each month and require multi-month or annual contracts. If your business is looking for a team to help you achieve various marketing goals, consider hiring a traditional marketing agency. On the other hand, hiring a full-service firm is likely unnecessary if you are looking for only one or two specific digital marketing services. 

2) Social Media Specialists ($$ to $$$)

Price: Ranges from $100 to $1000 per month. 

Contract Terms: Some require contracts; some don’t require contracts. Depends on the provider.

Service Offerings: These teams focus exclusively on social media marketing. They can specialize in paid social media ads, organic content creation, and/or social media engagement. 

Best Fit: Businesses of any size who need assistance with only social media. These businesses usually have other team members/contractors helping with websites, SEO, branding, etc. These businesses don’t want to outsource social media management to just anyone; they want to work with a partner who knows and understands their brand.

Social media specialists are perfect for established businesses that want a niche professional marketing partner who will work to understand their brand but won’t charge an arm and a leg. Two Step Social falls under this category; our pricing ranges from only $99 to $499 per month, and we don’t require contracts. Your business is likely a good “fit” for a social media specialist if you want to work with someone on a long-term basis who will get to know your brand. Unlike full-service agencies, social media specialists usually offer only one or two services – but those services are their bread and butter. 

3) Budget-friendly Social Media Shops ($ to $$)

Price: Ranges from about $50 to a few hundred dollars per month.

Contract Terms: Rarely requires contracts, usually month to month. 

Service Offerings: These shops usually offer a handful of social media services but don’t typically offer website development, SEO, or branding service. 

Best Fit: Small businesses with limited marketing budgets who want a consistent presence. These businesses are willing to pay a little less for a lower-quality service. The content generated by these firms isn’t great or terrible – it’s usually just “okay.”

If your small business is looking for one of the most cost-effective but reliable options, then a budget-friendly social media “shop” is probably the best fit for you. Like social media specialists, these shops also offer monthly plans. However, unlike a social media specialist, they likely won’t work to understand your brand fully. You probably will not be assigned an account manager, or if you are given an account manager, the actual work is performed by overseas contractors. However, you must be prepared to receive sub-optimal social media content not fully customized to your brand. That’s not to say this isn’t a great option for some businesses – it certainly can be a good fit for those who just want a consistent social media presence but aren’t too concerned about custom branding, brand voice, etc. 

4) Independent Freelancers or Contractors ($)

Price: Ranges from $5 to $100 per hour. 

Contract Terms: Freelancers usually offer their services on an hourly or (loosely) monthly basis. Rarely do freelancers require contracts.

Service Offerings: Small, independent freelancers can usually customize their service to fit your needs. 

Best Fit: Small businesses or “solopreneurs” who aren’t looking to hire an established company for their social media needs. Instead, they want to work with an individual who can customize their services to the business’s specific needs. However, because you aren’t working with an established business with quality controls, it’s not uncommon to encounter unprofessional behavior. 

Last but not least, independent freelancers are the most cost-effective option when it comes to social media management. Generally, you get what you pay for. We have had countless conversations with business owners who initially used independent freelancers but had a bad experience. On the other hand, we have had many discussions with brands who found a great freelancer who managed their social media accounts. However, the freelancer moved on from the role into a full-time job, stopped offering the service, or just had a life change. Freelancers can be an excellent fit for small business owners or solopreneurs looking to save, but don’t be surprised if you encounter unprofessionalism or unreliability. 

Main Takeaways

If you have read this far, it probably means you are pretty serious about hiring a social media management partner. We have had thousands of conversations with business owners like you who are weighing their options. Get in touch with our team today to discuss which options are suitable for you. If we think you would be a better fit for a different “type” of social media manager, we won’t be afraid to tell you. We work only with brands that we believe will benefit from our service. After all, your success is our success.