Handing your social media to someone else is handing them your public voice. Done well, it frees your time and grows the brand. Done badly, it costs months and some of the trust you have built. The difference is mostly decided before anyone starts work.
First, decide what you actually need
People often hire "a social media manager" when they need something narrower or broader. Write down which of these jobs you want covered:
- Strategy: deciding what to say, to whom, and what you want it to achieve.
- Creation: writing, design, photo and video editing.
- Publishing and community: posting on schedule, replying, handling messages.
- Paid promotion: running ads and judging what they return.
- Reporting: showing what worked in terms the business understands.
Few individuals are strong at all five. That is the real question behind the choice between a freelancer, an employee and an agency.
Freelancer, employee or agency?
- A freelancer is flexible and often affordable, and works well when you know what you want done. The risk is that one person is the whole system: if they are ill, busy or leave, everything stops.
- An employee knows your business deeply and is always available. It is also the most expensive route, and one person still rarely covers strategy, creative and paid media equally well.
- An agency or specialist team brings several skills together and can cover absences. You give up some closeness, and you need to be sure who will actually do your work.
There is no universally right answer. A reasonable rule: if you mainly need execution and you already know the strategy, a freelancer fits. If you need the strategy and results owned by someone accountable, look at a team. If you want to understand how we approach the second case, see how we work.
What to ask before you commit
- Who exactly will do my work, and are they employees or subcontractors?
- What do you need from me each week, and what happens if I am slow?
- How do you report, and what number sits at the top? A good answer is a business outcome, not followers.
- Can I see an example report with client details removed?
- Whose name are the accounts and the ad accounts in, and who holds the logins?
- What happens to everything if we part ways?
Run a fair trial first
Before a long commitment, pay for something small and finite: an audit of your accounts, or a single month with a clear brief. You get a written result you can keep, and you both learn how it feels to work together. Compare what you receive against what a retainer should include before agreeing to anything longer.
Protect your accounts from day one
- Keep the accounts, the ad accounts and the email addresses behind them in your own name.
- Add the person as a collaborator or admin with the access they need, and no more.
- Use a password manager and two-step verification, and never share a password in a message.
- Keep a simple written list of every account and who can access it.
What the first month should look like
A good first month starts with listening and looking: a review of what exists, an agreed goal, and a first plan you can read. Posting daily from week one is not the sign of a good start. Auditing your own accounts first gives you the facts to judge that plan against.
How you will know it is working
Agree the headline measure in advance: enquiries, sales, bookings or sign-ups traced back to social, with tracked links so the counting is honest (how to name them). Then ask for a short written review each month saying what moved, why, and what changes next. If you would like a team to take the whole job on, see our social media management.