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Social Media Agencies vs. In-House Employees

No matter how hard you work, as a business owner, you very well understand that you can’t build your entire business all by yourself. You may find it expensive to hire people, especially for handling responsibilities such as social media marketing. But you always have the option to outsource your requirements.

Hiring an in-house social media expert would mean putting in efforts to find one, train one (if need be), provide office space and equipment, and pay salary. All this can be avoided if you outsource your requirements to a social media agency. The agency will already have trained experts on its payroll who can handle all your social media marketing tasks efficiently. 

Nevertheless, before you make any decision on this, it is important that you understand the pros and cons of all the options that you have.

Hiring an In-House Social Media Expert

An in-house social media expert would be an asset to your team that can prove immensely beneficial to your company. Nevertheless, like any other option, this has its own set of pros and cons.

Pros:

  • Being a part of your company, they will be involved in your activities and mindful of overhead control.
  • He will carry out his responsibilities with utmost dedication and accountability.
  • With him always around at your office, communication becomes faster and easier.

Cons:

  • The cost of hiring an in-house social media expert will always be higher when compared to outsourcing. Not only will you have to pay for his salary and benefits, but you will also have to provide the required space, furniture, and equipment for discharging his duties.

Bringing On a Social Media Agency

If you can’t afford to hire an in-house social media expert or don’t find one to your liking, your next option is to outsource your social media marketing activities to a social media agency. Thankfully you can find many social media marketing agencies in NYC or another city known to host successful digital marketing agencies competent enough to handle your project. However, before hiring one, it is better to understand the pros and cons of choosing this option.

Pros:

  • Most agencies are pools of talent with all the resources needed to execute social media marketing campaigns of any volume.
  • They come with a high level of expertise that guarantees successful results.
  • Without putting in any time or effort, you get yourself an entire team dedicated to carrying out your social media marketing project.
  • You save time concerning hiring, training, and on-boarding in-house employees. 
  • It is a much more affordable option when compared to hiring an in-house social media expert as you don’t have to provide office space, furniture, equipment, salary, or benefits. They charge a fixed amount of money that you need to pay every month. And you get to pay only for the services that you actually use.

Cons:

  • The agency being an external entity, will not be directly under your control. You may face problems with communication, and things may not be exactly as per your expectations. 

A Third Option: A Freelancer

Outsourcing to a social media agency can work out cheaper than hiring an in-house social media expert. However, many agencies charge high fees for the services they provide. A more affordable option would be to outsource your requirements to a freelance social media expert

Pros:

  • Freelancers don’t have to be paid salaries or benefits. The fees they charge would be much lesser than what the agencies charge. You won’t have to provide them any tools either.
  • Their working hours are very flexible, and most would be willing to adjust to your timings.

Cons:

  • Freelancers usually work from their own places, which means you will have no direct control over them. They may not be available whenever you need their support since they will be working for many clients like you. As such, they may not be as reliable as an in-house social media expert that you may hire. 

How to Decide Which is Right for You

Whether you want to hire an in-house social media expert or outsource your social media marketing activities to a social media agency or a freelancer, your decision will depend on your requirements and goals. Create a budget and find out which of these options fit into it. Whatever option you choose, make sure you do proper research before hiring the right candidate or agency.