Could Outsourcing Your Social Media Save Your Business £22,000 A Year?

And that is before you factor in employer costs, pension contributions, holiday pay, training, equipment, management time and the joy of another person asking where the Canva login is.

For many small businesses, hiring an in-house social media manager sounds lovely.

But the cost can be a lot higher than expected.

Outsourcing can give you regular content, planning, posting, response management and consistency without the commitment of a full-time salary.

And for a lot of local businesses, that makes far more sense.

The simple maths

Let’s keep this simple.

If you hire an in-house social media manager at £26,000 per year, that is a fixed annual salary cost before anything else is added.

Kangaroo Connections’ main social media management package is £350 per month.

That works out at:

That means the difference between a £26,000 salary and a £4,200 outsourced package is:

So yes, you could save around £22,000 per year by outsourcing your social media instead of hiring in-house.

That is not small change.

And the real saving could be higher, because £26,000 is a fairly conservative figure. The National Careers Service lists social media manager salaries from £25,000 at starter level to £50,000 for experienced roles.

Salary is not the only cost

A salary is rarely the full cost of employing someone.

When you hire in-house, you may also need to consider employer costs, pension contributions, holiday cover, training, equipment, software, and management time.

That does not mean hiring is wrong.

For some businesses, an in-house role makes perfect sense.

But for many small businesses, especially local service-based businesses, cafés, trades, hospitality venues, property businesses, health businesses and independent retailers, a full-time marketing hire may be too much too soon.

You might not need a full-time social media manager.

You might just need your social media handled properly and consistently.

Big difference.

What are you really paying for?

A lot of business owners look at social media management and think they are paying for “a few posts”.

That is where the value gets misunderstood.

When you outsource properly, you are not just paying for posts.

You are paying for your business not to disappear online every time things get hectic.

You are also paying for headspace.

And honestly, that bit is underrated.

Because most business owners do not need another task sitting on their list making them feel guilty.

They need someone reliable to keep it moving.

If you want to see what proper support includes, have a look at our social media management services.

Why in-house is not always the best first step

Hiring someone in-house can sound like the obvious answer when your social media is being neglected.

But before jumping straight to recruitment, it is worth asking:

• Do we have enough work for a full-time social media role?
• Do we have time to manage and train that person?
• Do we know what we want them to do every week?
• Do we have a clear content plan?
• Do we need strategy, creation, posting and management, or just more consistency?
• Can the business afford the salary every month?

For a larger business, the answer may be yes.

For a smaller business, outsourcing can often be the more sensible middle ground.

You get support.

You get consistency.

You get someone who knows what they are doing.

But you do not take on the cost and responsibility of employing someone full-time.

Outsourcing gives you flexibility

One of the biggest benefits of outsourcing is flexibility.

You can get regular support without building a whole marketing department.

You do not need to worry about recruitment, payroll, holiday cover, performance reviews or what happens if the person leaves.

You also get access to someone who is already used to creating content for different types of businesses.

That matters.

A good social media manager is not just there to post pretty pictures.

They should understand how to turn everyday business activity into content.

• Customer questions
• Reviews
• Behind-the-scenes updates
• Recent work
• Events
• Local involvement
• Common problems
• Useful advice
• Team moments
• Service reminders

That is the stuff that keeps your business visible and memorable.

The hidden cost of doing it yourself

There is another cost that often gets ignored.

Your time.

If you are the business owner, spending hours every week trying to think of posts, create graphics, write captions, schedule content and reply to messages is not free.

It may not show up as a line on your accounts, but it still costs the business.

Because while you are fiddling around with a post, you are not following up leads, speaking to customers, quoting work, delivering services or building relationships.

And let’s be honest, a lot of business owners do not actually spend focused time on social media.

They think about it.

Avoid it.

Feel guilty about it.

Post something quickly.

Then repeat the whole cycle again next week.

That is not a strategy.

That is social media stress with a Wi-Fi connection.

What does outsourcing your social media usually include?

Every provider works differently, but proper social media management can include:

• Content planning
• Post writing
• Graphic creation
• Scheduling
• Platform management
• Response management
• Content ideas
• Strategy
• Performance reviews
• Google Business Profile updates
• Regular check-ins
• Brand voice support
• Turning your business activity into usable content

At Kangaroo Connections, the aim is simple.

You stay visible without having to think about it every week.

No panic posting.

No disappearing for months.

No random content just for the sake of it.

Just simple, consistent social media that actually gets done.

When is outsourcing better than hiring?

Outsourcing may be a better fit if your business needs consistency but is not ready for a full-time marketing hire.

It can work well if:

• You are too busy to post regularly.
• Your business is active, but your social media looks quiet.
• You want better content without employing someone.
• You need support across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Google Business Profile.
• You want your business to look active and professional online.
• You know visibility matters, but you do not have the time or headspace to manage it properly.
• You want a clear monthly cost.
• You want support without adding another employee to the business.

That last one is important.

Sometimes the right move is not making the team bigger.

Sometimes the right move is making the business easier to run.

When hiring in-house might make sense

To be fair, outsourcing is not always the answer.

An in-house social media manager might make sense if you have a large amount of daily content, a bigger marketing budget, multiple brands, regular campaigns, paid advertising activity, video production needs and enough work to keep someone busy full-time.

If you need someone embedded in the business every day, then hiring may be the right call.

But if what you really need is regular content, consistency, response support, planning and someone to take social media off your plate, outsourcing can be much more cost-effective.

If you are not sure which route is right, a free social media audit can help you see what is working, what is missing and what support may actually be useful.

What if you still want to do it yourself?

Outsourcing is not the only option.

Some business owners still want to manage their own social media, and that is fine.

But if you are going to do it yourself, it helps to have a plan, a structure and a clearer idea of what to post.

That is where social media training can be useful.

It gives you guidance without handing everything over.

Outsourcing is best when you want someone to take it off your plate.

Training is better when you still want to manage it yourself, but you need to stop winging it.

Both are better than pretending you will “sort it later” for the 47th time.

The real question

The question is not just:

“Can I afford to outsource my social media?”

The better question is:

“Can I afford to keep doing this badly myself?”

Because inconsistent social media has a cost too.

If people look you up and your page is quiet, it can create doubt.

If your competitors are showing up and you are not, they become easier to remember.

If you are relying on referrals but your online presence does not back up your reputation, you may be missing opportunities.

Visibility matters.

People buy from people they remember.

And your business should not disappear online just because you got busy.

If you want to see what other local businesses have said about working with us, you can read our client testimonials.

How Kangaroo Connections helps

At Kangaroo Connections, we help local businesses across Sussex and Kent stay visible online through done-for-you social media management.

Our main package is £350 per month and includes content creation, posting, response management, strategy, consistency and ongoing support.

That works out at £4,200 per year.

Compared with hiring someone in-house at £26,000 per year, that is a potential saving of around £21,800.

More importantly, it means your social media actually gets done without you having to panic about it every week.

You run your business.

We’ll handle your socials.

Simple.