At some point, a lot of businesses find themselves in the same position. Social media started as something someone on the team could handle between everything else, but now it's become a much bigger job than anyone anticipated.
Maybe your office manager has somehow become your Instagram manager. Maybe you've hired someone who wears about twelve different hats, and marketing is just one of them. Or maybe you're at the point where you know you need help, but you're not sure whether to hire someone internally or outsource your social media management.
Both can be great options. But they're not necessarily the right fit for every business.
What does keeping your marketing in-house actually look like?
Having someone on your team manage your social media has some obvious advantages. They're immersed in the business, they know what's happening day to day, and they're usually the first to hear about new products, upcoming events, or changes worth sharing.
That kind of access is valuable, especially for businesses with a lot happening behind the scenes.
But there's also a difference between having someone who can post on social media and having someone who understands how to build a strategy, plan content, create videos, write captions, analyze performance, and keep everything moving.
It's a lot to expect from one person, particularly if marketing isn't their only responsibility.
And when things get busy, social media is often the first thing pushed to the bottom of the list.
What changes when you outsource social media management?
When you outsource your social media to a marketing studio or social media manager, you're bringing in someone whose job is to think about your marketing.
Not just what to post tomorrow, but what your business should be talking about, how to communicate it, and how social media fits into your bigger goals.
At House of Monday, that means developing a strategy, planning content, writing captions, creating graphics and videos, scheduling posts, and reviewing performance to see what's working.
It also means bringing an outside perspective, which is something I think businesses sometimes underestimate.
When you're surrounded by your own business every day, it's easy to overlook the things that make it interesting to someone else.
A real example: West Country Mills
One of the businesses we work with is West Country Mills, a family-owned flour mill near Bentley, Alberta.
The team knows flour. They know how their wheat is grown, how their stone-milling process works, and what makes their products different from the flour you'd typically find at a grocery store.
But knowing your product inside and out doesn't automatically mean you have the time to turn that knowledge into social media content.
That's where our partnership comes in.
During content creation sessions, we work with their team to capture the people, processes, and products behind the business. We take the knowledge they already have and turn it into educational Reels, product features, behind-the-scenes content, and posts that answer questions customers might not even know to ask.
We're not the flour experts, and we don't need to be. They bring that expertise. We bring the strategy, content planning, filming, editing, and execution.
It's a good example of why outsourcing doesn't have to mean handing your marketing to someone who doesn't understand your business. The right partnership should help communicate what makes your business worth paying attention to.
What about the cost of hiring in-house vs. outsourcing?
This is usually one of the biggest considerations.
Hiring an in-house marketing employee means budgeting for a salary, payroll costs, equipment, software, training, and potentially benefits. Depending on the role, you may also need to consider whether one person has the skills to cover everything you're expecting them to do.
Outsourcing typically means paying a monthly fee for an agreed-upon scope of services. You're not taking on another employee, and you can choose a level of support that makes sense for your business.
Of course, outsourcing isn't automatically cheaper. It depends on how much support you need, how often you're creating content, and what responsibilities you're handing over.
The better question is whether you're getting the expertise and capacity your business actually needs for the investment you're making.
Sometimes the best option is a little bit of both.
Something I think gets overlooked in this conversation is that you don't necessarily have to choose one or the other.
A business might already have someone internally who handles customer communications, promotions, or day-to-day marketing tasks, but needs outside support with social media strategy, content creation, and scheduling.
Or maybe your team is great at capturing what's happening around the business but doesn't have the time to turn that footage into finished content.
That's where a hybrid approach can work really well.
You keep the knowledge and day-to-day access within your team while outsourcing the parts that require more time, specialized skills, or creative direction.
So, which option is right for your business?
If your business has enough ongoing marketing work to support a dedicated employee, and you need someone involved in the day-to-day operations, hiring in-house might make the most sense.
But if social media keeps getting pushed aside, your team is stretched thin, or you're looking for more strategic and creative support without adding another employee, outsourcing could be worth exploring.
And if you've already got someone managing parts of your marketing, that doesn't mean you can't benefit from outside help.
At the end of the day, the goal isn't to build the biggest marketing team or outsource everything possible. It's to find a setup that gives your business the support it needs without making things more complicated than they have to be.
Looking for social media management in Red Deer or Central Alberta?
I'm Mia, the founder of House of Monday, a boutique marketing studio based in Innisfail, Alberta. We work with businesses throughout Red Deer, Olds, Calgary, and beyond, helping with social media management, content strategy, and content creation.
Whether you're looking to outsource your social media completely or need someone to support the marketing work your team is already doing, we'd love to chat.
Explore our social media management services and see what working together could look like.