Who should run your company’s social media: an employee, a freelancer or an agency.

Sooner or later every company faces the question of who will handle its social media. There are three options: hire an in-house employee, find a freelancer or hand the work over to an agency. Each has its advantages, and a wrong choice usually costs not so much money as lost months.

We look at what social media work really involves, how the formats differ in terms of control and risk, and how to understand which one suits your business.

What social media marketing really consists of

Many owners imagine this work as regular posting: make a nice post, publish it, reply to a couple of comments. In reality, posts are only the visible part. For social media to bring clients, you need a strategy, an understanding of the audience, advertising, analytics and constant contact with the sales team. Before looking for a contractor, list honestly what you need. The scope usually includes:

• strategy and positioning on each platform;
• social media content: texts, photos, video and design;
• account management: posting, replying to comments and messages;
• targeted advertising with mandatory ad labelling;
• reports and counting the enquiries that came from social media.

One person rarely handles all of these equally well. Some are stronger in copy, others in advertising or filming. Platforms also require different approaches: promotion on VK is built around a community and an ad account, while promotion on Telegram revolves around a channel, paid placements and consistency. The choice of format largely depends on which tasks matter most to you.

An in-house SMM specialist

An in-house employee is immersed in the life of the company: they hear what the sales managers talk about, see new products before launch and can film a process in the warehouse or office at any moment. Such content feels alive, and the reaction to events is fast.

This option suits businesses where social media is one of the main sales channels and where a lot happens every day: restaurants, shops, studios, manufacturers with open processes. For companies where news happens once a month, a full-time position is usually excessive.

Strengths and hidden costs

The main advantage is focus on a single company. The employee does not split attention between a dozen clients, knows the product in detail and speaks in the brand’s voice. Knowledge stays inside too: the archive of posts and the understanding of what works for your audience belong to you and do not disappear when a contractor changes.

But the cost of an employee is more than a salary: add taxes, a workplace, equipment, paid services and training, plus the ad budget and photo shoots. The main risk is the lack of professional oversight. If the company has no marketer, nobody can evaluate the work: the manager sees regular posts and relaxes, while enquiries do not grow. When the employee leaves, the work stops until a replacement is hired, and finding a strong candidate in Moscow is neither easy nor quick.

A freelancer: flexibility and dependence on one person

A freelancer is usually cheaper than an employee and does not need to be put on the payroll. You can hire one for a specific scope, for example only running a Telegram channel or only advertising if you already have a targeting specialist. For a small business with a limited budget, this is often a sensible start.

The downside is dependence on one person. Illness, a holiday or a big new client - and your social media freezes for a week. A freelancer runs several projects at once, so the depth of immersion in your business is limited and response times grow longer.

How to check a contractor before you start

Ask to see the projects the person is running now, not just a polished portfolio. Look at how those communities live: are comments answered, do followers react, were they inflated with bots? Ask who will do design and advertising, and whether the contractor knows the ad labelling rules - more about them in our article on ad labelling in social media.

Make sure the communities and ad accounts are registered to the company, with the contractor given admin rights. This simple rule saves you from losing the page and its followers when you part ways.

An SMM agency: a team and processes

An agency takes over the whole cycle: strategy, content production, advertising and analytics. Several people with different skills work on the project, and a manager is responsible for results and deadlines. One person’s holiday does not affect the client. Besides the division of roles, the team brings experience from other projects: it knows which formats work in similar niches and how platform rules change.

This format is usually more expensive than a freelancer but comparable to an employee once all the related costs are added up. It makes sense when social media must bring measurable enquiries and needs to work together with other channels: the website, SEO and paid search. For example, if the website is being optimised for search at the same time, post topics are aligned with its sections, and one piece of work strengthens the other.

Full-service account management: how to control a contractor

Control starts with setting the task. The more precise the brief, the fewer misunderstandings: we explained how to write one in our article on briefing a marketing agency. After that you need an agreed monthly content plan, a monthly report and regular review meetings.

Judge not reach and reactions but progress towards business goals: the number of enquiries, cost per lead and the share of sales from social media. We explain how to turn these figures into money in our article on how many enquiries SMM brings.

How to choose a format

There is no universal answer, but comparing the key parameters helps rule out clearly unsuitable options:

After that, the decision becomes easier if you answer a few questions in order:

1. What role social media plays in sales: a main channel or reputation support.
2. Whether someone in the company can set tasks and evaluate results.
3. How many reasons to post appear each week.
4. Whether you need advertising and a link with other channels.
5. What monthly budget you are ready to allocate, including production and ads.

Often the best result comes from a combination: the agency handles strategy, advertising and analytics, while an in-house social media specialist provides live footage. Want to discuss which option suits you? See how we approach social media promotion and come to us with your task - we will help estimate the scope and budget.