Should I Hire a Social Media Manager or Do It Myself?
How to Know When It’s Time to Invest in Your Business’s Social Media
As a social media strategist, one of the questions I’m asked most often is:
“Should I hire someone to manage my social media, or should I just do it myself?”
My answer usually surprises people.
It depends.
In fact, I don’t believe every business should hire a social media professional. For some businesses, managing social media in-house is absolutely the right decision. For others, bringing in a strategist can save time, improve results, and allow the business owner to focus on what they do best.
So how do you know which approach is right for you?
When Managing Social Media Yourself Makes Sense
If you’re just getting your business off the ground, I actually encourage you to manage your own social media.
Why?
Because no one knows your business better than you.
You’re the one talking with customers every day. You know the questions they ask, the problems they face, and the passion behind why you started your business in the first place. That authenticity is difficult to outsource.
Managing your own social media also makes sense if:
You’re working with a limited marketing budget.
You enjoy creating content.
You have a few hours each week to dedicate to it.
You’re still learning what resonates with your audience.
For many small businesses, this is the perfect place to start.
The Challenge Isn’t Posting—It’s Everything Else
Where many business owners struggle isn’t creativity. It’s consistency.
Creating one post is easy.
Creating meaningful content every week while responding to comments, answering messages, monitoring reviews, tracking performance, and staying current with platform updates is another story entirely.
Over time, social media becomes one more responsibility competing for your attention.
The question becomes less about whether you can do it and more about whether it’s the best use of your time.
Every hour spent creating content is an hour you’re not serving customers, meeting with clients, or growing your business.
What Does a Social Media Strategist Actually Do?
Many people think hiring a social media professional simply means someone else publishes posts.
In reality, the content is only one piece of the puzzle.
A social media strategist helps answer bigger questions:
Who are your ideal customers?
Which platforms deserve your attention?
What type of content supports your business goals?
How should success be measured?
Where should you invest your marketing budget?
Content without strategy often becomes noise.
Strategy ensures every post has a purpose.
One of the best examples from my own career came while developing social media strategies for Lennox International. We weren’t creating content for one audience—we were creating different strategies for homeowners, HVAC dealers, and corporate stakeholders. Each audience needed different messaging because each had different goals and expectations. It reinforced something I still believe today: successful social media starts with understanding your audience, not simply posting more often.
It’s More Than Just Content
Social media doesn’t end when you publish a post.
Customers leave reviews.
They send direct messages.
They ask questions.
Sometimes they have complaints.
How you respond matters.
While managing online reputation for Visionworks of America, I helped oversee customer interactions across more than 650 retail locations. One lesson became very clear: every public response is an opportunity to build trust—not only with the customer you’re responding to, but with every future customer who reads that interaction.
That’s why community management and reputation management are just as important as creating content.
Signs It May Be Time to Hire Help
You don’t need to be a large company before bringing in professional support.
Consider hiring a social media strategist if:
Your posting has become inconsistent.
You’re constantly wondering what to post.
Customer comments and messages are going unanswered.
You’re spending more time marketing than running your business.
You’re investing in paid advertising without a clear strategy.
Your business is growing faster than your marketing can keep up.
Hiring someone isn’t about giving up control.
It’s about allowing your marketing to become more intentional while giving you time to focus on your customers and your business.
So… Should You Hire a Social Media Manager or Do It Yourself?
There’s no single right answer.
If you’re just starting out, have the time, and enjoy creating content, managing your own social media can be a great way to build authentic relationships with your audience.
But if social media has become another task on an already full schedule—or if you’re posting simply because you feel like you should—it may be time to take a more strategic approach.
After more than 15 years working in social media strategy, community management, reputation management, content marketing, and paid social advertising, I’ve found that the businesses seeing the strongest long-term results aren’t necessarily the ones posting the most.
They’re the ones with a clear strategy.
They understand their audience.
They create content with purpose.
And they consistently measure and improve their results.
Whether you manage your social media yourself or partner with a strategist, that’s what ultimately drives success.
Need an objective opinion?
If you’re unsure whether it’s the right time to bring in a social media strategist, I’d be happy to have a conversation. Sometimes the best advice is to keep doing it yourself. Other times, a few strategic changes can make your marketing more effective while giving you back valuable time to focus on growing your business.
