What does a social media manager cost?

A social media manager on the payroll quickly costs a Dutch SME between € 2,500 and € 4,000 gross per month, excluding employer's contributions, holiday pay and other benefits. A freelance social media manager usually charges € 30 to € 70 an hour. Outsourcing to an agency is often better value for smaller businesses and starts with packages from € 349 per month, excluding VAT.

Three ways to manage social media

In practice there are three ways businesses have their social media managed, each with a different cost picture:

1. A social media manager on the payroll. Full control and availability, but also the highest cost, including salary, employer's contributions, training and any tools.
2. A freelance social media manager. More flexible than an employee, but you depend on the availability of one person and on their illness or holidays.
3. An agency that offers social media management as a service. A team of specialists (strategist, copywriter, designer) for a fixed monthly amount, with continuity even during illness or leave.

The cost of a social media manager on the payroll

A full-time social media manager in the Netherlands usually earns between € 2,500 and € 4,000 gross per month, depending on experience and region. On top of that, count employer's contributions (around 20 to 30 per cent), holiday pay, any bonuses and the time you spend on recruitment and management. For most businesses with fewer than 3 platforms and a limited volume of content, a full-time role is not financially efficient, because the work simply does not fill 40 hours a week.

The cost of a freelance social media manager

A freelancer usually charges between € 30 and € 70 an hour, depending on experience and whether they also handle strategy, advertising and video editing. At 8 hours a week, for example, that comes to € 960 to € 2,240 per month, excluding VAT. The advantage is flexibility; the disadvantage is that continuity during illness, holidays or departure rests entirely on one person.

The cost of outsourcing to an agency

With an agency you pay a fixed monthly amount for a team instead of one individual, which guarantees continuity. The package prices of SocialMediaGroei.nl, excluding VAT and excluding advertising budget, are:

All packages have a minimum term of 3 months, after which they can be cancelled monthly with one month's notice. Advertising management, for example for Meta or Google Ads, is taken separately alongside your package.

What do you get at an agency that you do not get from one person?

At an agency, usually not one person works on your account but a team with different specialisms: a strategist for the content calendar, a copywriter for texts, a designer for visuals and, where needed, an advertising specialist. That means the quality does not depend on the availability or experience of one individual, and the work simply continues during holidays or illness. You can read more about that approach on the page about social media management.

When does your own social media manager make sense?

Having an employee becomes more sensible as the business grows and social media plays a central role in the marketing strategy, for example at e-commerce businesses with daily content on several channels, or organisations that need to react quickly to the news. For most SMEs with a smaller volume, however, outsourcing is more cost-effective, because you only pay for the capacity you actually need.

A worked example

Suppose your business wants to be active on 2 platforms with around 16 content items per month, plus separate advertising management. Putting a full-time employee on that quickly costs € 3,000 to € 4,500 per month including contributions, while the work probably does not take more than 15 to 20 hours a week. The Impact package (€ 899 per month) covers that content volume, and advertising management (from € 349 per month) is taken alongside it, for a fraction of the cost of an employee.

Hidden costs of your own employee

Besides gross salary, there are costs businesses often forget to include when hiring a social media manager: a laptop and licences for design and scheduling tools, the cost of training or courses to keep up with platform changes, and the time a manager spends on direction and review. With outsourcing to an agency those costs are already included in the monthly price, which makes the comparison fairer than putting the gross salary next to the package price alone.

A combination of internal and external

Some businesses choose a combination: an internal employee responsible for client contact and input, combined with an agency that handles the execution, the design and the planning. That works well when you do want someone in house as the point of contact towards clients or the team, but do not need the full capacity of a full-time social media manager. This approach combines the short lines of an internal employee with the scale and continuity of an agency.

Conclusion

For most small and medium-sized businesses, outsourcing to an agency is financially more attractive than a social media manager on the payroll, unless the content volume and the strategic role of social media are large enough for a full-time role to pay for itself. Not sure which approach suits your business? Have a look at the packages to compare the options.