What does outsourcing social media cost?

Outsourcing social media completely to a Dutch agency usually costs between € 349 and € 899 per month, excluding VAT, depending on the number of platforms and the amount of content. On top of that comes a one-off onboarding fee of € 199. This article explains exactly what is in that price and when outsourcing is financially worthwhile.

Why businesses choose to outsource

Many business owners start with social media themselves, but after a while run into the same bottlenecks: too little time to post consistently, varying quality because different people make the content, or simply no insight into what works and what does not. Outsourcing solves that because a fixed team takes over the content calendar, the design and the publishing, while you keep final control through approving everything in advance.

What does outsourcing cost per package?

Below are the package prices of SocialMediaGroei.nl, excluding VAT and excluding advertising budget:

After the minimum term, all packages can be cancelled monthly with one month's notice. Advertising budget for Meta, Google, LinkedIn or TikTok is always paid directly to the platform, never through the agency, and advertising management itself is taken separately alongside your package.

What is included in full outsourcing?

With full outsourcing the agency in principle takes the whole process off your hands: content strategy, copywriting, design, publishing, basic community monitoring and reporting. The larger packages add active community monitoring, a fixed point of contact and a more extensive strategy call. Advertising management is a separate service with every package, which you take alongside it. See the full description on the page about outsourcing social media.

Important to know: you always remain the owner of your own accounts, all content is submitted to you for approval in advance, and you receive a transparent report every month in a client portal. That removes the most commonly heard worry about outsourcing, namely the feeling of losing control over how your own brand comes across.

What does doing it yourself cost?

By way of comparison: managing social media yourself comes without a monthly invoice, but it does cost an average of 4 to 10 hours a week, depending on the number of platforms and your ambition. Count your own hourly rate and the comparison often works out differently from how it looks at first sight. For an independent professional charging € 60 to € 80 an hour, 6 hours a week on social media is quickly more expensive than an outsourced Zichtbaar package. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce therefore advises entrepreneurs to look explicitly at the time the alternatives cost when estimating marketing costs, not only at the invoice.

Hidden costs to watch for

When comparing providers that offer social media outsourcing, it is wise to ask about:

• Extra costs per content item above the agreed number.
• Set-up or exit fees on top of the regular onboarding fee.
• Who manages the advertising costs and whether they run separately or through the agency.
• Whether strategy sessions and reporting are included, or invoiced separately.

A transparent provider makes these points clear in advance, so you are not faced with surprises.

How do you choose the right package?

For most starters and freelancers, the Zichtbaar package is enough to become consistently visible on up to 2 platforms. As soon as you want to use several platforms or generate concrete enquiries, Groei or Impact makes more sense, with more content volume, active monitoring and a basic lead generation strategy; advertising management and further lead tracking can be taken separately. Request a quote without obligation to discuss which size fits your situation.

What happens during the start-up phase?

When an outsourcing project starts, the agency usually begins with an intake conversation in which goals, audience and house style are discussed. On that basis a first content calendar is drawn up, which you see and approve before anything is published. That start-up phase, for which the one-off onboarding fee is charged, takes more time than the regular monthly work because profiles are optimised, existing content is assessed and the first strategy is set. Expect one to two weeks before the first scheduled content goes live.

Signs that outsourcing is the right choice for you

Not every business benefits equally from outsourcing. If you recognise several of the following signs, it is probably a good investment:

• Social media is structurally postponed because the day-to-day work is busy.
• There is no fixed content calendar and posts appear irregularly.
• You want to grow to several platforms, but lack the time or knowledge for it.
• You want to use advertising, but do not know where to start.
• Reporting and insight into results are completely missing at the moment.

Conclusion

Outsourcing social media costs on average between € 349 and € 899 per month, plus a one-off onboarding fee of € 199. For many business owners that weighs up against the time posting yourself takes, certainly when that time earns more elsewhere. What matters most is that you know in advance what is included, what the term is and that you remain the owner of your own accounts.