THE DEEP DIVE

Before I go too deep, I have to acknowledge something important: wanting to move your social media efforts in-house is valid. There are plenty of reasons why business owners consider this — control, consistency, proximity, and even the (false) assumption that it might be cheaper in the long run.

But knowing where to start is where most people get stuck.

Hiring your first “social media person” often leads to hiring a generalist — someone who will wear many hats and excel at them all. And while that might work temporarily, it’s rarely sustainable, especially as your business grows.

The real key? Get clear on the roles before you fill them.

And if we’re being honest, most small B2B and B2C businesses need fill two roles when starting out with elevated social media marketing:

• Someone to create and publish content consistently

• Someone to oversee strategy and performance

When you hire in-house, this often means hiring two separate people (or expecting one person to burn the candle at both ends…BIG YIKES! 😱).

So, what does each of these roles accomplish and how are they separate? Allow me to explain…

A social media manager…

makes sure your social presence actually shows up day after day. They’re the ones crafting captions, designing graphics (to an extent), scheduling posts, managing comments and DMs, and jumping on quick-turn trends. They are in the trenches every single day making sure your brand stays visible and active.

Think of them as your on-the-ground content team. They’re the ones writing your post about tomorrow’s event, resizing your latest graphic for Stories, responding to customers in your DMs, and publishing that Reel you approved five minutes ago. They bring the strategy to life with consistency and creativity, but they aren’t necessarily the ones creating the strategy from scratch.

A social media marketer…

takes a step back and looks at the big picture. They’re focused on where social fits into your overall business goals. They use data to inform decisions, identify patterns, and build strategic campaigns based on user behavior, market trends, and your brand’s objectives.

Instead of writing every caption, they’re asking:

Is this content moving the needle?

Are people converting?

Are we building the right audience? 

They’re designing the content calendar with intentionality, aligning it to launches, product releases, or sales goals. They may manage paid ads, interpret analytics, and steer the overall direction of your brand’s voice and positioning online.

In short: they make sure your social media isn’t just pretty — it’s profitable.

THE BIGGER PICTURE
Why this matters

This is the part of the conversation where I see so many business owners nodding along — because they’ve been there. They’ve hired a "social media person" expecting one thing, and ended up disappointed or confused when it didn’t all come together like magic. And it’s not their fault — no one ever taught them how multi-layered these roles actually are.

Here’s the thing: asking a Social Media Manager to build your entire marketing funnel is like asking your hairstylist to do your taxes. It’s not that they’re not talented — they just weren’t hired (or trained) to do that job.

If your social content looks good but isn’t getting traction, or if your engagement is decent but your leads are nonexistent, the missing piece might not be more posts. It might be a lack of strategy — the kind a Social Media Marketer brings to the table.

But I get it: hiring both a manager and a marketer full-time? That’s a lot — especially for small businesses.

That’s why working with an agency like Just Be Social makes sense. You don’t have to choose one or the other. We give you the full team — strategic direction and daily execution — without the cost or chaos of building it all in-house.

THE BREAKDOWN
How to know what you need (right now)

It’s easy to assume that one person can “just handle the social,” but knowing what kind of help you actually need can save you time, money, and a lot of frustration.

If you’re overwhelmed trying to post consistently and don’t have time to engage with your audience, you likely need a Social Media Manager — someone who can keep things running day to day.

If your content looks good but you’re not seeing growth, leads, or sales, that’s your cue to bring in a Social Media Marketer who can zoom out, analyze your results, and redirect the strategy to better align with your goals.

And if you’re growing fast, launching new offers, or stepping into a rebrand? You probably need both.

But, hiring even one of these roles full-time can cost anywhere from $45,000 to $75,000+ per year (and double that if you’re in a competitive market). Hiring both? That’s a six-figure commitment.

So, how does working with an agency (ours in particular) compare?

I’m glad you asked!

For starters, working with me and my team is a lot more affordable than moving in-house. If you’re a numbers person, here’s what that breaks down to when we compare it to our highest social media management package. 👇🏼

That’s where outsourcing becomes your best-kept secret.

Agencies like ours give you the full team experience — a strategist, a manager, and a creative — all under one flat rate. No payroll taxes, no HR drama, no scrambling when your in-house hire takes a vacation.

So, if you’re not ready to budget for an in-house team, take this as your sign to work with agency.

DIYing will only get you so far, and that’s not a knock on your skill level, that’s just the truth. You’ve got other areas of your business that need attention!

So let Just Be Social take care of this part for you.

SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS
What’s the latest…

• 🎥 Youtube is rolling out a new feature called “answer found in video” which will highlight the exact moment the video answers your specific question from your search.

• 📥 You can now DM on Threads

• 🤖 Your Instagram content is now popping up on Google’s AI search results.

• 🫠 Donald Trump claims he has a US buyer for TikTok

• TikTok & Facebook have both added copyright checks for certain content formats.

WHAT’S MADE ME LAUGH THIS WEEK

Too relatable 🥲