Most small business owners reach the same point: social media is clearly important, it is clearly not getting done properly, and the question becomes whether to keep squeezing it into evenings or hand it to someone else.
This guide answers that honestly — including when hiring is the wrong move — with real Ontario cost figures so you can make the call on numbers rather than guesswork.
Should I Hire a Social Media Manager?
You should hire a social media manager when social media genuinely drives customers to your business, but you can no longer post consistently or well enough on your own. If your posting has become sporadic, your content looks rushed, or the hours you spend on it would earn more elsewhere in the business, outsourcing usually pays for itself.
If none of those are true yet — you are posting consistently, results are reasonable, and you enjoy it — there is no rule that says you must hire someone.
What Does a Social Media Manager Do for a Small Business?
A social media manager is responsible for planning, producing, publishing, and measuring your social media presence. For a small business, that typically covers:
- Strategy: choosing the right platforms and deciding what to post and why
- Content creation: photos, short videos, graphics, and captions
- Scheduling and publishing: keeping a consistent posting calendar
- Community management: replying to comments and messages
- Reporting: tracking what is working and adjusting the plan
- Paid social (sometimes): running Facebook and Instagram ads, often billed separately
Ask exactly which of these are included before you hire anyone. “Social media management” means very different things to different providers, and the gap between a posting service and a full content-and-strategy service is large.
Signs You’re Ready to Hire Someone
- Your posting has gone quiet. Consistency is what drives results, and our guide on how often a business should post explains why sporadic posting underperforms.
- Your content looks rushed. Blurry phone photos and last-minute captions signal the opposite of the quality you deliver in person.
- Messages and comments go unanswered. Slow replies quietly lose customers who were ready to buy.
- You can’t tell what’s working. Without reporting, you are posting on instinct.
- Your time is worth more elsewhere. If a few hours a week of social media means fewer hours serving clients, that trade is costing you money.
When You Probably Shouldn’t Hire Yet
Hiring is not always the right answer. Hold off if your customers genuinely don’t find businesses like yours on social media, if you have no budget to sustain it for at least six months, or if your Google Business Profile and website are still unfinished. For many local service businesses, a strong foundation across social and search matters more than more posts.
Your Options: DIY, Freelancer, Employee, or Agency
| Option | Typical cost | Best for | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Your time | Very early businesses with no budget | Usually the first task dropped when you get busy |
| Freelancer | Roughly $25–$50 per hour in published pricing guides | One or two platforms, simple needs | Depends on one person; content creation often extra |
| In-house employee | About $23.89/hour average in Ontario (roughly $50,000/year full-time), plus employer costs | Larger businesses needing daily coverage | Highest fixed cost; one person’s skill set |
| Agency | Monthly retainer, scaled by platforms and content | Businesses wanting strategy, content, and reporting together | Less hands-on than a staff member in the building |
The Ontario salary figure comes from Indeed, which reports an average of $23.89 per hour for social media managers in Ontario, with a typical range of $17.60 to $34.53 per hour. On top of wages, an employer also pays CPP and EI contributions, vacation pay, software, and equipment — costs that never appear in a freelancer’s or agency’s quote.
For comparison, our own published social media management pricing for Windsor starts at roughly $500–$750 per month for two platforms and runs to $1,100–$1,600 per month for four or more.
Is Hiring a Social Media Manager Worth It?
It is worth it when the work actually gets done consistently and connects to business results — calls, bookings, enquiries, and sales — rather than likes alone. The real comparison is not the fee against zero. It is the fee against what inconsistent, low-quality posting is already costing you in missed customers, plus the value of the hours you get back.
It is not worth it if you hire on price alone and get generic, templated posts that could belong to any business. For local businesses, original photo and video content of your actual work is what separates useful social media from noise.
What to Look For When You Hire
- Original content, not just scheduling: ask who creates the photos and videos
- Local understanding: someone who knows how Windsor customers actually search and buy
- Clear reporting: monthly results tied to enquiries, not only follower counts
- A defined scope: platforms, number of posts, and response times in writing
- Reasonable terms: avoid long lock-in contracts before you’ve seen results
The same questions apply to any marketing provider — our guide on choosing a digital marketing agency in Windsor goes deeper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I hire a social media manager for my small business?
Hire one when social media brings you customers but you can no longer post consistently or well yourself. Sporadic posting, rushed content, unanswered messages, and hours better spent serving clients are the clearest signs. If you post consistently and see reasonable results, hiring is optional rather than necessary.
How much does it cost to hire a social media manager in Ontario?
An employed social media manager in Ontario earns about $23.89 per hour on average, according to Indeed, or roughly $50,000 a year full-time before employer costs. Freelancers and agencies charge monthly instead; Click N Cuts packages in Windsor start at roughly $500 to $750 per month.
What does a social media manager do for a small business?
A social media manager plans which platforms to use, creates photos, videos, and captions, schedules posts, replies to comments and messages, and reports on results. Some also run paid Facebook and Instagram ads. Always confirm which tasks are included, because providers define the role very differently.
Is it better to hire a freelancer or an agency?
A freelancer suits simple needs on one or two platforms and smaller budgets. An agency suits businesses wanting strategy, original content creation, and reporting handled together, without depending on one person. The deciding factors are scope, content quality, and whether reporting connects activity to real enquiries.
Is hiring a social media manager worth the money?
It is worth the money when posting becomes consistent and produces calls, bookings, or sales, and when it frees hours you can spend earning elsewhere. It is not worth it if the result is generic, templated content. Judge the investment over several months, not the first few weeks.
Let Click N Cuts Handle It For You
Most social media services schedule posts. We create them. Click N Cuts is a Windsor team that shoots original photography and video of your business, writes the posts, keeps the calendar consistent, and reports monthly on what it is producing for you — through our social media marketing service in Windsor.
Not sure whether you’re ready to hire anyone yet? Contact Click N Cuts for a free, honest assessment — including if we think you should keep doing it yourself for now.
Want to see our work first? Check out our Google Business Profile and see what our clients are saying.