How much does it cost to outsource social media marketing?

Social media has evolved far beyond a brand awareness tool; it’s now a powerful sales engine. In fact, the UK social commerce market alone is set to double, growing from £7.4 billion in 2024 to £15.7 billion by 2028 (Retail Economics). With 76% of consumers making purchases influenced by social media (Worldmetrics), platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook are now essential to customer journeys in both B2B and B2C sectors. 

But keeping pace with the demands of modern social media isn’t easy. Algorithms change constantly. Engagement expectations are higher than ever. Teams are stretched. Talent is hard to find, and even harder to keep. That’s why 74% of businesses now outsource some or all of their social media (ZipDo, 2024), a figure rising steadily as brands seek to scale faster, streamline operations, and embed business process efficiency into their marketing. 

Why are so many companies outsourcing social media? 

Outsourcing today is far more than a cost-saving tactic. It’s a strategic lever for scale, agility, and competitive advantage. Businesses of all sizes, from growing SMEs to global enterprises, turn to trusted partners to: 

• Launch campaigns faster with automated workflows. 
• Ensure brand consistency and compliance across markets and languages. 
• Drive efficiency with automated content scheduling and reporting. 
• Scale resources quickly for seasonal peaks or product launches. 
• Reduce fixed overheads (e.g., recruitment, onboarding, licences). 
• Maintain true 24/7 coverage across time zones. 

Because of the heavy process-driven nature of social media management, organisations are increasingly looking to providers of  business process management (BPM) solutions to help them achieve their social goals.

A recent Clutch report (2024) found that 68% of businesses outsource social media to improve speed to market and process efficiency, while many also highlight multilingual compliance as a critical driver. 

For larger organisations (£100M+ turnover), outsourcing allows internal teams to focus on creative strategy and campaign direction, while partners manage execution through scalable automation, multilingual content adaptation, and performance analytics. 

So, how much does it cost to outsource social media marketing? 

Let’s be clear, costs vary significantly depending on your needs, your sector, and the type of partner you choose. It’s not just about what you pay, but what you get in return. 

Factors that influence cost: 

• Scope of work – Number of platforms, posting frequency, and engagement workflows. 

• Level of service – From automated scheduling to multilingual execution, compliance, paid media, or analytics integration. 

• Process complexity – Video localisation, automated QA, compliance checks, AI-assisted workflows. 

• Tech integration – Scheduling tools, CRM integration, analytics dashboards. 
• Partner location – Offshore Business Process Management (BPM) hubs (e.g., India, Vietnam) may offer cost-effective delivery; UK or US-based providers charge more, but often with tighter market alignment. 
  
  

Ballpark monthly investment by provider type: 

Note: High-value outsourcing is rarely a race to the bottom on price. It’s about scalable efficiency, compliance, and ROI—not just the cheapest quote. 

Before you outsource: What to look for in a BPM-driven partner 

If you're considering outsourcing your social media, don’t just evaluate cost—evaluate scalability and automation capability. Strategic questions include: 

• Can they integrate with your existing martech stack (HubSpot, Salesforce, GA4, etc.)? 

• Do they offer automated quality assurance and compliance checks? 

• Can they scale execution while maintaining consistency across multiple regions? 

• Do they provide real-time performance dashboards and automated reporting? 

• Does the strategic partner understand your industry?  

• Are they experts in governance, quality, and methodology?  

• Can they prove ROI? You should expect dashboards, monthly insights, and KPI tracking, not vanity metrics. 

• Are they secure and compliant? Especially if you're working with customer data (GDPR in the UK, for example) or sensitive messaging. 

Common pitfalls to avoid 

While social media outsourcing can unlock huge value, choosing the wrong partner can slow you down or harm your brand. Be aware of: 

• Hidden costs – Always clarify automation scope, approval loops, and reporting access. 

• Weak QA – Without automated compliance, errors slip through. 
• Poor localisation – Lacking multilingual workflows reduces impact in regulated or niche markets.

•  Inconsistent delivery – Partners without BPM foundations struggle to scale. 
  
  

NashTech: Scaling Social Media with BPM 

With 23+ years in enterprise-grade Business Process Management (BPM), NashTech helps CMOs transform social strategies into scalable, automated execution. We don’t replace your creative vision, we make it run faster, smarter, and more cost effective.  

Once your creative strategy is defined, NashTech becomes your execution partner. We scale campaigns through: 

• Automated workflows – Streamlined approvals, scheduling, publishing, and tracking. 

• Seamless integration – Connect with Salesforce, HubSpot, GA4, and leading marketing platforms. 

• Global consistency – Adapt content in 35+ languages with built-in compliance and quality assurance. 
• Performance insights – Real-time dashboards and automated reporting to maximise ROI. 

Ready to transform your social media operations? 

Whether you're a fast-growing brand or an established enterprise, outsourcing your social media execution could be the most strategic decision you make this year. Done right, it’s not just cheaper—it’s smarter, scalable, and future-proof. 

NashTech can help you automate, scale, and succeed. 
Let’s talk. Contact us today to find out how.