Find a local
social media manager

A full management retainer covers the lot: a monthly content calendar, creating the posts (statics, reels, stories, captions), scheduling and publishing, replying to comments and DMs, and a monthly report on what worked. Lighter gigs strip it back, content-only (you post it yourself) or posting-only (you supply the content). Agree exactly which pieces are in scope before the gig starts.

A typical small business retainer covers 12 to 16 posts a month per channel (roughly 3 to 4 a week), usually a mix of statics, reels and stories. More than that rarely helps unless you have genuinely fresh content to feed it. Consistency beats volume: the same look, the same channels, every week.

The ones your customers actually use, which for most local service businesses means Instagram and Facebook. Consumer brands often add TikTok, B2B leans on LinkedIn. Each extra channel adds work (and cost), so start with one or two done well and add later if the numbers justify it.

Expect the first month to go on setup: strategy, templates, tone and an approval workflow. Engagement usually lifts within 2 to 3 months of consistent posting, but the business results (DMs that turn into bookings, people mentioning your posts in store) compound over 6 months or more. Anyone promising a follower count by a deadline is selling something else.

Yes. Canva, CapCut, Buffer, Later and Meta Business Suite cover everything from making the post to scheduling and reporting. The catch is time: most owners spend 4 to 10 hours a week keeping channels fed, and the look drifts after a few months. A freelancer plans a month in one go and keeps it consistent, and you stay in control through the approval step.

Admin access to your social accounts (via Meta Business Suite or similar, never your personal password), your logo and brand colours, a folder of photos and videos from your business, and a one-page note on your tone and any topics to avoid. The more raw content you can supply each month, the better the posts will look, because real photos of your actual business outperform stock every time.

You should. Most freelancers schedule a batch for the month ahead and share it for sign off before anything publishes, usually through a scheduling tool or a simple shared document. Agree the approval workflow and turnaround time as part of the gig so posts are not held up waiting on either side.

Full social media management in Australia typically costs $1,000 to $2,500 a month, depending on how many channels and posts are covered and how much content creation is included. A content-only pack (a month of posts, no scheduling or community work) runs $700 to $1,800.

Rates run about $58 to $164 an hour. The $58 to $123 band covers most of the market, from a coordinator scheduling and community-managing to a strategist deciding what gets made and why. Above $123 you're engaging someone at head-of-social level, which businesses usually buy in small amounts: a few days to set direction, then a cheaper pair of hands to run it day to day. That split is often the best value here. Most social work is bought as a monthly arrangement rather than hourly, so compare on what's actually covered each month.

Look at the actual feeds they run, not just their portfolio, and judge consistency over time rather than the single best post. Read their reviews on Unjumble for how they handle approvals and response times. Ask how they will measure success and what the monthly report covers. Avoid anyone who promises a follower count; followers are easy to buy and useless.

Post a social media management gig in under five minutes. Describe the work, set your budget and timeframe, and choose whether it is time-based or outcome-based. Local freelancers send a bid with a quote, you compare their profiles, portfolios and reviews, then pick the one that fits. Posting is free, so you only pay for the work.

Every gig is split into stages you both agree on up front. You fund each stage before the work starts and it is held securely through Stripe, then released once you sign off. No chasing invoices, and no paying for work that is not done.