A social media agency runs your whole social presence: strategy, campaigns, ads, custom creative and often comments and messages. A done-for-you service takes one narrower job off your list, which is getting the regular posts written, made and published. Choose an agency when you need a team to plan and run campaigns. Choose done-for-you when the real problem is that your profiles keep going quiet. The price gap follows the scope: Boomp's service plans run from $275 to $1,800 a month, and Sprout Social puts agency packages at $2,000 to $10,000 or more a month.
That is good news for a small business. You do not have to choose between doing everything yourself and hiring a full agency team.
Who does the work
| Job | Done-for-you service | Social media agency |
|---|---|---|
| Writing and making the posts | The service | The agency |
| Publishing on a schedule | The service | The agency |
| Checking each post first | Ask who does it: you, the service or both | Usually an account lead, then you |
| Strategy and campaign planning | Limited, and it depends on the plan | Yes |
| Paid ads | Usually no | Often, with ad spend billed separately |
| Comments and direct messages | Usually no | Often |
| Custom photo and video shoots | Usually no | Often |
| Regular meetings | Few or none | Usually |
| Best for | Businesses that need consistency | Businesses that run campaigns |
What each one costs
Prices only compare once the scope matches, so read these as reference points and not as quotes.
| Option | Published price | Where the number comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Agency entry package | $575 median a month, among the 8 agencies that publish prices; 11 of 20 show no price | Boomp's pricing study, November 2026 |
| Agency package | $2,000 to $10,000 or more a month | Sprout Social, published May 4, 2026, read November 5, 2026 |
| Agency project | $5,107.28 average a month, with agency fees separate from ad spend | Clutch, updated September 21, 2026, read November 5, 2026 |
| Boomp service plans | $275, $900 or $1,800 a month | The done-for-you page |
A $575 entry package and a $5,107 monthly project are not the same purchase. The first is the lowest package an agency lists. The second is an average across the projects in Clutch's data, which include work far broader than regular posts.
Why agencies cost more
Agency pricing is not just about posts. A real agency has people handling strategy, creative direction, design, editing, account management, reporting and sometimes paid ads. That is valuable when you need the whole system. It is wasteful when you only need your social channels to stop looking inactive.
Why done-for-you costs less
A done-for-you service is narrower by design. It does not promise to become your whole marketing department. It takes on the repetitive work that tends to slip first: deciding what to post, writing captions, making simple graphics, scheduling posts and publishing what has been approved.
When an agency is worth it
Hire an agency if social media is tied directly to growth campaigns. That usually means you need some of these:
- paid advertising
- promotional launches
- creative production
- influencer partnerships
- daily community management
- analytics and performance reporting
- brand strategy
If you need those things, a narrower posting service will feel too limited. Do you need a social media marketing agency? goes further on what one includes.
When done-for-you is enough
Use a done-for-you service if your situation sounds more like this:
- your profiles go quiet for weeks
- customers check your pages before calling
- you do not know what to post
- you do not want another scheduler
- you want someone to check the posts before they publish
- you need a professional baseline, not a full campaign
That is where a cheaper alternative to a social media agency makes sense.
An example
A small HVAC company may search for a social media agency because the owner knows the company should look active online. If it does not need paid ads, community management or a custom content shoot, it may not need an agency. It may need seasonal maintenance posts, service reminders and posts built on its reviews. That is a done-for-you problem.
How to choose and vet one
- Name the job you want gone. If it is "we keep not posting," look at done-for-you services. If it is "we need a plan and campaigns," look at agencies.
- Ask who does each job in the table above. You want to hear who writes, who makes the images, who checks the facts, who publishes and who answers comments.
- Ask to see recent work for a business like yours, and ask whether the person who made it would work on your account.
- Ask what is left out and what it costs to add. Ads, shoots and replies are the usual extras, and ad spend should be listed apart from the fee.
- Ask about the term, and ask what happens to your accounts and your posts when you stop.
- Ask how you will know it is working. Calls, bookings and inquiries tell you more than likes do.
How to choose a social media management company has more questions and the red flags to watch for.
What stays with you
No agency or service knows your business the way you do. You still own the truth of what is said, including prices, offers, hours and any claim about results. You decide what stays private, and you need permission before a customer's name, photo or story appears. If your work is regulated, such as health, legal or financial services, someone who knows the rules should read each post. On any plan that offers auto approval, keep it off in that case.
What Boomp's service plans cover
Boomp is software that reads your website and writes your posts. These three service plans add Kathleen, Boomp's founder, doing the agreed work.
| Plan | Price | What Kathleen handles |
|---|---|---|
| Social, handled | $275 a month | She reviews every post in the Core content (20 posts, one carousel and one video a month), schedules them to your connected accounts and helps with social setup. This plan is social only, with online checkout. |
| Local marketing (recommended) | $900 a month | Everything above, plus Google Business Profile updates, a review-request process sent to every customer, one new or improved search page and up to two small website updates a month, inquiry tracking and a monthly progress update, for one business and one location. |
| Marketing partner | $1,800 a month | Everything above, plus a second search page, one customer email, one offer page or promotion, and a monthly planning and progress call. |
The $900 and $1,800 plans start with a 15-minute call, and the work is agreed before payment. No plan includes ads or ad spend, replies to customers or reviews, photo or video shoots, full website rebuilds, citation building, link building or technical audits. There is no contract on any plan.
Three ways to start
- Packs at $9 a month sends ten finished posts by email link, and you publish them yourself.
- Pro at $79 a month makes 20 posts, four carousels and four short videos a month and publishes them to your connected social profiles and Google Business Profile. You approve each post before it goes live, unless you turn on auto approval.
- Done-for-you from $275 a month adds Kathleen and the work in the table above.
To judge the work first, get ten finished posts made from your website, with images, a carousel and a short video. You enter a website and an email, and the link arrives by email with no account or card.
