Sooner or later every dealer principal asks the same question: should we hire someone to run our social media? The answer depends less on the salary and more on what that salary leaves out.
What an in-house hire really costs
A salary is the starting point. On top of it you pay payroll taxes, benefits, software, equipment, and the time a manager spends supervising. Then there is the cost nobody puts in the budget: one person is one point of failure. Vacations, sick days, and turnover all become gaps in your posting.
- Pay. Varies widely by market and experience. Check current local postings for your area rather than trusting a national average.
- Payroll taxes and benefits. A meaningful add-on above base pay.
- Tools. Scheduling software, design and video editing subscriptions, stock or music licensing.
- Equipment. A phone or camera, lighting, and a microphone for video.
- Management time. Someone has to approve content and set direction.
- Turnover risk. When they leave, so does the know-how, the logins, and the content calendar.
The four ways dealerships handle it
| Option | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Cheapest in cash | Costs the most in hours, and stalls when the store gets busy |
| In-house hire | Knows your store and lot | Single point of failure; salary, benefits, and tools add up |
| Traditional agency | Breadth of services | Often generic content, contracts, and slow turnaround |
| Managed service | Consistent output without payroll | Less hands-on than someone on your floor |
When hiring in-house makes sense
A full-time hire is reasonable for larger groups with enough volume to keep one person busy across rooftops, plus the management structure to direct them. For a single store, the workload often does not fill a full-time role, so the person ends up spread across other jobs and social media becomes the thing that slips.
When a managed service makes more sense
If the real problem is consistency (posts that go out every week whether or not someone has time), a managed service is built for exactly that. You approve content instead of creating it, and the schedule does not depend on one person’s calendar. Managed vs. DIY breaks down that tradeoff in more detail, and our pricing is public.
The question to ask is not “what is cheapest?” It is “what will still be happening in month six?” The option that keeps posting through busy weeks is the one that pays for itself.
A simple way to decide
Add up the true annual cost of each path, including your own time, then ask which one you can actually sustain. Our cost calculator does the math for you, and what dealership social media costs covers typical budgets.
Common questions
How much does a social media manager for a car dealership cost?
It varies by market and experience, and salary is only part of it. Add payroll taxes, benefits, software, equipment, and management time. Check current local job postings for a realistic number in your area.
Is it better to hire in-house or outsource dealership social media?
For most single-rooftop stores, outsourcing to a managed service is steadier, because it does not depend on one person's availability. Larger groups with enough volume can justify a full-time hire.
What is the biggest risk of hiring one person for social media?
Single point of failure. Vacations, illness, and turnover all create gaps in posting, and when they leave the know-how leaves with them.
What is a managed social media service for dealerships?
A done-for-you service that creates, schedules, and posts content for your store while you approve it, so your social media runs without adding headcount.