The short answer: professional management of social media accounts pays off most for small and medium-sized enterprises, where the accounts are managed ‘on the side’ by the manager or an employee whose product needs to be seen so that people will buy it (catering, beauty treatments, property, online shops), and which post regularly but do not receive calls, messages or orders via social media. If you can’t say how many customers came from Facebook or Instagram last month, that’s already a warning sign.
Why is ‘doing it ourselves’ often the most expensive option?
Many business owners manage their social media accounts themselves. It seems logical: your phone’s in your pocket, Canva’s free, and nobody knows your business better than you do.
The problem is that these costs don’t show up on your invoice. They show up in your diary.
Let’s do the maths:
- Coming up with a post, an image or video, writing the text, publishing it and replying to comments takes 8–10 hours a week.
- That’s around 35–43 hours a month.
- If a manager’s hour is worth even just €25 to the company, that’s €900–1,100 a month.
And that’s just the time. It doesn’t include what you didn’t do during those hours: you didn’t ring a client, prepare a quote or streamline processes.
The second hidden cost is lost opportunities. If your posts go up ‘whenever you get round to it’, your photos look different every time and you reply to messages the next day, a potential client will notice. And they’ll go to a competitor who replies within an hour.
7 signs that your social media accounts aren’t performing as well as they seem
Answer honestly. If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to three or more, it’s worth making some changes.
- You’ve got plenty of followers, but few calls or messages. The numbers are growing, but your takings aren’t.
- You don’t know how many customers came from social media. Not even roughly, let alone precisely.
- You post when you get round to it. Sometimes three times a week, sometimes not once a month.
- Advertising means clicking the ‘Boost post’ button. Without a clear goal and without seeing afterwards how much it brought in.
- Most of your posts are about you, not the customer’s problem: ‘we have a new product’, ‘we took part in a trade fair’.
- There are hardly any videos, because “we don’t have time to film” or “we don’t know how to edit”.
- You reply to messages several hours later or the next day.
None of these things is a disaster in itself. But taken together, they mean that social media is a cost centre for you, rather than a sales channel.
For which companies does professional management pay off the most?
Businesses whose products are “bought with the eyes”
Cafés, restaurants, guesthouses, beauty salons, estate agents, architects and online shops.
Here, the customer makes their decision based on a photo or video. A dark, crooked mobile phone photo makes even a good meal or a beautiful interior look cheaper. Professional content isn’t just for ‘aesthetic’ purposes. It directly affects how much you can charge for your product.
Service and B2B companies
Accountants, solicitors, IT companies, consultants, builders.
Your client thinks long and hard and compares options before making a decision. Social media (especially LinkedIn and Facebook) serves as proof here that you know what you’re doing. Good content explains complex matters simply. The client then approaches you with trust already established, and the sale is completed more quickly.
Companies where the manager manages the accounts
If a manager or lead specialist spends 10 or more hours a week on social media, it is almost always more expensive than delegating this work to someone else. A manager’s time is better spent on sales and business development.
Companies whose results have ‘stalled’
Do you post regularly, but the number of followers, reactions and enquiries has been stagnant for months? Often, the reason is that the platforms have changed, but the content hasn’t. Facebook and Instagram now prioritise videos and content that people engage with, rather than simple posts with an image.
What do the figures tell us about social media?
Here are just a few figures you can check for yourself:
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Social media user profiles in Latvia | 1.42 million, or 76.8% of the population (October 2025) | DataReportal, Digital 2026: Latvia |
| Internet users in Latvia | 93.9 per cent of the population | DataReportal, Digital 2026: Latvia |
| Marketing professionals with a documented strategy | 414% more likely to report success than those without one | CoSchedule, 2022 (survey, 515 respondents) |
| Marketing professionals who have fully documented their strategy | just 17 per cent | CoSchedule, 2022 |
Note: DataReportal counts user profiles, not unique individuals. The CoSchedule survey was conducted amongst readers of their blog, so the figure reflects a trend rather than an exact correlation.
What does this mean for you?
Your customers are on social media. The question isn’t ‘whether to be there’, but ‘whether to be there with a plan’. And the vast majority of businesses don’t have a plan. That’s your opportunity.
Do it yourself, use an in-house employee or an agency: which should you choose?
| Do it yourself (manager) | Your own employee | An agency | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly costs | No invoice, but takes up 35–40 hours of the manager’s time | €1,850–3,100 (salary €1,500–2,500 + employer’s contributions) | Usually €400–1,500 depending on the volume |
| Skills | Basic. Lacks design, video and advertising analytics | One-person skills. Rarely does anyone excel at everything | Team: strategist, designer, video, copywriter, advertising |
| Equipment | A phone and free apps | Need to buy a computer, software and equipment | Already have: cameras, lighting, microphones, paid tools |
| Frequency | When there’s time | Depends on one person (holidays, illness) | Content is planned in advance |
| Advertising | ‘Boost post’ without return on investment calculation | Medium level | Testing, targeting, measuring return on investment |
Prices are indicative,
based
on the Latvian market in 2026.
To be honest:
if you have few clients from social media and plenty of time, get started yourself. But as soon as social media starts taking up the manager’s time or results plateau, an agency usually costs less than an in-house employee and provides more expertise.
How can you tell if social media is making you money?
Which metrics are just ‘window dressing’?
The number of followers, ‘likes’ and views look impressive, but they don’t generate money on their own. 20,000 views from people who’ll never visit you are worth less than 200 views from people in your town who need your service right now.
Which metrics really matter?
- messages asking about price or availability;
- clicks on your website;
- completed application forms and phone calls;
- saved and shared posts;
- completed transactions where the customer says “I saw you on Instagram”.
How do you calculate return on investment?
A simple formula:
Return on investment (%) = (revenue from social media − costs) ÷ costs × 100
Example:
you invest €1,000 a month in social media (agency, advertising, content). This brings in customers who spend €4,000. (4,000 − 1,000) ÷ 1,000 × 100 = 300% return
.
It’s important to include everything
in your costs: the agency, the advertising budget, and also your own and your staff’s time. If you don’t include these, social media will appear cheaper than it actually is.
What kind of content works on social media in 2026?
- Short vertical videos (Reels, TikTok, Shorts). These are the ones the platforms show most often. They don’t need to be cinematic, but they must have good sound, lighting and a clear message within the first 3 seconds.
- Customer-generated content. Reviews, customer photos, ‘before and after’ shots. People trust other customers more than they trust adverts.
- A clear call to action. One goal per post: ‘send a message’, ‘sign up’, ‘call’. If you don’t ask, people won’t do it.
- Quick replies. A message you reply to within 10 minutes often turns into an order. A message you reply to tomorrow often turns into an order for a competitor.
- Local focus. Location tags, city names, local people and events. A Ventspils-based client values a Ventspils-based company.
How do social media platforms help people find you on Google and AI tools?
People are increasingly asking not just Google, but also ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity: “Where can I get a good meal in Ventspils?” or “Which accountant works with small businesses?”.
These tools generate their answers based on what they can find about you online. The more places your business is mentioned, described and discussed, the greater the chance that you’ll be recommended.
Active social media accounts help in three ways:
| Where do you want to appear? | What helps |
|---|---|
| In Google Search | People search for your business by name, and Google sees this as a sign of trust |
| In AI tool responses | Your business is regularly mentioned on social media, YouTube, in reviews and in discussions |
| In direct replies | Content is structured as a clear question and answer that is easy to highlight |
Frequently asked questions
Which businesses need professional social media account management the most?
Small and medium-sized businesses where accounts are managed by the manager or someone ‘on the side’, businesses whose products are purchased based on appearance (catering, beauty, property, online shops), B2B service providers who need to build trust, and businesses whose social media performance has been stagnant for some time.
How much does it cost to manage social media accounts in Latvia?
Basic maintenance for a small business usually costs €400–600 per month. A full service including regular video filming, editing and advertising campaigns typically costs €800–1,500 per month or more. The advertising budget for platforms (Meta, TikTok) is usually paid for separately.
How quickly can you see results?
The first changes in engagement and reach are usually visible within the first month. A steady flow of applications from organic content builds up over 3–6 months. With paid advertising, the first applications can often be received within 2–4 weeks.
Why isn’t the number of followers the key metric?
Because followers don’t pay you on their own. What matters more is how many people message you, click through to your website, sign up and make a purchase. A small but local and engaged following often brings in more money than a large and random one.
Does a business really need videos?
Yes, if you want to be seen without advertising. Short vertical videos are currently the format most frequently featured on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. They don’t have to be expensive, but they must be clear and of good quality.
Can you manage your social media accounts yourself?
Yes, especially at the start. But it’s worth checking two things once a month: how many hours it takes and how many customers it brings in. If it takes a lot of hours but brings in few customers, doing it yourself has become the most expensive option.
What should you do next?
- Count up your hours. How much time do you spend on social media each week? Multiply that by the value of your time.
- Count your clients. How many enquiries came in via social media last month? If you don’t know, start asking every new client: “How did you hear about us?”
- Go through the list of 7 signs at the start of this article.
- Post a video at least once a week.
If, after following these steps, you find that social media is demanding a lot but delivering little, let’s have a chat.
Get Digital Buzz
offers a free consultation where we’ll review your accounts and tell you what’s working, what isn’t, and what we’d change.
- 📞 +371 23 23 41 40
- ✉️ hello@getdigital.buzz