Social media agencies vs in-house teams: what actually works best in 2025?

The million-pound question for modern brands

Do you need a social media agency, or should you just hire someone internally and build your own team?

It’s one of the most common debates in marketing meetings — and in 2025, the answer is less straightforward than ever. AI tools, creator culture, and shifting algorithms have changed how teams work and where budgets go.

This blog cuts through the jargon to compare what actually works best right now. No biased nonsense. Just a smart breakdown of the pros, the pitfalls, and the real-life costs of each.

The case for in-house social media teams

Benefits:

• You get full control.
  Having someone in-house means they live and breathe your brand. They understand your tone, your culture, and your goals in a way no outsider can replicate.

• Instant responsiveness.
  If something urgent happens (like a PR crisis, trending meme, or celebrity tag), an in-house team can respond in minutes. No back-and-forth, no wait time.

• Integration with other departments.
  From customer service to product launches, in-house teams can collaborate quickly with internal stakeholders. It makes approvals and brand alignment much smoother.

Drawbacks:

• One person can’t do it all.
  Most in-house hires are expected to write captions, design posts, edit videos, track data, and spot trends — all for multiple platforms. It’s unrealistic and leads to burnout or underperformance.

• Recruitment takes time.
  Finding someone genuinely good at social in 2025 is tough. The best talent is already working freelance or at agencies with better tools, better briefs, and less corporate red tape.

• Risk of creative stagnation.
  Internal teams can get stuck in brand echo chambers. Without external input, it’s easy to keep producing the same type of content, even if it’s no longer working

The case for social media agencies

Benefits:

• Fresh creative ideas.
  Good agencies work across multiple industries and accounts, meaning they bring in ideas your team wouldn’t necessarily think of. This is especially helpful when you want to stand out in a crowded space.

• Scalable expertise.
  Instead of one overworked social media manager, you get a strategist, copywriter, designer, video editor, and analyst — without paying five salaries.

• Always-on knowledge.
  Algorithms change constantly. Agencies stay ahead of platform shifts, feature updates, and creative trends as part of their day job. You don’t have to.

• Easier to pause or scale.
  Need to ramp up for a campaign? Scale down for budget season? Agencies can flex. In-house roles can’t. It’s less risky and more adaptable.

Drawbacks:

• They need a good brief.
  An agency can’t read your mind. If you don’t have clear goals or proper onboarding, even the best team will miss the mark. The relationship needs time and input.

• You’re sharing them.
  Agencies juggle multiple clients. If you need absolute priority or daily approvals, you’ll need to set that expectation clearly up front. Not many agencies can provide this… We do though!

The hybrid model: best of both worlds?

Many of the best-performing brands in 2025 use a hybrid approach:

• An internal lead who knows the brand inside-out

• An external agency who brings strategic firepower, creative support, and data expertise

This setup works well because it combines brand knowledge with agility. Internal staff can handle tone, stakeholder sign-off, and customer queries. The agency can focus on producing high-performing content, analysing results, and staying ahead of the curve.

So which should you choose?

You’re probably better with an agency if...

• You need fast growth or consistent high-quality content

• Your team is overstretched or lacks creative skills

• You want to test campaigns before investing in full-time hires

• You’ve plateaued and need new thinking

You’re probably better in-house if...

• You post mainly reactive or service-related content

• Your brand tone is extremely niche or technical

• You have the budget and time to build a full team internally

• You already have strong agency support for other marketing roles

Why brands work with Honest London

At Honest London, we act as a true extension of your team. No outsourced chaos or generic templates. Just strategy-led content, tailored to your voice, built for the platforms that matter in 2025.

We’ve worked with brands who had no social team at all, and brands with in-house managers who just needed extra firepower. Whether you want someone to run it all or support what you’ve started, we make the content work harder.

Final thought

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer - but there is a smarter way to build your team.

If you’re still debating whether to go in-house or hire an agency, you might not need to choose. You might just need someone who understands both sides and can help you get started properly.