The marketing tasks best suited to outsourcing are the ones that require deep specialist expertise, consistent time investment, or tools and platforms you don't have in-house. For most small businesses, that means strategy, paid media, SEO, content creation, and marketing automation while keeping simple, high-frequency tasks like community management or basic social posting closer to home if capacity allows.
So essentially the honest answer is: most of it. Small business owners are rarely short of opinions on their marketing, but most aren't equipped to do it and trying to often means doing it poorly while neglecting the core business.
Why Some Tasks Are Better Outsourced Than Others
Not all marketing tasks are equal. Some require years of hands-on experience to do effectively. Some require expensive tools that only make sense to invest in when you work across multiple clients. Understanding the difference helps you outsource strategically rather than just offloading whatever feels hardest.
Marketing Tasks That Are Almost Always Better Outsourced
Marketing strategy
Setting strategy requires a combination of market knowledge, experience across many businesses, and the ability to challenge your own assumptions. External strategists bring a perspective you can't get from inside the business.
Paid media (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn)
Running paid media campaigns badly is expensive. A Google-certified paid media specialist will consistently outperform a business owner managing their own ads. The cost of good paid media management pays for itself quickly when the campaigns are actually working.
Search engine optimisation (SEO)
SEO is technical, time-intensive, and slow-burn. It requires keyword research, on-page optimisation, link-building, and consistent content production. Most small business owners can't set aside the time or training budget do this consistently alongside everything else.
Content marketing and copywriting
Good content takes time and skill. A well-written blog post that targets real search queries and answers questions thoroughly can generate leads for years. Professional copywriters produce better work, faster, and optimised for search from the start.
Email marketing and automation
Setting up HubSpot or Mailchimp properly with segmentation, nurture sequences, and lead scoring is a specialised job. A HubSpot specialist can transform your CRM from a contact list into a lead generation engine.
Website design and development
Your website is your most important marketing asset. A well-designed, fast, SEO-optimised site converts more visitors into leads. This is almost always better outsourced to a specialist team.
Brand development
Brand strategy, visual identity, and messaging frameworks require specialist thinking. Getting them right early saves enormous amounts of time and money downstream.
Tasks That Can Often Be Kept In-House
Day-to-day social media community management
Responding to comments, DMs, and reviews benefits from someone who lives and breathes the brand. If you have internal capacity, it's often worth keeping close.
Customer communications and relationship management
Email replies, client updates, and direct outreach often benefit from a personal touch that only you or your team can provide.
Internal content contributions
Blog posts that draw on your specific expertise can be more authentic when they come from inside the business, even if a copywriter finesses the final output.
The Hybrid Approach That Works Best
The most effective model for most small businesses is a mix. Outsource the specialist and time-intensive work, keep the personal and relationship-driven tasks in-house, and use an agency to provide the strategic framework that makes everything connect.
At Virtual Marketers, clients often start by outsourcing strategy and one or two core channels, then expand as results prove the model. Retainers start from $2,400/month + GST with access to VM's full team of specialists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I outsource social media management for my small business?
Strategy, content creation, paid social, and campaign management are almost always better outsourced. Day-to-day community management can often stay in-house if someone has capacity. Many VM clients do a hybrid of both.
Is it worth outsourcing marketing for a very small business?
Yes, if you're spending time on marketing that isn't working. The opportunity cost of a business owner doing their own mediocre marketing is often higher than the cost of outsourcing it properly.
What marketing tasks should I never outsource?
Your core brand voice, key client relationships, and strategic business decisions should always remain with you. A good agency works within the framework you set - they don't replace your judgment on what the business stands for.
How do I brief an agency on my marketing needs?
Start with your business goal, your target customer, your current activity and what's working, and your budget. A good agency will come back with a prioritised plan. The more specific you can be about outcomes, the better.
How many marketing tasks can a small agency retainer cover?
At 2 days per month (VM's Starter tier), a retainer covers one or two focused priorities. At Growth tier (4-6 days), you can run multiple channels simultaneously. The right scope depends on your goals and budget.
Find Out Which Tasks Make the Most Sense to Outsource for Your Business
Every business is different. If you'd like a frank conversation about where outsourcing would have the biggest impact for yours, Virtual Marketers is happy to help.
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