The short answer
In Canada, most small businesses pay somewhere between $500 and $5,000 a month to have social media handled. The range is wide because every option bundles strategy, design, writing, video editing and reporting differently.
Option 1: a freelancer ($500–$1,500/mo)
A part-time freelancer usually costs $500–$1,500 a month for a few posts a week. It works when you find a good one. The risks are consistency and range: one person rarely designs, writes, edits video and reads analytics equally well, and when they get busy or leave, your feed goes quiet.
Option 2: an in-house hire ($3,500–$5,000+/mo)
A junior social media manager in a Canadian city runs $45,000–$60,000 a year before benefits. You get one person focused on your account and faster turnaround. Most owners still pay separately for design tools, ad help and video editing.
Option 3: an agency retainer ($1,500–$5,000/mo)
At a traditional agency, a strategist, designer and writer work on the account. Typical SMB retainers in Canada start around $1,500 and climb quickly once video and ads are involved. The trade-offs are pace and price. Small accounts get junior attention, and every extra deliverable is a change order.
Option 4: a done-for-you marketing team ($499–$2,999/mo)
AI helps produce posts, captions, blog drafts and emails, but nothing publishes until you approve it. The human team sets the strategy, edits video and talks to you. That keeps production costs down and the price closer to a freelancer's. Sundayable's plans start at $499/month for content, with the lead engine at $999 and the Sunday Partner plan at $2,999.
How to choose
Match the model to the job. If you only need a social media presence, a freelancer or the $499 done-for-you plan will cover it. For SEO, landing pages, reviews and managed reach, compare the $999 done-for-you plan with a $2,500+ agency retainer for the same scope. Handing marketing off entirely is a different comparison: the $2,999 Sunday Partner plan versus a hire plus an agency, which rarely comes in under $6,000.
See what it looks like
Book a free consultation and we'll bring sample content made for your business — so you compare real work, not proposals. Plans and inclusions are on the pricing page.