KEEPING MARKETING GOING
How much of my time will marketing still take once someone else does it?
Less than most owners expect, but not zero. Here’s what you still do, and roughly how long it takes.
By Sabrina Dias · 6 min read
Think about the last time you made a social post for your business. Figuring out what to say, finding a photo, writing the caption, rewriting the caption, then finally posting it. For a lot of owners, that one post eats most of an afternoon.
Now picture handing all of that to someone else. How much of your time would it still take?
If you're wondering how involved a business owner should be in outsourced marketing, here's the plain answer. Once I've taken over someone's marketing, they usually spend about 30 minutes planning with me once or twice a month, plus a few minutes approving each post. For most owners, that adds up to an hour or two a month.
I'll be honest, the first month asks a little more of you. I'll have more questions early on, while I'm learning your business and how you talk about it. After that, it settles into a rhythm.
Key takeaways
You still plan, and you still approve. Everything else, the writing, the graphics and the scheduling, comes off your plate.
Planning is short. Usually a 30 minute meeting, once or twice a month.
Approvals are quick. A few minutes per post, and honestly, most take less than that.
You can send what you already have. A recording, a video or a talk you gave can become blog posts and social posts.
The first month takes a little more. That's when I learn your business, so everything after it goes faster.
What do you still do once someone else takes over your marketing?
Two things, mostly. You plan with me, and you approve what I make.
We plan together. Once or twice a month, we sit down for about 30 minutes and talk about what's coming up. New services, events, things your clients keep asking about, anything you want people to know. I bring ideas too, so you're never starting from a blank page.
You send me what you already have. If you've recorded a podcast, filmed a video, given a talk or written notes for an event, send it over. I can take that and turn it into blog posts and social posts, so the things you've already said keep working for you.
You approve the posts. I write the copy and make the graphics. When something is ready, you get a notification to review it. You read it, say yes or ask for a change, and once it's approved, I schedule it.
That's your part. I take care of everything in between.
How much time does each part take?
Here's roughly how it breaks down in a normal month:
Planning: 30 minutes, once or twice a month.
Approvals: a few minutes per post. If I had to put a number on it, five minutes at the most, and usually less.
Sending things over: whenever something comes up. A quick email or a forwarded link is plenty.
How long approvals take depends on how many posts there are that month. A month with more posts takes a few more minutes. Either way, it's a lot less than an afternoon per post.
What the research says about owners and marketing time
Two recent surveys show how little time most owners already have for marketing.
Most owners have an hour or less a day for marketing. In Constant Contact's 2024 Small Business Now report, a survey of more than 1,300 small business decision-makers in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, 56% said they have an hour or less each day to spend on marketing. More than half, 52%, said they routinely put marketing off in favor of other work.
Many spend less than five hours a week on it. In Fiverr's 2025 small business survey of nearly 6,000 owners across 25 countries, 70% said they spend less than five hours a week on marketing.
While both sources have inherent biases (Constant Contact sells email marketing services and Fiverr surveyed businesses actively using its platform), they highlight the same clear pattern: marketing constantly gets squeezed around other priorities. If you currently fit marketing into spare fragments of time, spending just an hour or two a month on structured planning and approvals will feel completely different.
Why does it feel like it'll take more time than it does?
A lot of owners picture handing off marketing as one more thing to manage. They imagine explaining their business over and over, or rewriting posts that don't sound like them.
That's what the first month is for. Month one, I learn everything about your business and how you talk about it, and I get it all set up. It does ask something of you, mostly answering my questions. Once I know your business, the posts come to you already sounding like you, so approving them really does take a few minutes.
How to keep your part small
Pick one planning time and keep it. The same time each month makes it easy to protect, and nothing waits on finding a day that works.
Keep a running note of what's coming up. Events, new services, questions people ask you. Bring it to our planning meeting and most of the month is already decided.
Send what you already have. Recordings, videos, talks and event notes are some of the best material there is, because they're already in your words.
Review posts in one sitting. Set aside a few minutes to go through everything at once instead of stopping your day for each one.
Say what you'd change. "Can we mention the new hours?" is easier to act on than "I don't love it," and it gets the post back to you faster.
Decide who approves. If one person gives the final yes, nothing gets stuck waiting on three opinions.
Frequently asked questions
How involved should a business owner be in outsourced marketing?
A business owner should stay involved in planning and approvals, and hand off the rest. Planning usually means a 30 minute meeting once or twice a month. Approving means reading each post and saying yes or asking for a change. The writing, graphics and scheduling are done for you.
How much time does outsourced marketing take each month?
For most owners, outsourced marketing takes about an hour or two a month. That covers one or two short planning meetings and a few minutes to approve each post. The first month takes a little longer, because that's when your marketing person learns your business and how you talk about it.
Do I have to approve every post?
Yes, and that's a good thing. Approving every post means nothing goes out that you haven't seen. Most posts take only a few minutes to review, and once your marketing person knows your business, they usually come to you already sounding like you.
Will I still need to come up with content ideas?
You won't have to come up with them alone. Planning happens together, so you share what's going on in your business and your marketing person brings ideas too. Recordings, videos and talks you've already done can also be turned into blog posts and social posts.
Is the first month more work for the owner?
The first month asks a little more of you, mostly answering questions about your business, your clients and how you like to talk about your work. That time is what makes later months quicker, because posts start coming to you already sounding like your business.
Your marketing doesn't have to take your afternoons
Go back to that afternoon you spent on one post. With someone else making the posts, that time goes back to running your business, and your part becomes a short planning meeting and a few minutes of reviewing.
If that sounds like you or someone you know, here's where I come in. We plan together, I create everything, you approve it, and I schedule it. Fill out the contact form and let's chat.
That's all for now 🩷
Keep learning
Why do your website and social media look like two different companies?: what people notice when they look you up.
How do you keep marketing consistent for a small team when everyone is busy?: how to keep posting when your team is stretched.
5 signs you've outgrown your marketing: what it looks like when your business has grown and your marketing hasn't caught up.
About the author
Sabrina Dias runs Socially Sabrina, where she takes over the marketing for established businesses and nonprofits. She takes care of the brand and website, the content, and all the unglamorous work underneath both. She has run her own marketing business for eight years, and before that she taught kindergarten for ten, so she still explains things for a living. AI is her bestie, and they collaborate all the time.
