Outsourcing social ads: what a specialised agency does and what it costs

Outsourcing your social ads means a specialised team sets up, manages and continuously tests your advertising on Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and TikTok. At Wrkt Digital we do this for D2C and e-commerce brands in the Netherlands and Belgium, with a senior team and no account managers in between. In this article: when outsourcing makes sense, what an agency does per channel, what it costs, and when you are better off keeping it in-house.

When does outsourcing social ads make sense?

Outsourcing pays off the moment your ad budget outgrows the time and expertise you can put against it internally. You usually recognise it yourself: you run campaigns but your cost per purchase keeps creeping up, your marketer handles social ads next to five other channels, or you are growing fast and want your biggest acquisition channel in the hands of people who do this every day.

The biggest advantage of a specialised agency is experience you cannot build with a single brand. Rising acquisition costs, a creative that has worn out, a measurement issue after an iOS update: our specialists have already solved it at other brands in your category. You are not paying someone to figure it out; you are paying someone who already knows.

That experience is verifiable, too. We are a Meta Business Partner, TikTok Smart+ Partner, Google Ads Partner and Klaviyo Partner. The platforms tie these certifications to requirements on results, managed budget and up-to-date product knowledge. They also give us direct lines to platform support and early access to beta features. When Meta changes the algorithm or TikTok launches a new ad format, we hear about it earlier and adjust your campaigns before it shows up in your results.

And because we manage multiple accounts in the same markets, we see every week which concepts and offers are working. What wins at one brand, we test at the next.

Meta Ads: advertising on Facebook and Instagram

For almost every D2C brand, Meta is the foundation of structural growth. As a Meta Business Partner we manage prospecting, retargeting and creative strategy as one connected system. No loose campaigns, one growth strategy.

The difference is in the creatives. With our own AI tooling Wrkt Signal we analyse hundreds of ads from your brand and your competitors. That shows us which angles work in your market and which are already saturated, and that becomes your testing roadmap. Decisions come from market data, not gut feeling.

TikTok Ads

As a TikTok Smart+ Partner we run TikTok as a full performance channel. That requires its own approach: content that feels native to the platform, high testing volume and scaling up fast once a concept lands. Whether TikTok outperforms Meta for your brand mainly depends on the age of your audience. If most of your buyers are under 35, TikTok is often a serious challenger to Meta. With an older audience, Meta usually remains the lead channel and we deploy TikTok where the data calls for it. Weighing up TikTok specifically? Read outsourcing TikTok Ads: when it makes sense and what it costs.

Instagram Ads

Instagram runs within Meta, but deserves its own creative strategy: Reels, Stories and feed each call for different material. We build the right variants per placement and let the data decide where the budget goes.

How we work

Social ads never stand alone at Wrkt. Through our Growth Compass method we connect advertising with Klaviyo email marketing and conversion optimisation of your webshop, from the first ad to the second purchase. Four phases: Intelligence (market and data analysis with Wrkt Signal), Creation (creative strategy and production coordination), Execution (campaign management and testing) and Retention (email and repeat purchases).

What does outsourcing social ads cost?

We are transparent about pricing; it saves everyone time. Our management starts at 2,500 euros per month, excluding media budget, with a minimum engagement of three months. We work with brands investing from 5,000 euros per month in media budget.

For that you get full management of your social advertising: the strategy and campaign structure for Meta and TikTok, daily management and optimisation, an ongoing testing roadmap based on Wrkt Signal analyses of your market, and reporting on revenue and acquisition costs. You work directly with the specialists running your campaigns. No setup fees, no percentage of your ad spend.

For comparison: fees for serious campaign management in the Netherlands roughly range from 2,500 to 6,000 euros per month. Be critical of agencies charging a percentage of your ad spend; that model rewards spending, and you want to reward returns.

When we are not the right fit

We work with D2C and e-commerce brands that own their webshop. If you are a B2B company, want one partner for web development, branding and video, or your media budget is below 5,000 euros per month, another agency will suit you better. In doubt? Just give us a call and we will tell you honestly.

Frequently asked questions about outsourcing social ads

What does it cost to outsource social media ads?

At Wrkt Digital, management starts at 2,500 euros per month excluding media budget, with a three-month minimum. That includes strategy, daily campaign management, a creative testing roadmap based on Wrkt Signal, and reporting. In the Dutch market, fees for full campaign management typically range from 2,500 to 6,000 euros per month, depending on channels, testing volume and creative support.

What is the difference between a social ads agency and a social media agency?

A social media agency usually focuses on organic content: posts, community management and reach without media budget. A social ads agency specialises in paid advertising: campaign structure, audiences, creative testing and return on media budget. We do the latter.

Which channels do you advertise on?

Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram), TikTok Ads and Pinterest Ads, combined with Google Ads and Klaviyo email marketing where it strengthens growth. We are a Meta Business Partner, TikTok Smart+ Partner, Google Ads Partner and Klaviyo Partner.

How quickly will I see results?

The first six to eight weeks are about building data and testing: audiences, angles and creatives. Structural improvement of your acquisition costs typically shows within the first quarter. That is why we work with a three-month minimum engagement.

Do I keep ownership of my ad accounts?

Yes, always. Your ad accounts, data and creative assets remain fully yours. If the engagement ends, you take everything with you.

How do you decide the split between Meta and TikTok?

Based on data, per brand. The age of your audience is the biggest factor: the younger your buyer, the bigger TikTok's role. We start where your audience and margin are strongest, usually Meta, and build up TikTok once creative concepts are proven. The split shifts along with acquisition costs per channel.

Why do you work without account managers?

You work directly with the specialists building and optimising your campaigns. That means faster communication, better results and a transparent working relationship.

Do you also work with smaller budgets?

We work with brands investing from 5,000 euros per month in media budget. Below that, the fee-to-budget ratio works against you and we advise building proven creatives and conversion in-house first.

Curious where your growth opportunities are? Start with a free Growth Scan, including an AI data scan and a first Signal analysis of the ads in your market.