Is social media worth it for an insurance agency? Do it, hire or outsource

Social media is worth keeping up for most agencies, but as the place people check you out, not as a reliable source of new policies. Most adults use YouTube and Facebook, and many look for insurance information there. No study we found measures how many auto or home policies organic social media sells for an agency. Pick the cheapest way to post steadily and accurately, then judge it on the conversations it starts.

Key facts

• YouTube is used by 84% of US adults and Facebook by 70% (Pew Research Center, 2026).
• In a 2026 survey, 62% of Americans said they use social media when looking for information on financial or insurance products (2026 Insurance Barometer Study).
• Auto insurance shoppers collect 3.5 quotes on average (J.D. Power, 2026).
• Marketing specialists earned a median of $78,760 in May 2025 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do people use social media to research insurance?

Many do, though the best data covers financial products in general. The Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association (LIMRA) and Life Happens found that 62% of Americans use social media when looking into financial or insurance products. Among social media users, 66% use YouTube for financial information.

The same survey shows people still want a person. Some 53% prefer to speak directly with a financial professional by phone, video or in person. That survey is about life insurance and money topics, so it doesn't prove the same holds for auto or home cover.

For auto, J.D. Power's 2026 shopping study found that shoppers collect 3.5 quotes on average, the most in the study's 20 years. Someone comparing that many agencies has a reason to check each one, and a page with no posts since last year can look closed.

Insurance-specific data puts social media further down the list. In YouGov's 2026 data on insurance research, friends and family came first at 38%, and price comparison sites second at 37%. Insurer or broker websites came in at 32%, and calling or visiting an agent at 31% (YouGov, 2026).

Social media mattered most to the young: 25% of Gen Z used it for research, against 7% of Baby Boomers. YouGov doesn't publish its sample size for this data. We also found no credible study tying organic posts to policies sold.

What does each option cost?

The cost depends on whose time you use. Here is the short version, with the working below:

Option 1: Do it yourself

Doing it yourself costs time, and that time has a price. We found no credible study of how long an agency spends on social media, so use your own hours. As a guide, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) puts the median pay for insurance sales agents at $29.94 an hour for 2025 (BLS).

At that rate, using 52 weeks ÷ 12 months = 4.33 weeks a month:

If you are the owner, your hour is probably worth more than the median agent's. Swap in your own figure. The hidden cost is that the posts stop during renewal season or when someone is out sick.

Option 2: Hire someone

Hiring costs the most, and it buys a person who can also do other marketing work. The BLS doesn't track social media managers as their own job. The closest group is market research analysts and marketing specialists, who earned a median of $78,760 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned under $43,390.

Add benefits to the salary: Wages were 70.0% of what private employers spent per hour on staff in June 2026, and benefits were the other 30.0% (BLS employer costs).

Using that share as a rough guide, the full yearly cost is the salary ÷ 0.70:

These are national figures for a broad job group. Pay in your area, and for someone who only posts to social media, may be lower. A part-time hire costs less, but you still recruit, train and manage them.

Option 3: Outsource it

Outsourcing costs a fixed monthly fee and needs the least of your time. Our Organic Content service starts at $999 a month and covers:

• Monthly content planning.
• About 12 to 16 pieces of content a month.
• Captions and simple branded graphics.
• Scheduling and publishing on the channels your customers use.
• A monthly performance report.

Your office still approves every post and handles any carrier approval. The full list is on our Organic Content page.

Compare any outside offer on what it includes, how many posts you get, and whether you can stop month to month. A low fee that posts stock images with no local detail won't give a shopper much reason to call.

Which option fits your agency?

Match the option to the time and budget you have, not to what another agency does.

• Do it yourself if someone in the office enjoys it and can keep a steady pace. Our four-week content plan gives that person a starting calendar.
• Hire if you have enough marketing work to fill a role, such as events, email and your website on top of social.
• Outsource if posts keep slipping and the time cost in the table above is close to the monthly fee.

Video takes more time than graphics. If you want Reels or Shorts, read our guide to short-form video for insurance agents first. To see where social media sits next to ads and your website, read how much to spend on marketing.

How do you judge whether it's paying off?

Count conversations, not likes. After 90 days, look at:

1. Calls, messages and quote requests that mention a post.
2. Visits to your website from each platform.
3. What new customers say when you ask how they found you.
4. Whether posts went out on schedule.

If the pages are current but nothing traces back to them, keep them up at the lowest cost you can. If posts keep slipping, change the option, not the platform. To talk through where social media fits with your website and ads, book a website strategy call.