If you’re weighing up marketing help, price is usually the first question. The answers online range from under $10 an hour to $10,000 a month, and few of them cite a source.
This guide uses current US government wage data and our own pricing to show what a virtual marketing assistant actually costs, how that compares with a US hire or a freelancer, and the costs most pricing guides leave out. It also includes a real example from Kryden Digital, one of our clients.
In this guide
- Quick answer
- Cost at a glance: every hiring option
- Real example: Kryden Digital saves $27,000 a year
- What a US marketing hire really costs
- What a virtual marketing assistant costs with Brevity
- Side-by-side comparison
- Hidden costs to budget for
- What a virtual marketing assistant does
- When it makes sense (and when it doesn’t)
- How to hire one in 5 steps
- FAQs
Quick answer: how much does a virtual marketing assistant cost?
A full-time virtual marketing assistant costs about $1,920 a month ($12 an hour) through a managed service like Brevity. That’s around $23,000 a year, with recruiting, payroll and HR included.
For comparison, a US marketing specialist costs $6,950 to $12,900 a month once benefits are included, and a US freelancer typically charges $25 to $60 an hour. A full-time virtual marketing assistant usually saves 60% to 80% compared with a US hire.
Virtual marketing assistant cost at a glance: every hiring option
There are four common ways to get marketing work done. Here’s what each typically costs, and what you’re responsible for.
| Option | Typical cost | Full-time monthly equivalent | What you handle yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| US employee (marketing specialist) | $58,350 to $108,310 salary, plus ~30% benefits | $6,950 to $12,900 | Recruiting, payroll, benefits, HR, replacement |
| US freelancer | $25 to $60 an hour (intermediate level) | $4,000 to $9,600 (160 hours) | Finding, vetting and managing them; availability varies |
| Offshore freelancer hired directly | Often $10 to $25 an hour (beginner level) | $1,600 to $4,000 (160 hours) | Vetting, contracts, payments, and replacing them if it doesn’t work |
| Managed virtual marketing assistant (Brevity) | $12 an hour, all-inclusive | $1,920 | Day-to-day direction only |
Marketing agencies are a fifth option. Retainers vary too widely to compare fairly, and you pay for an agency’s strategy and margin as well as the hours.
Real example: how Kryden Digital saves about $27,000 a year
Client snapshot: Austin, Kryden Digital
- Before: about $50,000 a year for an in-house marketer
- Now: $23,040 a year for a full-time Brevity marketing associate ($1,920 a month)
- Saving: about $27,000 a year, roughly 54%
- What the associate handles: SEO, paid ads, social media, CRM and website updates
- How long: 8 months and counting
Austin at Kryden Digital went from paying one marketer $50,000 a year to paying less than half that for an associate who covers the whole marketing function: search, ads, social, the CRM and the website. That’s about $18,000 saved in the first eight months alone, and Austin describes it as a great experience.
Results vary by role and by who you’d otherwise hire. If that $50,000 was salary alone, the real saving is higher once you add the benefits and payroll taxes Kryden Digital no longer pays.
What a US marketing hire really costs
The median US marketing specialist earns $78,760 a year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). But salary is only part of what you pay. Benefits make up 30% of total compensation for private-industry workers (BLS, June 2026), covering health insurance, paid leave, retirement contributions and legally required payroll taxes.
| Experience level | Annual salary | All-in cost (salary + benefits) | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior (25th percentile) | $58,350 | ~$83,400 | ~$6,950 |
| Mid-level (median) | $78,760 | ~$112,500 | ~$9,375 |
| Senior (75th percentile) | $108,310 | ~$154,700 | ~$12,900 |
On top of that, there are costs that never show up on a payslip:
- Recruiting. The average cost per hire is nearly $4,700, according to SHRM: job ads, screening and interview time.
- Time to fill. While the seat is empty, someone else on your team covers the work.
- Equipment and software. A laptop, plus seats in your project management, CRM and marketing tools.
- A bad hire. If it doesn’t work out, you pay most of these costs twice.
What a virtual marketing assistant costs with Brevity
A full-time Brevity marketing associate costs $1,920 a month, which works out to $12 an hour for 160 hours, or $23,040 a year. That price includes everything:
- Recruiting and vetting. You interview a shortlist of pre-vetted candidates, with their resume and a Loom video, instead of sorting through hundreds of applications.
- Payroll, tax forms and HR. We handle them, so you don’t need an international payroll setup.
- Your hours. Your associate works the schedule you need, in your time zone.
- Flexibility. No long-term contract, just one month’s written notice.
- Replacement. If the person isn’t the right fit, you can ask for a replacement.
Side-by-side: US hire vs. virtual marketing assistant
| US marketing specialist (median) | Brevity marketing associate | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cost | ~$112,500 all-in | $23,040 |
| Monthly cost | ~$9,375 | $1,920 |
| Recruiting | You run it (avg. ~$4,700 per hire) | Included |
| Payroll, taxes and HR | You manage it | Included |
| Commitment | Employment contract | 1-month notice |
| If it’s not a fit | Rehire from scratch | Replacement option |
Against a mid-level US hire’s all-in cost, that’s about 80% less. Against a junior hire’s salary alone, it’s about 61% less. On our site we say “up to 60%” because we’d rather under-promise: your real saving depends on who you’d otherwise hire.
Hidden costs to budget for
A lower price only matters if the work gets done well. These are the costs a spreadsheet won’t show, whoever you hire:
- Your management time. Plan on a few hours a week for priorities, feedback and questions, more in the first month.
- Ramp-up. Anyone new, local or remote, needs two to four weeks to learn your clients, tools and standards.
- Tools and access. Your assistant needs logins to your ad accounts, CRM and website. Budget for any extra paid seats, and use a password manager rather than sharing passwords.
- Strategy still sits with you. A virtual marketing assistant is strongest at execution. Positioning, budgets and key client relationships should stay with you or a senior marketer.
What a virtual marketing assistant does
A good virtual marketing assistant takes over the recurring execution work that eats your week. The most common tasks:
- Paid ads: setting up, monitoring and reporting on Meta and Google campaigns
- Social media: scheduling, posting, community replies and monthly content calendars
- SEO: on-page optimization, keyword research, content updates and reporting (see our SEO specialists)
- Email marketing: building campaigns, newsletters and automated sequences
- CRM work: pipelines, automations and lead follow-up in tools like GoHighLevel (see our CRM and automation experts)
- Website updates: landing pages, content changes and basic WordPress maintenance
- Reporting: pulling numbers into weekly or monthly client reports
As the example above shows, one strong associate can often cover several of these at once.
When a virtual marketing assistant makes sense (and when it doesn’t)
It tends to work well when:
- You have recurring, documentable work: ads, content, reporting, CRM updates.
- You or a team lead can spend a few hours a week directing the work.
- You’re turning down projects, or spending your own time on execution instead of sales and clients.
- A US hire at $9,000 or more a month doesn’t fit your margins.
It’s usually the wrong call when the role is mostly strategy, when nobody has time to onboard a new person, or when the work changes so much that it can’t be written down.
How to hire a virtual marketing assistant in 5 steps
- List the tasks. Write down what this person would do every week. If you can’t, start there.
- Decide who they report to. Make sure that person has time to manage them.
- Choose a model. Use the table above: freelancer, direct offshore hire or a managed service.
- Interview for your tools. Ask candidates to walk through work in the platforms you use, such as Meta Ads Manager, GoHighLevel or WordPress.
- Plan the first 30 days. Start with two or three well-defined tasks, then add more as they prove themselves.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a virtual marketing assistant cost per month?
A full-time virtual marketing assistant through Brevity costs $1,920 a month, all-inclusive. Offshore freelancers hired directly often charge $10 to $25 an hour, and US freelancers $25 to $60 an hour, before you count the time spent vetting and managing them.
Is a virtual marketing assistant cheaper than an in-house marketer?
Usually by a wide margin. A mid-level US marketing specialist costs about $112,500 a year once benefits are included, compared with $23,040 a year for a full-time Brevity associate. You still need to budget your own time to manage them.
What’s the difference between a virtual marketing assistant and a freelancer?
A virtual marketing assistant works with you full time or part time on an ongoing basis, inside your tools and on your schedule. A freelancer usually works on projects for several clients at once. Assistants are better for recurring work, and freelancers for one-off projects.
Can a virtual marketing assistant run ads and do SEO?
Yes, if you hire one with those skills. Ask to see examples in the platforms you use. Keep budget decisions and overall strategy with you.
How many hours do I need?
If marketing work regularly takes up a full day or more of your week, full time is usually worth it. Brevity offers part-time and full-time associates, and many clients start part time and move to full time as the workload grows.
How fast can I hire one?
With Brevity, you share your requirements on a discovery call, interview a shortlist of pre-vetted candidates, and once you pick someone, they can typically start within a few days of onboarding.
Related guides
Want a real number for your agency?
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Market Research Analysts, Occupational Outlook Handbook (median pay, May 2025)
- O*NET OnLine: National wages for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists (BLS 2025 wage data)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employer costs for employee compensation, June 2026
- SHRM: The real costs of recruitment
- Upwork: Hourly rates by skill and experience, 2026