Overview
Outsourcing social media monitoring services has become a crucial strategy in 2025, especially for global brands looking to scale insights, track brand sentiment, and engage with global audiences across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
Under Trump’s administration, American companies are looking for cost-efficient ways to reduce operating costs whilst maintaining quality service to consumers, brand reputation, loyalty and long-term sales.
Monitoring consumer behaviour, brand perception and market research have been a crucial part of American companies which rely heavily on data-driven marketing strategies and insights. More importantly, outsourcing social media monitoring is the latest cost-efficient low-cost strategy for marketers and PR companies to gain more advantage.
With dozens of outsourcing destinations available, choosing the right country involves more than just cost. You need to weigh price vis-à-vis language capabilities, industry acumen, technology capabilities regional expertise, data security—and yes, there are potential downsides which we will share in our market insights.
In this deep-dive guide, we’ll cover the top five countries to outsource social media monitoring services in 2025, including the benefits and risks of each.
Why Outsource Social Media Monitoring?
The primary reason of outsourcing your social media monitoring is cost. You save more when countries such as Malaysia, Philippines and India are offering a manhour rate of $12-20 per hour to manage your brand reputation or issue monitoring – a significantly lower price than the average labour rate in the US or UK.
Taking into account direct cost and opportunity cost, most US company executives said it they can focus more on sales activities and building topline revenue whilst achieving better efficiency when the issue monitoring activities are handled by an experienced 3rd party company.
Given that social media is fast, global, dynamic (and unforgiving at times), most American and UK companies are staying on top of the game by reprioritizing its business functions in 2025 due to escalating cost and rise of cost-efficient AI-enabled tools.
And by doing so, outsourcing your social media monitoring, brand reputation or issue management free up more time and resources to focus on things that bring more revenue to the company.
The expensive manhours in the US and UK have pushed global brands to outsource real-time crisis detection (monitoring), media monitoring, sentiment analysis and trends, tracking of influencer activities, conversation about products and services, consumer feedback and competitive benchmarking market research to countries such as Malaysia, Philippines or even India.
With Meta (Facebook), Tiktok and Google have their data centers in Malaysia and India, outsourcing social data analysis and media monitoring come naturally as top countries like Malaysia are leveraging on its high-knowledge workers to bring more actionable insights to marketers and PR executives looking to get the best brand insights from social media conversation.
Times have changed for brands
Historically, most large brands such as Nestle, P&G, Coke and Toyota and other global American companies used to have fixed-cost outfit, employing in-house teams that are not cost-sustainable after years of operations to monitor social media.
US-based ad agencies and brands are now capitalizing on economies of scale to centralize brand monitoring, issue monitoring activities and consumer conversations by partnering with offshore companies in countries such as Malaysia or Singapore to take advantage of the lower operating costs to drive meaningful actionable insights.
Berskhire Media is amongst the top companies for outsourcing social media monitoring services, which operating in Malaysia for several years now. The company serve global brands for large companies, organizations and brands with better low-cost structure equipped with data analytics tool to capture most chatter and conversations on social media.
The lack of time, high cost, or multilingual capabilities to track conversations or reputation issues often cited as the reason for outsourcing social media monitoring activities for large companies, particularly FMCG, Banks, Financial Institutions, Retail & Consumer Goods, Automotive and Pharmaceutical industry.
“The outsourcing of social media monitoring activities provides a strategic edge to global brands and marketing agencies, as specialization often brings the most actionable insights”, said Shahid Shayaa, CEO & Founder of Berkshire Media, a company that specializes in sentiment analysis and social media monitoring services.
Here are the top countries with strong technology capabilities and high-skilled labour force to fulfill the demand for social media monitoring services that cover managing reputation risks, brand insights, consumer sentiment and many more.
Top Countries for Social Media Monitoring in 2025
1. Malaysia – The Best Outsourcing in Southeast Asia for APAC Monitoring
Malaysia’s digital marketing landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by strong government support and a tech-savvy, multilingual workforce. The nation’s Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDIGITAL) promotes innovation, cybersecurity, and digital adoption across sectors.
High English proficiency, along with Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia, makes Malaysia ideal for international and regional marketing campaigns, and media monitoring. Investment in IT infrastructure and data centers has surged in recent years, while universities produce a steady stream of highly skilled graduates in marketing, IT, and communications with strong command of the English language.
Malaysia is also home to a growing pool of knowledge workers and digital agencies, positioning it as a competitive hub for outsourced digital marketing and social media monitoring services. The country has attracted large US companies such as Meta, Microsoft, Google and even US rivals such as TikTok to set up their offices in recent years, making it a business-friendly country to set up regional hub for outsourcing your social media monitoring.
✅ Strengths:
- Excellent pool of knowledge workers, high proficiency of English language, marketing knowledge and regional knowledge, especially for ASEAN markets
- Experienced companies offering 10-15 years of experience in media monitoring, reputation risks and consumer insights.
- Highly level of productivity and social media monitoring companies are able to provide multilingual support (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil)
- Strong government policies and incentives backing of the digital economy
- Competitive pricing with labour rate as low as $15 per hour, equipped with modern IT infrastructure and office rental space.
⚠️ Downsides:
- Smaller outsourcing workforce than India or the Philippines
- Not yet dominant in global BPO rankings—limited but niche vendors offer quality social media monitoring services that meet international standards and requirements.
- Time zone limitation: Challenging for US-based companies needing real-time responsiveness, with slight time adjustment required.
Best for:
- Brands expanding into Southeast Asia who want localized insights and multilingual sentiment analysis, or companies seeking value-for-money outsourcing partner with high knowledge and skills
2. Philippines – Best Overall for English Proficiency and Customer-Centric Culture
The Philippines boasts a rapidly growing digital marketing landscape, driven by high English proficiency and a tech-savvy, young population. With over 75% internet penetration and strong social media engagement, it is a prime hub for digital campaigns and social media monitoring. The country produces thousands of IT and marketing graduates annually from top universities, fueling a skilled workforce of knowledge workers. BPO and outsourcing remain economic pillars, supported by government initiatives in digital education and tech innovation. This makes the Philippines a reliable destination for global brands seeking affordable, high-quality talent in digital marketing, analytics, and IT services.
✅ Strengths:
- High English proficiency with minimal accent
- Deep experience in customer service and community management
- Affordable labor with high-quality digital output
- 24/7 operations, especially for US and UK time zones
⚠️ Downsides:
- Limited technical specialization: May not be the best for advanced AI-driven analytics or API-heavy integration.
- Lack of consulting skills: Lack of expertise in issue monitoring, brand reputation or insights that demand complex analytical skills.
- Infrastructure Risks: Occasional power outages or weather disruptions (e.g., typhoons) may affect operations in Philippines. The country has issues with energy supply and this makes it less viable for companies looking to invest in long term BPO-type business services.
- Time zone gap with Europe: Less ideal for brands needing real-time support across EU time zones.
Best for:
- English-speaking brands seeking round-the-clock monitoring, basic sentiment analysis, and rapid customer response.
3. India – Best for Scalable, Tech-Enabled Monitoring
India’s digital marketing and BPO landscape is thriving in 2025, powered by a robust IT ecosystem and a vast pool of English-speaking professionals. The country is a global hub for outsourcing, offering cost-effective services in SEO, content marketing, social media management, and analytics. Backed by strong government support and increasing foreign IT investments, India continues to expand its tech infrastructure. With over 1.5 million annual STEM graduates and a digitally literate workforce, India boasts one of the world’s largest reservoirs of IT talent. Its knowledge workers are known for adaptability, technical expertise, and scalability across digital and data-driven industries.
✅ Strengths:
- Massive pool of tech-savvy and English-speaking talent
- Leading expertise in AI, automation, and sentiment tools
- Cost-effective for large-scale monitoring
- Familiarity with platforms like Sprinklr, Talkwalker, Hootsuite, etc.
⚠️ Downsides:
- Cultural, knowledge and communication barriers: May require more onboarding to align tone and brand voice. Most workers are not equipped to handle complex tasks that involves analytical thinking or complex problem solving when managing brand or reputation risks involving multiple topics or issues. Not ideal to outsource your market research or media monitoring if you have multiple international products.
- Quality inconsistency: High variance between vendors; not all are specialized in social media monitoring, with very few companies have demonstrated its capabilities in brand monitoring or managing reputation risks due to lack of acumen in selected industry verticals.
- Time zone mismatch with US West Coast: May require shift work or nearshore backup.
Best for:
- Brands needing basic media monitoring or analytics, high-volume data processing, and multi-platform monitoring for a super low cost price.
4. Poland – Best for Multilingual & GDPR-Compliant Monitoring in Europe
Poland boasts a rapidly growing digital marketing and BPO landscape in Europe, driven by its strong IT infrastructure and strategic locations around Europe. With cities like Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław emerging as tech hubs, Poland attracts global IT investments thanks to its EU compliance and data security standards.
Although it’s a relatively small country, Poland produces over 80,000 ICT graduates annually, supported by a robust education system and strong English proficiency, making it ideal for companies to outsource its social media monitoring activities.
Its local workforce is highly skilled, multilingual, and culturally aligned with Western markets. Poland’s reputation for quality, GDPR readiness, and cost-effective digital services makes it a top destination for outsourcing IT and social media monitoring functions.
✅ Strengths:
- Strong digital infrastructure and cybersecurity compliance
- High fluency in European languages: German, French, Spanish, Polish
- Culturally aligned with EU/UK markets
- High quality of service and data protection (GDPR-ready)
⚠️ Downsides:
- Higher labor costs than Asia or LATAM at $25 to $40 per hour, thus its expensive pricing may not suit large American companies or global brands looking to optimize their cost by outsourcing its social media monitoring activities.
- Limited talent pool compared to India or the Philippines for high-volume work, and this may not be a cost effective strategy if plan to subscribe to 3rd party services to monitor your brand, or manage customer or daily issues for you.
- Public holidays and workweek expectations differ from other regions, impacting availability and this can another downside which are not aligned to your operational goals.
Best for:
- European brands or companies prioritizing multilingual support and strict data compliance as part of their outsourcing of their social media monitoring strategy.
5. Colombia – Best Nearshore Option for US & LATAM Brands
Colombia’s digital marketing and BPO landscape has grown rapidly, positioning the country as a leading nearshore destination for North American companies. With strong government support for IT investments and digital transformation, cities like Bogotá and Medellín have become innovation hubs. The country boasts a young, tech-savvy, bilingual workforce fluent in English and Spanish. Colombia produces over 100,000 tech and IT graduates annually from top universities, fueling its pool of skilled knowledge workers. Its time zone alignment with the U.S., combined with competitive costs and cultural compatibility, makes Colombia an ideal choice for digital services, social media monitoring, and IT outsourcing.
✅ Strengths:
- Excellent bilingual workforce (Spanish/English)
- Time zone alignment with North America
- Cultural familiarity with US consumer behavior
- Ideal for LATAM sentiment monitoring and localization
⚠️ Downsides:
- Security concerns in certain regions: While improved, political and crime-related risks remain a serious challenge for American companies looking for an outsourcing partner
- Infrastructure variability: Urban centers are strong, but rural areas may lag in internet reliability. This could be a risk those seeking for reliable social media monitoring companies to handle 24/7 issue monitoring for their brands.
- Talent retention: High employee turnover in some BPO sectors and talent retention is the greatest challenge for BPO social media monitoring companies in Columbia
Best for:
- North American brands needing bilingual coverage, LATAM insight, and fast response times.
BPO Man-Hour Rates Social Media Monitoring Services
If pricing is one of your top considerations in outsourcing your social media monitoring activities, there are few countries that offer attractive man-hour rate from as low as $8 per hour to $24 per hour.
Whilst cheapest country such as India may not be necessarily gives you the best quality, countries with high-value consulting experience such as Malaysia and Poland may be better suited as an outsourcing social media monitoring destination with average man-hour rate between $12 per hour to $40 per hour.
A fair value for a reasonable social media monitoring services if you opt to outsource 100% of your function would be approximately $15-$20 per hour. Taking into account a 22 working days per month, at rate of $20 per hour, you are looking at a total cost of USD 3,520 per month for a full-time team member working offshore to handle your social media monitoring, issue monitoring, reporting and alerts.
This cost is deemed reasonable based on BPO man-hour rates given the high-value activities needed to perform social media monitoring activities and usually these analysts are equipped with basic to moderate data analytical skills, data processing and visualization, making it handy for companies to ease their workload to offshore companies.
Here is a breakdown of the average man-hour rates for social media monitoring activities in key countries around the globe. We chose the top 4 to provide you a good comparison on what you should pay for in 2025.
| Country | Average Man-Hour Rate (USD) | Notes |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | $10 – $18/hour | Competitive pricing for English-speaking digital support and CX. Slightly higher for 24/7 or social media specialists. |
| 🇮🇳 India | $8 – $16/hour | Highly cost-effective for data-heavy and tech-driven services. Rates vary by city and specialization. |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | $25 – $40/hour | Higher cost due to EU labor standards, GDPR compliance, and multilingual talent. |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | $12 – $22/hour | Moderate pricing with value-added bilingual support (Spanish-English) and time zone alignment with the U.S. |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $12 – $20/hour | Balanced rate for APAC-focused monitoring with good English and regional language support. |
Conclusions
Whilst there are many factors to consider when outsourcing your social media monitoring function, this proves that language fluency and price alone isn’t enough. Cultural nuance and having industry knowledge matter most in performing social media monitoring, including sentiment scoring and crisis detection.
Offshore social media monitoring companies are dime in a dozen, but careful consideration is needed to weigh its pros and cons. Companies that demonstrate high outsourcing capabilities are often equipped with the best combination of tools / technology along with highly-trained executives, data analysts and researchers who are experienced in various industry verticals.
This makes countries such as Philippines and Malaysia rather unique, offering the best of both worlds with scalable razor-focused technical capabilities to meet the business objectives even for the most seasoned marketers and crisis managers.
About the Author
Shahid Shayaa is the founder and managing director of Berkshire Media. He specializes in data-driven communication strategies and insights using social data analytics, social media monitoring tools and machine learning text algorithms for more than 13 years. As an expert in the field of media monitoring, issue management and managing reputation risks for companies, he is involved in various research studies in this field and published various scientific papers on social data analytics, sentiment analysis and back-end algorithms on consumer sentiment, emotions and behaviour for marketers and campaign managers.
His research work and studies have been cited more than 467 times, inspiring new research in the field of social analytics in Malaysia. You may view his work here.
