We Didn’t Need a Full-Time Person. We Needed Weekly Output

A case study on the downtime problem, and how to stop paying for empty marketing hours. Some teams need steady output, not a permanent role. This case study shows how to compare options and measure what you get.

Key Takeaways:

• When demand is uneven, paid capacity can turn into “empty hours” that never become finished assets, live pages, or published posts.

• Compare options by shipped assets, delivery speed, and review effort, so you can see what your spend produces month after month.

• A simple workflow and clear approvals can keep content marketing moving, while avoiding constant check-ins and endless revision loops.

Getting weekly output without paying for downtime

A small Canadian home based services company wanted consistent marketing, but did not need a full-time role. They wanted regular posts and simple visuals, a refreshed sales one-pager, and quick website updates that could be reviewed and published on a steady rhythm.

The issue was not effort. It was shape. Marketing work comes in waves: a busy period around a launch, then quieter stretches. A full-time role is built for continuous demand, so the firm risked paying for time that did not translate into finished output.

Hiring also brings ongoing employer obligations that exist even when marketing is quiet. The Canada Revenue Agency explains that employers must deduct and remit CPP contributions and EI premiums, and remit the employer share where applicable. (Canada Revenue Agency, 2025).

So the firm reframed the goal from “hire a marketer” to “buy weekly output.” That made the problem measurable. It also surfaced a constraint that is easy to ignore: the team’s limited time to review and approve work.

The Canada Revenue Agency notes that employers must withhold CPP, EI, and income tax from remuneration and remit those deductions, along with the employer share of CPP and EI. (Canada Revenue Agency, 2025).

A fair way to compare options, without hand-waving

The firm compared options by separating capacity from finished output. Capacity is time someone could work. Finished output is the approved, publish-ready assets that actually went live. This is where many teams get stuck in assumptions.

For a reference point, Job Bank lists a median wage of $35.58 per hour in Canada for the occupational group “Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations.” (Government of Canada, 2025). Wages alone do not capture equipment, tools, supervision, or the time spent planning and reviewing, but they help explain why a hire can be a costly answer to an uneven workload.

The firm also reviewed outsourced models that are easier to scale up or down. One example lists design time blocks starting at $199 CAD for four hours, with larger blocks priced higher. (Designer On-Demand product page, n.d.). A recurring subscription model can fit better when the goal is steady throughput rather than a sprint, and one service in this space lists a monthly price of $1,990 CAD with an ongoing workflow that includes review and approval. (Ask For Dex product page, n.d.).

What changes by context is mostly about approvals and workflow. A solo operator often needs fewer meetings and faster decisions, while a small team can handle tighter feedback loops and shared review. A newer website often needs foundational page work before frequent posting makes sense, while an established site can benefit quickly from refresh work like updated hero copy and service tiles. Services businesses often need fewer “product-style” assets than ecommerce, so the right cadence is usually tied to lead flow and follow-up, not catalog size. To keep the comparison honest, the firm tracked cost per finished asset, time-to-delivery, and consistency of publishing, and kept the workflow simple: brief, draft, revisions, final files, publish. (Ask For Dex product page, n.d.).

Making the decision in a way you can defend

If your workload is uneven, start with a short test period and write down what “weekly output” means for you. List the asset types you need, the approval time you can commit to, and the channels that matter most.

Then choose a model that matches your demand shape. Time blocks are useful when you have a clear backlog and strong briefs. A hire can make sense when there is steady work and someone can own planning, production, and reporting end to end. A subscription can fit when you want a stable queue and predictable handoffs across website, email, and social.

After a few cycles, decide with evidence: what shipped, how long it took, and how much review effort it required. If output stalls, look first at approvals and workflow friction before assuming you need more hours.

Article Recap

When marketing demand is uneven, avoid paying for idle time. Compare options by shipped assets, delivery time, and consistency, then choose the model that matches your workload.

FAQ

1. What does “empty hours” mean in marketing work?
   It means paid time that does not translate into publish-ready output, often because demand, approvals, or priorities are uneven.

2. Is hiring always the wrong choice for a small firm?
   No. Hiring can fit when there is steady demand and someone can own planning, production, and reporting without the role drifting into unrelated tasks.

3. When do time blocks work best?
   They work best when you have a clear backlog, strong briefs, and fast approvals so the hours go toward execution.

4. When does a subscription model make sense?
   It can fit when you want a stable queue, predictable handoffs, and recurring output across website, email, and social.

5. What should I measure to compare options fairly?
   Measure cost per finished asset, time-to-delivery, and publishing consistency, then note how much review time and back-and-forth was needed.

6. How can a team reduce revisions?
   Use tighter briefs, assign one approver, and keep brand examples in one place so drafts align early.