Holly Medwid, CEO and founder of Monarch Social Media, is making waves in the digital marketing world with her Toronto-based agency specializing in full-service social media management. Established during the pandemic to help businesses transition into the digital space, Monarch has grown into a thriving team of six, offering tailored strategies to medium-sized businesses across North America.
What is your business called and what does it do?
My business is Monarch Social Media, and we provide full-service social media management. It’s the only service we offer, and we do it really well.
What made you want to do this work?
I saw an obvious need in the space. Social media for business is very different from social media for personal use, and that disconnect has always been there since it became a service that businesses invest in.
To manage social media well for a business, you need a different strategy and understanding of how these platforms work. During the pandemic and the severe lockdowns in Canada, I had so many business owners reaching out for advice on how to keep their customers informed or how to use social media to keep their business going while their storefront was closed. Seeing that need for businesses to transition to the digital space and knowing I could help is what inspired me to start this agency and go full-time back into social media.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
It’s twofold.
First, to provide superior social media management services. We want our social media strategies to actually work for the business, so we prioritize working with businesses that understand what social media can do and what it can’t do. Any business approaching social media with the goal of “going viral” has the wrong focus. That’s not a long-term strategy, and it can be damaging to the business.
Second, we wanted to help businesses represent themselves professionally while keeping their audience informed, engaged, and entertained—and attracting the client’s target demographic. Our approach isn’t the get-rich-quick type; it’s “slow and steady wins the race,” and it works. I know it works because Monarch is going on four years old, and we’ve grown to a team of six and are still growing.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Our clients are business owners who don’t have the time, resources, or talent to manage their social media in-house. Typically, we work with medium-sized businesses that know they need social media but don’t know where to start.
We don’t niche down per se, but we see a lot of opportunity in certain verticals for social media in 2025. Industries like manufacturing, finance, accounting, legal, and insurance—industries you wouldn’t traditionally think of for social media—actually have huge potential. If your potential customers have social media accounts and you’re not showing up, you’re missing out on opportunities.
Social media isn’t where you’ll close a multi-million-dollar deal, but it’s where you build trust and credibility and maintain a presence so you stay top of mind.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
We’re retainer-based, meaning all of our clients start with a six-month retainer. Social media doesn’t happen overnight—it takes time to see results. Retainers start at $3,000 a month and go up from there, depending on the strategy: presence, awareness, or growth.
Clients are billed at the beginning of the month, due within 15 days. After the six-month retainer, they move to month-to-month management with 30 days’ notice if they want to end the contract. But we aim to partner with clients who are in it for the long haul because that’s the kind of mindset you need for social media: long-term results.
Where in the city can we find your profession?
Our head office is in Toronto, but we work with clients across North America. We’ve even worked with a client in Europe.
Our model allows us to source and collaborate with local talent in other cities if needed. For example, if a business in Arizona needs social media management with a video component, we’ll work with a local videographer to secure that content.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
Ask them about their engagement practices. This is key to knowing if someone truly understands social media or is just checking boxes.
The answer you’re looking for is that they spend time in the platforms daily, engaging with your existing community and potential target audience. This means not just managing the community—replying to DMs and comments—but also actively consuming and interacting with content on behalf of the brand.
Be cautious if someone talks about the “best time of day to post.” Social media hasn’t used chronological feeds since the early 2010s, so that advice is outdated.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part is creating jobs. I love building great positions for social media professionals and showing clients the power of social media when it’s done right. It’s exciting to see how impactful it can be, especially when clients start valuing those meaningful interactions that social media creates.
The worst part? Managing expectations and dealing with the negativity on social media. People are quick to complain, and sometimes social media brings out the worst in people. I’d love to see more tolerance for different perspectives and a return to critical thinking, but that’s just an observation from working in this industry for over 13 years.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
I wouldn’t call it a joke, but it’s definitely an insider thing. As social media managers, we think in trends. Certain words—like “suitcase” right now—trigger sound clips or trending audio in my head. If you know, you know.
We also joke about needing multiple phones. It’s just part of the job. On Threads, we’ll have entire conversations with our community of social media managers by just speaking in trend or overused Ai language.
Where can we follow you?
Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Website
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Tosho Knife Arts. I’ve bought several beautiful kitchen knives from them, and they’re amazing at what they do. They also care about their customers—every knife comes with a free sharpening.
If you’re looking for a high-quality gift or great kitchen knives for yourself, I highly recommend them. They’re incredibly knowledgeable and helpful.
