The $60,000 Question Facing Brisbane Business Owners
I was sitting down with a landscaping business owner in Chermside last week. He was frustrated. He knew he needed to get more photos on his website, send out a monthly email to past clients, and keep his Google profile updated so the phone would keep ringing.
He told me, "I’m thinking about hiring a junior marketing person. Someone young who 'gets' the internet. But by the time I pay their salary, super, and work cover, I’m out sixty or seventy grand a year. Is there a better way?"
This is the dilemma every growing business in Brisbane faces right now. Do you hire a human junior, or do you lean into the AI tools everyone is talking about?
Most of what you read online about this is rubbish written by tech nerds. You don't need to know how the software works; you need to know if it will make you money and save you time. Let’s look at the cold, hard facts about AI versus a junior staff member.
The Real Cost: $30/month vs $60,000/year
Let’s be blunt about the money. A junior marketing assistant in Australia will cost you at least $55,000 to $65,000 a year. Once you add in a desk, a laptop, and the time you spend managing them, that figure climbs quickly.
On the flip side, the top-tier AI tools cost about $30 to $50 a month.
If you are a small business owner, that price gap is massive. For the cost of one junior employee, you could pay for AI tools for the next 100 years. If your goal is purely to keep costs down while getting the basics done, AI wins by a knockout.
However, money isn't everything. A tool doesn't have a brain. If you buy a hammer, it doesn't build the house for you. You still need someone to swing it. This is where many owners get stuck—they buy the software but don't have the time to use it.
Speed: Getting Work Done Before Your Morning Coffee
I’ve seen this play out dozens of times. You ask a junior staff member to write a blog post about why residents in The Gap should prune their trees before storm season. They’ll spend two hours researching, an hour writing, and another hour finding a photo. You might see a draft by tomorrow afternoon.
With AI, that same task takes about 90 seconds.
You can get more customers by pumping out helpful advice and updates in the time it takes to boil the kettle. If speed is your priority—getting an offer out to your email list TODAY because you have a gap in the schedule next week—AI is the clear winner.
Accuracy: Where the Human Still Wins (For Now)
Here is the truth: AI can be a confident liar. It will write a beautiful paragraph about a plumbing regulation that doesn't exist in Queensland, or it might suggest a plant for a garden that would die in the Brisbane humidity.
A junior staff member (if they are local) has common sense. They know that North Lakes is a different market to Ascot. They can pick up the phone and talk to a customer.
If you rely 100% on AI without checking the work, you risk looking like a robot. Customers hate that. They want to buy from a local person they trust. The "accuracy" of a human comes from their ability to understand your specific business tone and your local area.
Predictions for 2025: The "Hybrid" Business
I predict that within the next 12 months, the role of the "Junior Marketer" will disappear. It will be replaced by the "AI Operator."
Business owners won't hire someone to write content; they will hire someone to manage the AI that writes the content. This is how you win your time back. Instead of paying someone to spend 40 hours a week on basic tasks, you pay a specialist (or a very smart part-timer) to spend 5 hours a week driving the AI tools to get 40 hours' worth of results.
We are already seeing this with automation for small business. It’s not about replacing humans; it’s about making one human as productive as five.
What Should You Do First?
If you are thinking about hiring, I’d suggest you pause. Before committing to a $60k salary, try these three things:
1. Audit your repetitive tasks: Are you writing the same emails over and over? Are you struggling to think of what to post on Facebook? These are AI tasks. 2. Use AI for the 'First Draft': Don't try to make AI do everything. Use it to get the work 80% done, then spend 10 minutes making it sound like you. This is the fastest way to win back your time while keeping that local Brisbane feel. 3. Hire for Strategy, Not Hands: If you do hire someone, don't hire a junior who needs training. Hire an expert who already knows how to use these tools to get you results. It might cost more per hour, but it will cost less in the long run because they actually get the phone to ring.
Is AI a Waste of Money?
For some businesses, yes. If you just pay the $30 a month and never log in, it’s a waste of money. If you expect it to magically find customers without you telling it who your customers are, it’s a waste of money.
But if you use it to handle the "grunt work"—writing captions, drafting emails, or summarising customer feedback—it is the best investment you will ever make.
The Verdict
Hire a Junior if: You have a massive amount of physical admin, you need someone to run errands, or you have the time and patience to train someone for six months before they become profitable.
Use AI (or an AI-focused Agency) if: You want more leads now, you want to keep your overheads low, and you need the work done yesterday.
At Local Marketing Group, we’ve helped dozens of Brisbane businesses move away from expensive, slow traditional marketing and into high-speed, low-cost AI systems. We don't care about the tech; we care about making sure your phone rings and your calendar stays full.
Ready to stop wasting money on marketing that doesn't work? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s talk about how to grow your business without the massive overhead of a new hire.