How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost? What Should I Expect to Pay?

So you’ve decided to outsource social media marketing. Of course, the next question that pops to mind is how much does social media marketing cost?

First of all, congratulations on your decision.

I know firsthand how overwhelming it can be to deal with multiple profiles. Especially if you want to make sure they generate ROI and are in line with your brand.

But the fact that you don’t want or can’t handle your social media presence on your own doesn’t mean you should pay a fortune for social media marketing services, right?

This article will give you an idea about average and median social media marketing costs depending on who you work with. From interns to experienced freelancers and small and big agencies, the costs of social media management and marketing can vary A LOT.

Before we dive into the pricing matter, let’s take a look at what you pay for when you outsource social media marketing and management:

1. Content Creation

Social media is irrelevant if you’re not consistent with it. If you only post once in a blue moon, you might as well skip it altogether.

The right social media management team will make sure that the content they create for you is in line with your brand attributes and that it attracts and engages your fans. They should create a mix of third-party and proprietary content to keep things diversified.

In fact, content curation from least known sources (everyone reads the BIG publications, right?) is one of the things I typically recommend. My recommendation was quoted by Buffer. You can read recommendations from other top social media specialists here.

Need help with social media management and marketing? Our prices are more than friendly and our services are always ROI-oriented. Take a look and let’s talk!

2. Scheduling

Logging in and out of social media profiles or switching between those profiles can be a nightmare for a one-person show. When you outsource social media management, you can forget about it altogether.

Your new team should take care of everything related to scheduling. They typically do this via a social media management tool. For example, we use Sendible in our agency, both for our clients and for our own social media scheduling.

3. Growing Your Social Media Profiles

Why would you pay for outsourced social media marketing if it doesn’t bring anything GREAT to the table, right? Sure, taking things off your plate is a start, but when you hire specialists in their field, you expect better results than from a VA.

Of course, growth can mean different things for different businesses. For instance, at Idunn we focus less on irrelevant metrics like the number of followers and more on making sure that those followers are relevant to your business goals and that they can be turned into clients.

In fact, social media conversions are our top specialty.

Irrespective of what your KPIs are (from vanity metrics like audience size to actual sales made via social media) you should expect growth. Not instantly, of course. Three months is a reasonable time to make an evaluation of the costs of social media marketing and management and your return.

4. Social Media Advertising

Most companies intend on increasing their social media advertising spend this year, according to Buffer.

If that’s also you, keep in mind that the ads budget is not included in the social media marketing fee. The agency or freelancer that manages your social media ads should typically ask you what your budget is and work within those limits to create the ideal campaigns for your business objectives.

5. Reporting

You have to know what you are paying for, right? So make sure that reporting is included in the amount you pay for social media services.

At Idunn, for example, our clients receive monthly reports that detail the growth of the accounts, best performing posts, best times to post and countless other metrics. Each report is personalized according to the client’s needs and goals.

6. Strategy

Strategy can be included in the overall social media marketing cost or be invoiced separately. However, you should always expect your provider to offer free advice along the way.

Our clients have the option to pay for social media marketing strategy upfront and they receive a comprehensive document that details market analysis, industry analysis, competitor analysis and the steps they can take to reach their goals. This is a stand-alone document filled with examples and how-tos that can be implemented by the client’s team or by us.

Even if they choose to forego this phase, our social media specialists always come up with new ideas on how to grow each channel and offer ongoing strategy advice. This advice can complement the client’s existing strategy (if such a strategy exists).

These are the items that are typically included in social media marketing and management paid monthly. Of course, you can always add more services or delete some that are of no interest to you.

No matter how high or how low is the social media marketing cost, you should always aim for flexibility. Steer clear of agencies or freelancers that suggest a fixed number of posts per week and won’t go any lower or higher.

How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost?

First of all remember that, since this is a service, the cost of social media marketing will vary A LOT depending on whom you hire. And, of course, depending on the range of services they provide for you (see the packages above).

Other things that factor into social media cost are:

• The number of social networks your company has a profile on.
• The number of profiles your company has (there can be more than one Facebook page or Twitter account per company).
• How much interactions with fans and followers is expected. For example, a corporate account of a legal company will have less interaction than a page posting funny memes.
• Community size. Even though the person or agency that takes over the management of your accounts is expected to grow the size of the community, the starting point is relevant. Why? Because it speaks of the volume of interaction expected (much like above).
• The number of posts per week. This is something that you can discuss with your new provider (they can offer advice), but it doesn’t hurt for you to have an idea in advance.

Now let’s take a look at the social media marketing cost depending on whom you hire.

1. Freelancer (Beginner Level)

A newbie can ask for as little as $100 per month for social media marketing and management. Of course, this also depends on their age and where they live – age and location influence their expenses and they might not be able to go any lower even if they wanted to.

Image via Freerange Stock Photos

You can probably use Fiverr or Freelancer.com to get even lower prices. But I wouldn’t recommend it.

You know that old adage ‘what you pay is what you get’? Well, it rings true for social media marketing cost, too.

So, what can you expect when you pay at least $100 per month for social media marketing?

• Erratic posting. No clear schedule.
• No strategy. Your freelancer will post what they feel like posting. Most often, this translates into the easiest posts to create. Perhaps even stolen copy or images.
• Sizeable gaps in your history/interaction. What happens when your freelancer goes on vacation, when they have exams or get sick? That’s right, nothing.
• No reporting

All in all, when your social media marketing costs approximately $100 per month expect VERY basic services. Be honest, how much would YOU work for $100 per month?

2. Freelancer (Experienced)

What does an experienced freelancer charge for social media marketing services? Well, you can expect anything between $500 and even upwards of $2000 if said freelancer has a solid reputation in their field.

Again, the social media marketing cost here varies according to the freelancer’s location, their age and other socio-demographic factors.

What can you expect when you pay upwards of $500 per month for social media marketing services from an experienced freelancer?

• A clear posting scheduled. An experienced freelancer knows (or should know the importance of regularity)
• Well-researched posts. A good freelancer has a marketing background and knows how to do proper research, even if it’s light.
• Strategy input. You will probably have to be quite involved here and offer direction, but you can expect valuable advice from a seasoned social media freelancer.
• Gaps in your posting history and interaction. A freelancer is a single person, with a personal life that sometimes gets in the way. However, a seasoned professional will most likely use scheduling tools that allow them to prepare the posts in advance.
• Expect (or demand) that you receive monthly reports from your social media marketing freelancers. This is even a test of their professionalism. A good professional will include them in any basic package.

Should you hire a freelancer to manage your social media accounts?

Well, it depends on your goals, really. If you can supervise closely and be involved at least on a weekly basis then yes, a freelancer is a great idea. Keep in mind, though, that you will have to be ready to take over at any moment. Some freelancers are in the habit of dropping their clients when they decide to pursue a full-time job or when a better client comes along.

So do have a back-up plan, OK?

3. Digital Marketing Agency

If there is an area where prices of social media marketing vary A LOT, that’s when you decide to hire an agency. A digital marketing agency can charge anything between $700 and $20,000+ per month. The sky is the limit, really.

Image via Pexels

Why does social media marketing cost vary so much from agency to agency?

Well, it’s somewhat similar to the factors that influence social media marketing freelancers’ prices. Location is important. You will definitely pay more for an agency in the Bay Area than for one in India.

Other things to factor in are the size of the team. How many people are working on your account? Do you have a designated account manager?

Of course, the level of experience of said employees matters a lot, too. An intern is a great creative asset, but if there’s a senior involved with your account, the prices will definitely soar.

Finally, as you might have expected, it’s also about reputation. A small digital agency will never charge you as much as an established one that has won countless prices.

What can you expect when you pay a digital marketing agency to work on your social media accounts?

• A detailed posting schedule/a calendar.
• Heavily-researched posts. A top digital marketing agency will conduct constant market research and competitor analysis to make sure your posts convert and appeal to your community.
• Strategy design or occasional strategy input. You have the whole team that can offer insights and creative suggestions. Depending on what you choose, an agency can come up with a full social media strategy (typically for a separate fee) or offer ongoing support in this department (typically part of the monthly social media marketing cost discussed in advance).
• No gaps in your posting history/interaction. A digital marketing team can easily replace one of their colleagues who goes on vacation or takes a sick leave.
• Detailed reporting. Digital marketing agencies worth their salt typically work with social media management tools that can provide them and their clients with reports that are far more detailed than what you can pull from the social networks themselves.
• Ad creation and reporting. In the dawn of social media outsourcing, a Facebook expert could have easily handled your profile management and your Facebook ads. But now, the Facebook ads platform has gotten so complex, that you’re better off working with someone who’s a CPC ads expert rather and a social media marketing one. Of course, there are freelancers who can master both. An agency should definitely have both experts in-house.

Should you hire a digital marketing agency to handle your social media? If stability, regularity and accountability are important for you, then yes.

It’s true that the cost of social media marketing rises when you hire an agency instead of a freelancer. But then again so does the quality of your posts, ads and overall presence.

How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost at Idunn?

Our social media marketing and management services are tailor-made according to every client’s needs and KPIs. Consequently, so are the prices.

Social media marketing costs at Idunn start at $800 per month (for no more than three social profiles and no ads) and, depending on the volume of work associated with managing your profiles, can be double that amount or more.

All our packages are discussed with the client exhaustively and re-negotiated yearly.

What’s included in the social media marketing cost above?

• Account management: regular posting, interactions with fans and followers
• Constant research and market intelligence (competitor research, trend monitoring and more)
• Exhaustive monthly reports
• Dedicated account manager
• Precisely targeted and ROI-oriented ads (ad budget not included in social media marketing fee)
• Strategy input (as needed)
• Social media management tool included (we work with Sendible, but our specialists can use any other tool if the client already has a subscription).
• Additional services as per client’s request

Want to see if our services are the right fit for you? Test drive our packages with an exclusive offer: 50% of the first month off! Get in touch with us, tell us you read our blog post on social media marketing cost and let’s get your social profiles noticed!