For business owners, many of whom don’t fully understand how to manage their company’s social media presence, social media marketing can seem like a confusing expense and difficult to understand. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Social media is a crucial part of marketing your business, but the big question remains: what should you be charging for your services? There are various types of social media available, and it depends on which one(s) you choose to specialize in. In this blog post, we’ll go through some of the most popular platforms and highlight their pros and cons as well as provide some suggestions on how much to charge. We’ll also talk about freelance social media manager rates, social media management packages, how much do social media managers charge per post, how finding your niche on social media can help jumpstart your success.
What should I charge for social media marketing
Social media management is a valuable service for businesses. You can hire a freelancer to manage your social media accounts, or you can pay for a package that includes multiple services.
Social media managers can create posts, respond to comments and answer questions on their accounts. They also help with audience development, monitoring brand mentions and analytics reporting. Social media management is often included in marketing packages.
Freelance social media manager rates
If you need help managing your social media accounts but don’t want to pay for an ongoing package, consider hiring an individual freelancer instead. Freelancers charge hourly rates or per-post prices based on their experience and expertise.
Most freelance social media managers charge between $50 and $200 per hour; however, if you have previous experience managing accounts at large companies or agencies and have built up a large following on your own personal accounts (or those owned by companies), your rates may be higher than average
Pricing for social media marketing is a tricky thing. The projects you take on will vary in size, scope and complexity — so it’s hard to know how much to charge for your services.
As a freelancer, you don’t have an entire marketing agency behind you that can help with things like sales, HR and accounting. So while it might be tempting to just charge by the hour (or even by the project), you should consider other ways of pricing your work to make sure you’re getting paid fairly.
Social media management packages
Some companies offer packages that include multiple services such as web design, SEO optimization and email marketing. These packages are usually cheaper than hiring each service separately and they make it easier to manage all of your digital marketing efforts from one place.
Social media marketing pricing is a hot topic for business owners who want to promote their brand on social media.
But what should you charge? And how much do freelance social media managers charge?
The answer depends on your experience and the number of hours you expect to spend on the project.
Social Media Management Pricing Packages
When it comes to pricing, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. You’ll need to consider your own skills and experience, as well as the size of the project.
Here are some examples of social media management pricing packages:
Social Media Management Fees: Hourly and Per Project Rates
Social Media Management Fees: Monthly Packages
Freelance Social Media Manager Rates
If you’re looking for a freelance social media manager, here are some ballpark rates that may help you determine how much to budget:
Social media management can be a very lucrative business, but it’s important to understand what you’re getting into before you start charging for your services. Many small businesses are already paying someone — whether that’s an in-house employee or a freelancer — to manage their social media accounts, and they’re expecting results. So it’s important not to underprice yourself when listing your services.
If you’re just starting out, you may want to consider charging per hour instead of per post or per month. This allows clients to pay for the amount of work that goes into each post instead of expecting you to create content every single day without fail. If a client wants five posts per week and only needs two pieces of original content each month, for instance, you could charge $100 per hour for four hours of work — or $200 for eight hours — instead of charging $100 for eight hours’ worth of posts each month.
We’ve put together some general recommendations below based on our own experiences managing multiple social media accounts for both small businesses and large brands:
If you’re managing multiple clients’ social media accounts, then charging per project could be the best way to go about things. You’ll have more opportunities to grow your business as well as build relationships with potential clients — which means more leads from referrals down the line.
A good rule of thumb is charging anywhere between $100-$1,000 per month per client depending on the size of their company and how many social media profiles they need managing. If they want additional services like Facebook ads or Instagram posts, then add those into the package too!
When you’re starting out, it’s hard to know what to charge for your services. That’s why we’ve put together a list of common social media management pricing packages, so you can get an idea of what to expect from your new clients.
You may not be able to offer everything on this list — or even some of it — but they’re all good places to start. Here are the most common social media management pricing packages:
Basic social media management package: $200-$400/month
This includes the basics like posting content and responding to comments, but doesn’t involve any strategy or analytics. This can be a good option for small businesses who want a simple presence on social media without paying much up front.
Advanced social media management package: $500-$1000/month
This includes all the basic features plus more advanced analytics and strategy. You’ll also be able to implement long-term strategies for your client’s brand that will improve their online presence over time (e.g., creating videos or podcasts). If this sounds like what you want to do, then consider offering this as an option in addition to basic management — but don’t try to sell it as a standalone service unless you have significant experience with it.
There is no definitive answer to this question, in part because the cost of social media marketing depends on a variety of factors.
In general, there are three types of social media management pricing packages:
Hourly rates: Hourly rates range from $20-50 per hour or more depending on experience and skill level. Freelancers often charge less than agencies or companies.
Per project basis: You will typically pay a set fee for each project. This can vary greatly depending on the size and scope of your project, but average costs tend to be around $1,000-$2,000 per month.
Monthly retainer: A monthly retainer is similar to a per project basis but allows you to pay an agreed-upon amount every month regardless of how much work you need done. Retainers typically cost between $500-$1,500 per month depending on how many hours are included in the package and what other features are offered (e.g., SEO services).