Find a Social Media Marketing Expert near you
The average rating for Bark Social Media Marketing Experts is 4.9, based on 75,378 reviews
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based on 75,378 reviews
How much will you pay for a social media marketing expert? Read our handy guide to find out how much a social media marketing agency or freelancer will charge for their expertise.
Social media marketing is a great way to promote your business online and find new potential customers. The most common platforms include Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and more recently the social media phenomenon TikTok. Pinterest, Snapchat and Reddit are also popular for social media marketing, depending on the business and its aims. But what is social media marketing, and why is it worth the cost?
The goal is to create content (like videos, images, and text) that both helps to build your audience and connects with them too. Social media marketing agencies or social media freelancers will plan content, create it, schedule it, and monitor the results (which might be getting more followers, making more people click on your website, or ultimately selling more products). These social media experts can be worth the price as they'll know how to get more customers and make the most of all these different, ever-changing social media platforms.
But how much does social media management cost, and how should you budget for it? Let's take a look!
The first step is to look at average prices so you can find a ballpark figure for your social media budget. Social media marketing fees are highly variable, but as an average in the UK, small to medium-sized business owners are looking at a monthly commitment ranging from £300 to £800. This includes the services of a dedicated professional or agency, each offering a level of service tailored to your business objectives and budget.
Here’s the average cost based on local professionals in the UK:
| Average cost (per month) | £300 - £500 |
| Minimum cost (per month) | £125 |
| Maximum cost (per month) | £800+ |
Before you look to hire an agency or freelancer for your social media marketing, you need to have an idea of your current pain points and what you want to achieve. That way, you can align your needs with the correct expert.
The quality of the posts and the expertise required will all affect the price. Some social media marketing agencies have copywriters, designers, developers and statisticians who may all work together on each client. On the other end of the scale, it’s also possible to find someone who attempts each of these attributes themselves, which may work out cheaper if budget is your main concern.
The cost of social media marketing can vary widely. Here are some of the key factors affecting the cost:
The complexity of the service
Hourly rates vs. packages
Professional’s experience
The cost of your social media marketing is going to depend on the complexity of the service you require. The frequency of posts also has an impact on cost, as the more you require, the longer it will take to generate and schedule.
Most business owners opt for an average monthly package, which ranges between £300 and £500 a month. This would include the generating of content and some feed support, but wouldn’t be as in-depth as what other packages can provide.
Though, the beauty of social media marketing is it’s totally customisable to your needs. So, it’s possible to start small and build up the level of support you need, or even scale back services that aren’t needed.
For businesses that prefer a more flexible model, hourly rates could be the answer. In the UK, the hourly fee for a social media marketing professional ranges significantly, from £40 at the lower end to upwards of £120 for more seasoned experts. This flexibility allows for more precise budgeting and can be a prudent approach for businesses that have less predictable social media needs.
| Type of social media management (per hour) | Highest average price | Lowest average price |
| Basic | £20 | £15 |
| Average | £50 | £20 |
| Comprehensive | £120 | £50 |
Many agencies offer bundled packages that include a suite of services, from setting up social media accounts and planning content to managing advertising campaigns and providing detailed analytics reports. The beauty of these personalized bundles is that they're often scalable, allowing for add-ons as your business grows. Expect to pay between £400 and £1,500 for these package deals, depending on the depth of services included.
| Type of social media management (monthly) | Highest average price | Lowest average price |
| Basic | £200 | £100 |
| Average | £500 | £300 |
| Comprehensive | £1,500+ | £1,000 |
So, should you choose hourly or package rates for your social media journey? It all depends on what the freelancer or agency includes in those rates, and what you actually want to achieve. If you're just dipping your toes in the waters of social media, starting with an hourly professional might suit you as you decide whether or not it's worth it. But if you know social media is good for your business, you have a higher budget, or you just want to go all-in, a package is likely to be a better option. Remember to bear in mind that building an audience through social media is a long game, so you won't get results after a couple of hours of work; it may cost a little more in the long run, but investment can be worth it in the long run.
If you’re a social media newbie, you might want to think about the following before you pay for a social media marketer:
When used correctly, social media is a powerful medium which will allow you to connect with your audience. Identifying your goals will help streamline your efforts. For example, do you want to increase page followers? How about boost sales of a particular service you offer?
Most businesses have multiple goals, which may change depending on the time of year or the needs of the business itself. Each goal will require a particular strategy to be developed to be able to reach it. This is where paying a social media marketer can come in handy, because they may be able to advise on which goals are achievable through social media.
If you’re a startup, your business might not have any social media channels set up yet. Or, you might be unsure which platforms would suit your business, and allow you to reach your target audience the best.
Social media marketing can help you get started, or pick up from where you’re currently at. Price-wise, the more content that needs to be generated in terms of platform types and frequency, the more expensive it will be. However, given the idea of marketing is to generate a return, if done correctly your social media marketing will produce a healthy ROI.
Facebook has 2.7 billion users, making it an excellent place to implement a social media marketing strategy. The expert you choose should be well versed in Facebook as a whole, but more specifically Facebook Ads, as managing digital advertising budgets is very important.
X is all about succinct messaging and clever use of imagery. People can either like or retweet anything you post, though the reach of your tweets can be greatly increased with the right use of hashtags. You’ll need to consider the content of your messaging and the time at which it goes out to achieve success.
Social media marketing on Instagram is about capturing the right image and video content. Plus, each post requires an engaging piece of copy underneath, that also makes use of hashtags and tagging. It’s also possible to sell products through Instagram and build brand pages. Paying a social media marketer who knows all the ins-and-outs of Instagram can be very useful for a business which has physical products, particularly fashion or beauty products.
Psst - here's a guide to choosing between Instagram and Facebook.
Users are increasingly consuming more and more video content. As a business, it’s one of the best ways to promote your services. For example, a mechanic could upload a ‘how-to’ guide on how to change a tyre. The video itself can be monetised, meaning you’ll earn money for each view. However, you can also leave your contact details in the description box so that customers can find you.
The main portion of social media marketing relates to the generating and scheduling of content. Depending on your business, you may want a post to go out across all feeds every day. Though some businesses increase this to every hour throughout the day. Your agency or freelancer will help you work this out, by checking your analytics to see when your followers are most active. You may pay more for social media marketing depending on how often per day, week and month you want to post.
If you own an online business or eCommerce store, then you may want to pay for customer support as part of your social media marketing package. This includes replying to customers who message you, and those who leave comments on your page. It can be very time consuming to provide this service yourself, which is why many businesses pay a social media marketing expert instead.
Most social media platforms have paid advertising options such as Facebook Ads. Understanding how to create campaigns successfully takes a fair bit of technical knowledge, not to mention mathematical ability. Otherwise, you could throw large sums of money on advertising that doesn’t work or even gets rejected by the platform.
Therefore, understanding paid advertising is an important aspect of social media marketing. Your expert will work with you to devise an audience and a budget. The costs for paid advertising are agreed in advance, and you can tailor the reach by your budget.
As well as generating content for your social media, your chosen freelancer or agency will need to compile stats and generate reports about the progress of your campaigns. For example, how many followers you have gained since they took over your feeds. Or, how many users your paid advertising reached and how many conversions this generated for the business.
This type of service is more comprehensive but is the best way of determining what is working for your social media feeds and what isn’t. It’s also a great opportunity for them to share ideas about what could work for upcoming posts, based on how previous content has performed.
Savvy business owners recognize that it’s not about how much you spend, but how strategically you spend it. Here’s how to get the most bang for your buck:
Content Calendar Cohesion
Streamlining your posting schedules to take advantage of organic trends on specific platforms can drive top-tier engagement without additional costs.
In-House Versus Outsourcing
Assess whether certain social media tasks, such as content creation or community management, can be handled by your in-house team, minimizing the load on external resources.
Analytics for Efficiency
Regularly reviewing analytics data can highlight which strategies are yielding the best return, allowing you to focus on what works and cut down on ineffective spending.
DIY Content Creation Tools
Platforms and services offering templates and content-creation tools mean you might not always need a professional every step of the way.
Adopting decision-making processes that incorporate these points can lead to a smarter, more cost-effective social media marketing expenditure.
Your budget should be the lynchpin of your social media marketing strategy. If you're a small business with local reach, you might not need the same level of investment as a medium-sized firm aiming for national recognition. Begin by setting clear, realistic budget parameters, and then seek out professionals who can tailor their offerings to meet those needs. Remember that while cost is critical, it should always be balanced against quality and results.
The investment you make in social media marketing has a lot to take into consideration. It's not just a financial outlay but a strategic decision that can shape how your brand is perceived, interacted with, and ultimately, purchased from. Gather as much information as you can, leverage the expertise of professionals where they're most impactful, and always strive for a balance between spending and return on investment. With these insights, you'll be well on your way to cost-effective, impactful social media marketing in the UK for 2024 and beyond!
Ready to boost your business? Find social media marketing experts for your business on Bark.
The average rating for Bark Social Media Marketing Experts is 4.9, based on 75,378 reviews
5/5
based on 75,378 reviews
