How Much To Hire A Social Media Marketer?

How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost?

Social media marketing costs anywhere from $650-$7,000 a month or more paid to the agency or person managing your accounts with anywhere from $200-$50,000 in additional ad spend being paid to the ad platform you’re advertising on each month. This can also translate to $50-$300 per hour or $500-$50,000+ per project, depending on your business’s goals, size, choice of social media platform and service provider.

How Much To Hire A Social Media Marketer?

It costs $650-$7,000 a month or more on average to hire a social media marketer, but the exact cost depends on a number of factors. 

These factors include your budget, the size of your business, your goals, the social media platform(s) you want to utilize and how much your service provider charges. 

This social media pricing guide will help you determine how much it costs to hire a social media marketer and give you a strong understanding of additional social media costs.

What Is The Average Cost Of Social Media Marketing?

The average cost of social media marketing ranges from $650-$7,000 a month, but it can vary depending on several factors including the pricing model. For instance, not all social media service providers charge on a monthly basis. 

These are the three most common social media pricing models:

• Per month: a monthly retainer or monthly subscription-based costs
• Per project: services paid in full for entire projects, regardless of the length of execution
• Per hour: services paid for by the hour

Social Media Marketing Costs Per Month

Social media marketing costs per month range from $650-$7,000 on average.

Service Provider	Monthly Rate
Social Media Agency	$650-$20,000
Social Media Freelancer	$500-$2,000
In-house Social Media Marketer	$3,000-$8,000

Social Media Marketing Costs Per Project

Social media marketing projects typically cost $500-$50,000 or more per project. One-time projects typically include a finite amount of services as opposed to ongoing or subscription-based services.

Social Media Marketing Costs Per Hour

Some social media marketing service providers charge $50 to $300 an hour on average. This can vary based on their level of expertise and the scope of services being provided. 

Pricing Model	Rate
Per Month	$650-$7,000+
Per Project	$500-$50,000+
Per Hour	$50 to $300+

How Much Does Social Media Marketing Cost Per Platform?

Depending on the nature of your business and target audience, you will likely find that certain social media platforms are better suited for you than others. These are the most commonly-used social media platforms for business:

Facebook
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Twitter/X
Snapchat

Facebook Marketing Costs

On average, Facebook marketing costs $0.01-$7.19 depending on what you’re paying for. Check out the average Facebook advertising costs:

CPC (cost per click)	$0.26 – $0.97
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions)	$1.01 – $7.19
CPL (cost per like)	$0.01 – $1.08
CPA (cost per action)	$0.01-$5.47
CPD (cost per download)	$0-$5.00
Average Ad Spend	$200-$50,000 per month
Ongoing Campaign Management	$650-$6,000 per month
Minimum Budget to Perform	The minimum daily budget for Facebook ads is $1/day for ad sets that aim for impressions and $5/day or more for ads that have other goals

There are several factors that can influence these costs including the following:

• Ad type
• Industry and competition
• Bid
• Budget
• Estimated action rates
• Demographic you’re targeting
• Ad relevance
• Holidays and events
• Day of the week
• Campaign scope

Instagram Marketing Costs

Instagram marketing costs $0.01-$7.19 depending on what you’re paying for. Take a look at the average Instagram marketing costs:

CPC (cost per click)	$0.01-$3.56
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions)	$0.01-$7.91
CPE (cost per engagement)	$0.02-$0.08
Average Ad Spend	$200-$50,000 per month
Ongoing Campaign Management	$650-$6,000 per month
Minimum Budget to Perform	The minimum daily budget for Instagram ads is $1/day for ad sets that aim for impressions and $5/day or more for ads that have different goals

Because Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same parent company, Meta, you’ll see that similar factors influence the costs across both platforms:

• Industry
• Marketing goals
• Target audience demographics (like age and gender)
• Audience interests or attributes
• Budget/bid amounts
• Ad objective, placement, and quality
• Season

TikTok Marketing Costs

These are the average TikTok marketing costs:

CPC (cost per click)	$1.00
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions)	$10.00
oCPM (optimized cost per impression)	$4.00-$10.00
Average Ad Spend	$200-$50,000 per month
Ongoing Campaign Management	$650-$6,000 per month
Minimum Budget to Perform	$50.00 per day for campaigns, $20 per day for ad groups

YouTube Marketing Costs

YouTube is owned by Google, and therefore its costs are a little different from other social media platforms. These are the average YouTube marketing costs:

CPC (cost per click)	$0.25-$3.21
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions)	$9.68-$15.34
CPV (cost per view)	$0.10-$0.40
Non-skippable ads	$6.00-$10.00 cpm
In-feed video ads	$0.10 CPV
Average Ad Spend	$200-$50,000 per month
Ongoing Campaign Management	$500 to $10,000 per month
Minimum Budget to Perform	$10.00 a day

These are the most common factors that impact YouTube costs:

• Ad format
• Budget
• Bid 
• Targeting options
• Bidding selections
• Seasons

LinkedIn Marketing Costs

LinkedIn is a unique social media platform in that it is career and employee-oriented. These are the average LinkedIn marketing costs:

CPC (cost per click)	$2.00-$5.26
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions)	$5.01-$8.00
CPS (cost per send for sponsored InMail campaigns)	$0.26-$0.80
CPO (cost-per-open)	$1.70
Average Ad Spend	$200-$50,000 per month
Ongoing Campaign Management	$650-$6,000 per month
Minimum Budget to Perform	$10 a day or $100 lifetime budget

These are the most common LinkedIn ad types:

• Sponsored content: Media-rich ads that are shown specific LinkedIn members’ feeds on different devices
• Sponsored messaging: Direct messages sent through LinkedIn Messaging to your target audience.
• Dynamic Ads: Personalized ads based on LinkedIn members’ profile data and behavior
• Text Ads: Self-service pay-per-click ads with flexible pricing for any budget (these have a minimum budget of $10)
• Single image ad: Image ads that target a specific audience and appear in LinkedIn members’ feeds across desktop and mobile devices.
• Video ad: Interactive video content that is promoted in LinkedIn members’ feeds across mobile and desktop devices to boost engagement
• Carousel image ad: Swipeable series of cards that tell a story or showcase products and appear in LinkedIn members’ feeds.
• Document ad: Ads that promote gated and/or ungated documents directly in LinkedIn members’ feeds.

Pinterest Marketing Costs

These are the average Pinterest marketing costs:

CPC (cost per click)	$0.01-$1.50
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions)	$0.01-$30.00
CPCO (cost per conversion)	$0.01-$2.00
Average Ad Spend	$200-$50,000 per month
Ongoing Campaign Management	$650-$6,000 per month
Minimum Budget to Perform	$2.00 per day

These are the most common factors that impact Pinterest costs:

• Industry
• Target audience
• Campaign scope
• Ad structure, placement, and relevancy
• Bid amount/budget
• Competition level

Twitter (X) Marketing Costs

Twitter marketing, now called X marketing, costs anywhere from $0.26-$6.46 a month or more on average. These are the average Twitter (X) marketing costs:

CPC (cost per click)	$0.38
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions)	$6.46
CPFA (cost per first action for promoted posts)	$0.26-$0.50
CPF (cost per follow for promoted accounts)	$1.01-$4.00
CPE (cost per engagement)	$1.35
CPD (cost per download)	$1.95 to $3.25
Average Ad Spend	$200-$50,000 per month
Ongoing Campaign Management	$650-$6,000 per month
Minimum Budget to Perform	No minimum

These are some of the things that impact Twitter (X) costs:

• Industry
• Competition
• Bid type
• Billable actions
• Ad budget
• Ad quality score

Snapchat Marketing Costs

On average, snapchat marketing costs anywhere from $5-$50 per day. Typically, the more you spend on this platform, the more results you’ll see.

These are the most common forms of advertisement on Snapchat:

• Snap ads: Ads that appear in between users’ stories.
• Collection ads: Ads that show a series of products 
• Story ads: Ads that appear in the Discover area under the “For You” section and appear as native content from other media or news sources
• Augmented Reality (AR) lenses: Ads that turn into animated filters based on a viewer’s facial movements.
• Filters: Ads that allow an overlay on photos people add to their photos or videos

You can run Snapchat ads on a daily budget or a lifetime budget.

Which Hiring Choice Generates More Results For Social Media Marketing, Outsourcing Or Hiring In-House?

How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Social Media Manager?

A social media manager can cost anywhere from $7,800 to $95,000 a year or more depending on if you hire a salaried in-house employee, a social media marketing agency or a freelancer.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Social Media Freelancer?

Average Cost	Pros	Cons
$500–$5,000 per month; many freelancers also offer hourly rates at an average of $31.	Flexible work schedules, cost-effective solutions, and charge only for specific work	Level of expertise can fluctuate, can overbook themselves and are sometimes known for high turnover rates

How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Social Media Marketing Agency?

Average Cost	Pros	Cons
$650–$7,000 monthly, including organic and paid marketing across multiple networks	Team of expertise for oftentimes less than 1 salaried employee, time saved on your part, and access to premium tools and software allowing you to track revenue and growth	Can be costly depending on the agency, and can mean giving up some control over your content and strategy

Is A Social Media Agency Worth It?

Yes, a social media agency is usually worth it for most small businesses because they don’t have the funds to hire a high-quality social media manager in-house nor do they have the time to do the work themselves.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire An In-House Social Media Marketer?

Average Cost	Pros	Cons
The annual base salary typically ranges from $47,800 to $70,300, or about $33.80 per hour.	More control over your campaigns, quick communication and direct understanding of your brand	Salary, benefits and training costs can be more expensive than outsourcing, may not always be on top of innovative strategies

How To Hire The Right Social Media Manager Yourself

When deciding who to hire to manage your social media, consider these factors:

• Time: If you have limited time, consider a freelancer or agency so that they can maintain an active social media presence on your behalf without you having to manage them or train them.
• Control: If you want full control, you’ll probably want to invest in an in-house social media manager. Whereas if you just want someone to handle it all for you, an agency is a better fit.
• Budget: If you have a smaller budget, purchase specific, finite services from a freelancer. If you have a bigger budget, an agency or an in-house social media manager can offer ongoing, comprehensive services.
• Expertise: If you need somebody with a lot of experience, you’ll want to employ an agency or an in-house manager. While some freelancers are equally experienced, not all are and it can be hard to discern which are and which aren’t.

Once you’ve decided which hiring route makes the most sense for you, you’ll want to follow these steps:

1. Define your goals
2. Set criteria of what you want in your new hire
3. Search for candidates that meet your criteria
4. Interview them
5. Make an offer or purchase their services

What Determines Social Media Marketing Prices?

There are several factors that directly impact social media marketing prices:

• Business Goals: A business solely looking to garner brand awareness via likes and comments is going to spend less on social media than one looking to obtain sales. The higher the value of the action you’re looking to acquire, usually the higher the cost to get it.
• Industry: Some industries are more competitive than others, and therefore sometimes you either have more or less competition on social media vying for the same target audience as you. If you have more competition, it drives the price of reaching that audience up.
• Budget: How much money you have to spend on social media will directly impact the quantity and sometimes quality of your results. If your competitors have a bigger budget than you, they will likely reach your shared target market more quickly and frequently than you, driving up the overall cost per result for you.
• Bid: While your budget is how much you can spend in total, your bid is how much you’re willing to spend on certain actions, such as a click on your ad. So if your competitors are bidding higher than you, your target audience will likely see their ad instead of yours, driving the overall cost per result higher for you.
• Target Audience: Some target audiences are more popular than others. If there are a lot of people trying to reach them, it will drive your social media costs up trying to reach them as well.
• Campaign Scope: This goes back to your business goals. Campaigns that optimize for engagement are going to have a lower cost than those that optimize for sales.
• Platform: Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are likely going to give you a lower cost per result than platforms that have a smaller user base and less-advanced ad platform.
• Community Management: If you’re paying someone to manage your social media for you, you’ll likely need to pay them to monitor and respond to all of your comments and DMs on social media.
• Social Media Marketing Tools: If you’re paying an agency to handle your social media, they will likely come with all the social media marketing tools you need at no extra cost. Otherwise, you’ll want to pay for additional social media marketing tools beyond what the social media platforms offer for free.

While those are the most common factors that impact social media marketing prices, there are quite a few things that indirectly affect social media marketing as well, especially if you’re doing it yourself:

1. Time: It takes a lot of time to plan and execute an effective social media strategy: everything from target market research and content planning to scheduling content, tracking results and optimizing ads. So if you do it well, it will cost time. If you don’t take the time to do it well, it will cost you time and money.

2. Quality of Content: Creating content on your own, even if you use templated tools like Canva, can often come across as unprofessional or invaluable to your audience. Low-quality content negatively impacts your brand and engagement rates. So you’ll want to take the time to invest in high-quality content.

3. Posting Consistency: Social media is not a one-time “set it and forget it” marketing strategy. Posting three times in one week and then never again will not get your results. It will cost you time, but you need to post valuable content consistently to see results.

4. Lack of Expertise: Because social media algorithms and trends change so often, your social media strategy can become outdated quickly if you don’t stay on top of it. This is why a lack of expertise can cause your social media strategy to fail in producing any results.

5. Community Engagement: If you don’t respond to all of your comments, DMs and reviews, it can stop your audience from building trust and loyalty in your brand. This can cost you in the long run, extending the sales cycle and increasing your overall cost per result. 

6. Analytics and Tracking: Failing to monitor your social media analytics or properly track your ROI can cause you to miss patterns, and opportunities to optimize. 

7. Ad Campaign Efficiency: Running an efficient social media ad campaign means you have to understand ad targeting, budgeting, bids, A/B testing and ad optimization. Inexperience or lack of time in this area can lead to wasteful ad spend.

8. Brand Consistency: Failure to keep your branding, logo, name and brand voice consistent across all social media platforms can prevent customers from buying from you.

What Does A Social Media Manager Do?

We’ve talked a lot about how much it costs to hire a social media marketer, but what does a social media manager actually do? Let’s look at some of their most common tasks:

What Do Social Media Managers Do?

• Target market research
• Industry research
• Competitor analysis
• Strategy conception
• Content planning
• Post creation (including captions, hashtags, visuals, short videos and graphics)
• Post scheduling
• Trend analysis
• Ad creation
• Ad optimization
• A/B testing
• Community engagement
• Reputation management
• Monthly reporting and optimization

How Much Should You Budget For Social Media Marketing?

You should set aside 8%-10% of your company’s annual revenue as your social media marketing budget if possible. On average, companies allocate anywhere from 5%-40%. It all just depends on how big your total budget is, your goals and your ROI (return on investment).

Social Media FAQs

How much should I pay a social media marketer?

You should pay a social media marketer anywhere from $650-$7,000 a month if you want a qualified expert to manage your social media and generate results like followers, engagement and sales.

Is it worth it to hire a social media marketer?

Yes, it is worth it to hire a social media marketer because experts will be able to generate revenue from social media for your business, covering the cost to hire them, the cost of your service and more so that you profit.

How much should I budget for social media marketing?

You should budget anywhere from $850-$57,000 a month or more to pay for the person or agency managing your social media accounts as well as an ad spend paid directly to the platform.

The post How Much To Hire A Social Media Marketer? appeared first on Digital Marketing Blog.