In this article
Social media management for a small business usually costs a few hundred pounds a month. Our plans run from £200 a month for one platform to £550 a month for three platforms with reels and paid ads managed. What decides the price is how many platforms you're on, how many posts and videos you need, and whether someone is answering comments and messages for you.
What you're paying for
The posting is the easy bit. Most of the cost is in the work before it: planning what to say each month, designing posts in your brand, writing captions that sound like you, filming or photographing real work, and checking what performed so next month is better.
- Planning: a monthly content plan built around your services, seasons and offers.
- Design: posts and stories made in your brand colours and fonts, not stock templates.
- Video: reels and short clips, which reach far more people than still images on most platforms.
- Community: replying to comments and messages so enquiries don't go cold.
- Reporting: what was posted, what worked and what's changing.
What changes the price
Number of platforms
Each platform has its own sizes, habits and audience. Instagram and Facebook can share a lot of content; LinkedIn and TikTok usually need their own. One platform done well beats four done badly, so start where your customers already are.
Posts and video each month
Eight good posts a month is enough for most local businesses to look active and trusted. Adding reels and stories takes more time but reaches more new people.
Real photos and filming
Content shot at your premises or on your jobs always beats stock images. A regular content shoot is the biggest single upgrade most businesses can make to their social media.
Paid ads
Managing ads is extra work on top of posting. The ad spend itself is always separate and paid to the platform.
Our social media prices
- Social Starter, £200 a month: 1 platform, 8 designed posts a month, scheduling and a monthly report.
- Social Growth, £350 a month: 2 platforms, 12 posts and 4 reels or stories a month, replies to comments and messages, and a content shoot every quarter.
- Social Pro, £550 a month: 3 platforms, 16 posts and 8 reels or stories a month, a content shoot every month, and paid ads managed (ad spend extra).
Plans have a 3-month minimum, because it takes a few months to build momentum. If your profiles need setting up or tidying first, that's a one-off £250. Combine social media with SEO or email marketing and you save 10% on the monthly total.
Every post is designed in your brand and approved by you before it goes out. See more about our social media management, or get your exact price with the price calculator.
Is it worth paying for?
Social media rarely replaces a good website and Google presence, but it supports both. People who find you on Google often check your Instagram or Facebook before they call, and an empty or abandoned page puts them off. If you have time to post yourself, a profile set-up and a simple plan may be all you need. If you don't, a managed plan keeps you visible without taking your evenings.
Questions to ask before you sign up
- Who creates the content, and will it use real photos of my business?
- Do I approve posts before they go out?
- Who replies to comments and messages?
- What's the minimum term, and what happens to my accounts if I leave?
- How will you report results?
You should always own your accounts. Any agency, us included, should be able to hand everything back the day you leave. For the full picture of what your marketing might cost, see all our prices.
