Manage your social media accounts! That is probably one of the most over-stated statements you will hear in the social media marketing field. Most experts agree that it can be quite expensive to manage all of your social media profiles, but they differ on how much it costs.

Some say it’s impossible to spend more than $500 per year on this area of business, while others claim it takes far more. The truth lies somewhere in between.

It is true that professional level service cost money, but you don’t have to pay thousands of dollars every month to enjoy good social media management. In fact, there are some great services out there that can be paid for once and then used indefinitely after that.

With that being said, let us look at some ways to save money by learning how to do some things yourself. We will discuss both free and low cost solutions as well as strategies for saving even more money.

Cost of social media management

Even though it seems like there are never enough hours in the day, having someone else manage your social accounts can save you time!

Running your own social media account is great when you have lots of time to devote to this task, but what if you don’t? Or what if you just can’t afford to run your own account anymore?

That's where professional social media management comes into play.

Social media management (SMM) is mostly done through online services that people pay per month to use. These paid services handle everything from posting content, responding to comments and messages, finding new accounts to promote, and even running A/B tests to determine which features work best for your business.

They're also usually fast and efficient- not everyone has time to check out all these different apps and software systems themselves, so professionals do that for you.

And while they might seem expensive at first, SMM costs come down to how much you want to invest in your business.

Sample social media management packages

If you are looking to start your own business, or you already have an established business and want help managing it, then professional social media management is something that can save you money in the long run!

Most social media management companies offer both free and paid services. The difference between the two typically comes down to features and level of engagement.

Free services usually limit themselves to only a few accounts and types of platforms. They may even lack some core functionality like posting pictures or videos. This is fine if you are just starting out with no followers and little activity, but as your follower count grows and photos and videos increase, this could be limiting factor as to what they will allow you to do.

More advanced service tiers include more account types and functionalities, which are great because these things add value to your business and make your job easier. Just remember that there will always be someone who offers better quality services due to price, so don’t get too attached unless you really need those extra features.

Does social media management get results?

First, you should not spend a large amount of money to manage your social media accounts. There are some services that market themselves as being able to provide quality service, but they are either overpriced or too inexperienced to pull off effective campaigns.

There is an average cost per month for most social media management companies out there today is around $100-150 per account. This seems like a lot, but it’s actually very affordable when you think about it!

Most people start paying more than this once their accounts grow past the free level. But even at the starting price, one can acquire a good set of tools and features to keep up control of their accounts.

If you are looking to take charge of your online presence, then I would recommend trying out the free trials of various software first before investing in the paid version.

Tips for managing social media

First, make sure you are paying enough for social media management. There are many people who offer their services as social media consultants or managers for a monthly fee, which is usually in the range of $100 to $250 per month.

This sounds great at first, but what this doesn’t tell you is that these fees don’t include any kind of cost for tools or resources used to manage the accounts.

For example, if they say they will use Hootsuite as your tool for communication, then you have to pay an additional price for Hootsuite every month! This can add up quickly unless you are willing to be budget conscious with your money.

There are some companies that will agree to provide free tools for a limited time, but it may not be long before they start asking you to spend more money than before. Make sure you are aware of this!

Another important thing to consider is whether or not the person offering their service has been trained in social media. While there are courses and certifications available from various organizations like The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Marketing Pro Group, only few individuals have actually received certification.

Social media management services

Social media has exploded in popularity over the past few years, with people creating accounts and posting content up to every minute of the day.

Running out of time to do it yourself? Or just feeling that your current level of social media expertise is not enough? Then it’s time to hire someone to help you.

That person can be you! Hiring a professional social media manager is a great way to save money while getting better results than doing it solo.

The term “social media manager” usually refers to someone who handles all aspects of an employer’s social media profiles- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.- but some only handle one area (say, Instagram) and others are focused more on growing followers or engagement.

Either way, this person is typically paid per account they manage, which makes sense since it takes time to create these relationships and grow audience size. And we know that growth is what companies thrive on today.

There are many ways to find the right fit as well. Make sure to ask about their experience and whether they work under contract or full time.

Contract workers may still have health benefits, but note that this will cost extra monthly fees.

Creating a social media marketing strategy

Before you begin spending money to manage someone else's account, make sure their current manager is giving them enough service first! If they are not, it may be time to look into other options.

It can be very expensive to hire your own personal social media consultant or adviser. They cost anywhere from $500-$5,000 per month depending on how many people they have under their wing.

Most experts agree that there is an average budget limit of just about $1,000 per month for professional level social media management. This includes things such as posting content on various social networks, responding to comments and messages, and keeping track of all accounts.

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to this number, but most professionals feel that is the maximum amount anyone should pay for professional level services.

Developing your brand identity

As mentioned before, social media is a powerful tool in bringing exposure to your business or product. It’s great for getting feedback from potential customers, creating conversations that help build relationships, and promoting your products and services.

With all of these benefits, it makes sense that some people would want to make money by doing things like posting advertisements or sponsored content on Facebook or paying to promote their products on other sites.

However, there are certain ethics around using social media as an advertising medium. For example, you should always use authentic pictures and videos of yourself with no filters applied, and you should never advertise something that doesn’t exist yet.

By sticking to this rule, I think most people will agree that staying within bounds is more important than spending lots of money.

Identifying your target market

Starting social media management is the final step in creating your business's online presence. The first thing you will need to do is identify your target audience, or what kind of people would be interested in your services.

Who are they? What do they like? What questions have they asked about brands that offer these services? By knowing who your potential clients are, you can begin to create content that caters directly to their needs!

As we mentioned before, staying focused on targeted audiences is an important part of social media marketing. It is very easy to get distracted by all the different platforms there are to manage accounts, and how much money each account costs.

However, investing in expensive software or paid packages does not necessarily mean your business will see success. If you are not sure which features matter most to your business, then it may be better to spend your budget more evenly across several free apps until you find one that works well for you.