Managing your social media accounts is not free! Depending on how large or frequent a profile is, pricing can range from around $100 per month up to several hundred dollars per year. This includes things like posting content, responding to comments, running ads, etc.

Some companies will also offer a special package that covers all of the above services under one roof. These are usually cost-effective because they eliminate the need to add additional packages as needed. Check out our article here to learn more about what types of social media management there is so you know what’s best for you!

Image source: unsplash.com

Need help writing a business letter? We have a great section with tips and tricks you can read here.

Also, don’t forget to check us out at BestBizRate to get expert advice on finding low monthly finance lease rates.

3-5 employees

Running a social media management firm can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $7,500 per year depending on how many people you have involved in your business’s success. This includes salaries for yourself, your associate producer, your PR manager, your marketing specialist, and possibly someone else serving as an online content creator or influencer.

If this is too high of an investment for your company at this time, then you should consider outsourcing social media management. There are plenty of great services that offer affordable monthly plans with customizable features.

6-10 employees

Even with just a few members of your team, social media management can quickly add up. Depending on how much content you’re creating and posting, as well as the number of accounts you have, monthly costs can easily run more than $1,000 per month.

That’s not to say that every business needs professional level social media management! Some businesses only have one or two accounts they need monitored, and their posts are simple enough (no rich photos or videos) that paying someone else to do it is a cost effective solution.

For most companies though, spending around $5,000 a year is very reasonable. This includes salaries for professionals to help maintain your account, technology needed to monitor accounts, website hosting, and legal fees covering copyright laws.

11-20 employees

As mentioned before, social media management is not a position that comes with an annual salary. Rather, it’s an overhead cost that all of your employers are paying to have someone handle their accounts. The average price per employee can range from $11-$20 per hour depending on the size of company and the type of account they have.

Some companies may offer a discount or even free social media help if you are in the workforce already so look around! Most people start off paid as part time workers which means less investment for them.

Mostly, social media managers are hired full time though because it is such a fast paced field requiring 24/7 availability.

21-30 employees

Even if you have only got yourself as an account manager, it is still important to look into social media management software. You can probably manage your accounts without one, but it will get very expensive very quickly!

Running a team of around twenty people means at least half a dozen different users, apps, and platforms. This article will talk about why social media management is so expensive for employers, and some ways to reduce this cost.

It’s worth noting that most companies don’t realize how much social media costs until well after the fact. The reason? Many employers don’t use their paid time off effectively, which leaves those workers vulnerable in case something happens. Plus, many employers feel like they “own” their employees’ social media profiles, making it hard for them to remove access.

This article won’t be telling you to never monitor or control what your employee’s are doing online, but instead looking at ways to do it smartly and cheaply.

31-40 employees

As mentioned before, social media management is an ever changing field that requires constant education. This comes from both consuming content to better understand the space as well as educating yourself about new tools and strategies. The cost of professional social media management depends mostly on two things: the number of people you have working under you and the level of expertise each person has.

The first thing goes into how much it costs per employee to manage social accounts. There are several factors involved in this including salary, benefits, overtime pay, and additional training or certification. For example, buying a pair of jeans may seem expensive at $150, but if there is no discount, then spending the same amount on more fashionable ones is just a way to spend your money!

Social media marketing professionals typically hold either a degree or certifications such as those from AWeber, LinkedIn, or Google+. These help prove that what they say about products and services is legitimate and not fake advertising. Degrees usually take one to three years to obtain while most certification programs can be done within months.

41-50 employees

As mentioned earlier, social media management is not a position that comes with an easy to understand price tag. The average cost of social media manager positions ranges from $16 -$20 per hour depending on the length of engagement they have. This can add up quickly if you are in this field long!

For example, a senior level position that manages only one channel typically costs around $4-6 per hour for each person that member of the team has under them. A junior level position will usually be paid less than their more experienced counterparts.

The difference in pay between the two levels depends on what kind of results they get and how much time it takes to achieve those results. People at the higher level position may also earn more due to having longer conversations that require additional hours spent working.

51-60 employees

Even if you have only one employee, social media management is an expensive service. There are several different components of social media management that make up what it costs.

Running a business means there’s always something to do, so offering some sort of premium services can be profitable. But as we mentioned before, even having just one person in your organization may not leave much room for budgeting.

If this sounds like you, here are some ways to save money!

Avoid paying for a professional level account until you need one. Many providers offer free accounts, which are adequate most of the time. You could also consider using a third party tool such as Buffer or HootSuite to get basic functionality.

Alternatively, try opening up your own profile pages on various sites or creating your own profiles. This way, you control the content and messages that people see, reducing the cost slightly.

61-70 employees

Most social media management companies have more than just you as an employee. They may also include additional staff such as part time workers or even freelancers in their core team.

Some large businesses will pay all of its internal staff to work exclusively with the company’s social media accounts, leaving no one else to do it. This is not common though!

Most SMM agencies offer some kind of rewards program where you can earn extra money by performing certain tasks such as promoting a product or service. Or they might ask you to promote a specific website or channel using paid advertising services like Facebook Ads or Pay Per Click (PPC) advertisements.

These are some of the ways that most social media management companies make money. But what about the rest of the costs? What are the overhead expenses that TVCs[Team Members] must bear while working for the agency?

Overhead cost items include things like rent, business loans, marketing materials, software licenses, domain names, and so on. These are the bills we have to pay whether we are actively working or not.

Based on our estimates, the average total cost per month for a social media manager at an established agency is around $5,000. A lot of people spend much less than this, but there are always higher earners too.

So how does an amateur handle social media management?

There are many free tools out there that almost anyone can use to manage their account.