Pricing guide
How much does social media marketing cost?
“Social media” can mean a few template posts a week, or filmed video, replies to every message and ads tied to booked appointments. This guide breaks the price into its parts.
Three jobs, priced separately
Social media work splits into three jobs. Content: planning, writing, designing, filming and posting. Community management: answering comments and messages, often in more than one language. Paid social: ads on Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn or Snapchat. A quote that only says “social media management” may cover one, two or all three.
Paid social comes with a second bill. Ad spend goes to the platform and the fee for running the ads goes to the agency; our PPC pricing guide explains the usual fee structures. Content and community management are usually a monthly retainer.
For a local business, the messages matter most. A comment asking for a price or a DM asking for an appointment is a lead, and if nobody answers fast, the post that produced it was wasted. In our unified inbox, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, SMS and email threads sit on the lead record, so replies are followed like any other lead.
What changes the price of social media marketing
| Factor | Why it changes the cost |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube each want their own formats and tone. Copying one post everywhere is cheap and performs like it. |
| Volume | How many posts, stories and videos each month. Volume should follow what your team can feed with good ideas. |
| Formats | A designed image is quicker to make than a short video. Video needs a script, filming and editing. |
| Production | Content shot at your clinic, site or showroom needs a crew and time on location. Stock images and templates cost less and look it. |
| Languages | Posting in French, Arabic and English means writing each version, and replying in each language too. |
| Community management | The hours covered and the reply time. Answering within the hour, every day, is a different job from a weekly check. |
| Approvals | Health, finance and legal businesses often need each claim checked. That adds a review step to every post. |
How agencies charge for social media
Monthly retainer
A set volume of posts, formats and community hours each month. The usual model for organic work.
Production sessions
Filming or photo sessions priced per session, producing a bank of content for the weeks ahead. See ad creative and social design.
Ad management fee
A separate fee for running paid social, flat or tied to spend or results, with ad spend paid to the platform.
Setup project
Profile clean-up, templates, a tone guide, tracking and inbox setup, done once before the monthly work starts.
What a small, growing and multi-location business usually needs
| Business | Typical scope |
|---|---|
| One location | One or two platforms where your buyers are, a steady posting rhythm in simple formats, replies to messages during business hours, and tracking of the leads those messages bring. |
| Growing | A second language, regular short video, a filming session every few months, paid campaigns with retargeting, and messages routed to the sales team. |
| Multi-location or network | A brand calendar with local slots for each branch, local accounts where they make sense, shared templates, and messages routed to the right branch. |
What every social media quote and monthly report should show
- The platforms, formats and monthly volume, by type
- Who produces photos and video, and how often
- Community management hours and the target reply time
- Ad management and ad spend, each on its own line
- Your pages, accounts and Meta business portfolio owned by you
- Messages and comments that became leads, by platform
- Booked appointments and sales from social, read from the CRM
- Reach and engagement, reported below the leads
Red flags in cheap social media packages
Social media is easy to sell with numbers that pay no bills. Be wary of:
- Bought followers or likes. They inflate the count and dilute the audience your posts reach.
- Reports of likes, reach and follower growth, with no messages, leads or bookings.
- Your page or ad account owned by the agency.
- The same post copied to every platform.
- Messages left unanswered for days, or answered by a bot that cannot book an appointment.
What we need to send you a fixed quote
Your accounts
The platforms you use, with analyst or admin access, so we can see what has worked so far.
Your goals and offers
The services you want to fill, and how a lead from social reaches your team today.
What production allows
Whether we can film on site, who is willing to appear on camera, and what needs approval before posting.
A fixed quote
A price for a written scope of platforms, volume, production, replies and ads. It stays fixed for that scope, and ad spend stays separate.
Frequently asked questions
Is ad spend included in social media pricing?
It should never be hidden in it. Ad spend goes to Meta, TikTok or LinkedIn, ideally from your own card. The agency’s fee for running the ads is a separate line. See social media advertising.
Do we need to be on every platform?
No. Be where your buyers spend time and where you can keep the quality up. For many clinics and local businesses, that means Instagram and Facebook first, with WhatsApp for the conversation.
Can we produce the content ourselves?
Yes, and owners and practitioners often make the best faces for it. The agency then plans, edits, posts and reports, and the scope shrinks.
How do you measure social media results?
By messages, leads and booked appointments per platform, followed from the first message to the appointment in the CRM. Reach and engagement are in the report too, below the leads.
Last updated · By the Napexy team
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