Social Media Marketing Pricing
How much does it cost to outsource social media marketing to a social media agency? Let's break down our pricing.
Keep in mind: As specialists, our pricing may not reflect others in the industry. Scroll to learn more.
how much does it cost?
There are two ways to answer the agency cost question: 1. You bring a fixed budget range, we share recommendations. 2. You bring clear and specific goals, we share budget ranges. Here is what to generally expect.
consulting = project cost
If you’re looking for strategic knowledge and personalized training for social media, expect to pay a project fee starting at $10,000. An organic & paid social media audit with recommendations for targeting and content would be a project example. As long as the focus doesn’t change, what you’re quoted is what you’ll pay.
campaigns = project cost
If you’re looking for short-term help executing a specific initiative, expect to pay a project cost with monthly or milestone payments of $5-10K each. The project cost will cover the services to build the campaign, launch it, and transition it back to you. A product launch with paid activations and three months of content would be an example.
ongoing = monthly fees
If you’re looking for long-term help to manage some or all of your social media marketing, expect to pay a retainer starting at $5000/mo. The retainer fees will encompass all ongoing social media activities agreed upon under the scope of work, or a flexible set of services if your goals change often.
2023 social media agency pricing
In 2023, paid social engagements start at $5000/mo, and organic social media marketing starts at $8500/mo.
how we set pricing
Ongoing, flexible B2B social media marketing services are priced with flat monthly fees. After a discovery assessment we’ll share three options based on different growth scenarios and deliverables. Our pricing is based on 10 years of experience scoping social media marketing work with similar goals.
what's not included
All advertising is billed separately with your own payment method. This way you retain full visibility over spend, have receipts for all campaigns, and can earn points on purchases. Our fees include full access to our technology, reporting tools, and templates—no extras required.
social media content pricing
We produce original photo, video, graphic, and animated content—aligned with your style guide and optimized for each platform. Social media content is presented as concepts, delivered in batches, and yours to own. Paid & organic social media content pricing is included in our $5K/mo and up retainers. Content batches are scoped in standard units based on the volume and complexity of each post or ad.
social media management pricing
In-house marketers have full plates. Publishing plans go out the window when you’re pulled in a dozen directions. That’s why we augment your social media team with ours. Full-service social media management pricing starts from $8500/mo for a hybrid solution of social media content plus paid amplification, to $15-30K/mo for enterprise-friendly social media management services including community management, employee advocacy, influencer content, social listening, and custom approval workflows.
social media cost breakdown
Our social social media packages consider cost factors like:
- Goals: Is success a larger audience, more conversions, or both?
- Frequency: How many posts are we publishing per week?
- Content formats: How many videos are we editing per month?
- Channel strategy: How many social channels are we actively managing?
- Community management: Are we commenting reactively, proactively, and how often?
- Account management: Would you prefer to connect one, two, or four times per month?
- Advertising: Are we amplifying feed posts, managing lead generation campaigns, or both?
Request a proposal to see a custom scope based on your goals or budget.
social media consulting pricing
If your in-house team is looking for expert guidance, our experienced strategists can provide the direction you need. Social media strategy & training programs are priced by the project and designed to solve specific challenges through personalized playbooks and workshops. Social media strategy pricing ranges from $15-25K for the initial project phases. Actionable assessments are included. Strategy enablement is priced at $5K per month for ongoing consulting and content support.
social media campaign pricing
Need to hit a specific, ambitious, measurable goal? Managed social media campaigns include all of the R&D, creative production, ad management, and accountability of a retainer relationship for a fixed period. Social media campaign pricing ranges from ~$25-45K for a three-month engagement (plus ad spend).
how does social media scoping work?
At Sculpt we’re more focused on your outcomes than our hours (but we measure both).
We build batches of content using a “content unit” based scoping model consistent with our Agile social media marketing process. Every content deliverable in a month-long sprint has an estimated content unit (CU) total. Each CU takes into account its expected time, complexity, and potential impact on your business.
Learn more about our content unit pricing approach (previously called point pricing) 👇
are we a good fit?
Our B2B clients fit into one of two camps ✌️
"My primary focus is audience reach & growth"
You need strategic, consultative, or creative support for your in-house team. Long-term brand lift is the name of the game, and short-term performance marketing is a different team’s remit. Your goals are focused on widening the net of prospects and candidates that know, like, and trust what you do. Success might be doubling your audience, engagement rate, or SOV on a key social channel in 12 months.
"My primary focus is leads and revenue"
You need hands-on support to hit your revenue goals. You are looking for (paid) social media channels to produce pipeline growth. Your goals are focused on supporting the sales team with qualified leads. Success might be doubling your MQLs at your target cost inside of 6 months.
Review client work in our social media capabilities deck.
Schedule a B2B social media strategy session.
Which program is right for your goals? Our first step starts with a pre-call social media discovery questions survey.
For a smaller sized agency, their level of talent is outstanding. They’re eager and able to learn quickly. They absorb every piece of information to form a clear and executable strategy.
what's included?
Our social media retainers extend your internal marketing and sales team with the paid & organic social media services you need most.
strategy and discovery
Sculpt conducts audits of your content strategy, competitors’ growth, audience interests, and channel opportunities. Armed with our research and your vision and goals, we’ll present a roadmap for building an audience that cares, shares, and convert.
community management
We’ll tackle the proactive outreach and timely responses needed to grow and nurture your audience online.
content production
Sculpt produces visual content tailored to the nuances of each social platform. We’ll generate thumb-stopping images, graphics, and videos that turn your fans into customers, and customers into fans.
team collaboration
We connect 1-4x a month to discuss what’s happening, what’s next, and what’s needed. With shared Slack channels, we address issues and opportunities quickly.
paid social ads
Our paid social campaigns are planned to the penny each month. We focus our B2B clients’ budgets where results are best. (80% chance that’s Facebook and LinkedIn.)
measurement and reporting
To track success for multi-channel campaigns we built an analytics and dashboarding tool that keeps us accountable to your goals. Our impact reports hit your inbox monthly or quarterly, though we’ll always share results faster if you ask.
agile pricing takes an agile team
On the front-end we charge in flat monthly rates. On the back-end, all campaigns are planned in one-month sprints by your meticulous Engagement Manager.
Request a personalized quote based on your specific goals.
Skip the contact form and schedule a discovery session to talk scope and next steps.
frequently asked questions
Do you work with lower budget clients?
Is your budget under $5K/mo? Contact us to be referred to our startup-friendly partners for personal brands, Instagram growth management, LinkedIn prospecting, or content creation.
Do you work with B2C brands also?
Our main jam is B2B. If you twisted our arm, we’d admit we also work with large B2C brands or those selling high-ticket items in industries like education and services.
Is ad spend included in fees?
All paid advertising is separate from the project and retainer fees. This allows the paid social budget to be flexible based on performance throughout the year. We always recommend using your own ad account and setting up your own payment method for billing transparency.
How much should I budget for B2B social media marketing?
There are a few things you should keep in mind to set a social media marketing budget. Keep in mind these are not hard and fast rules:
- Percentage-of-sales formula: Let’s assume 5 to 30% of your desired gross revenue goal is set aside for marketing. Earmark at least 10 – 25% of your marketing budget for social media programs and support, including human and tech resources for content, community management, amplification, and reporting. With a $10M marketing budget, that would leave ~$80k – $200k per month for social media marketing spend. Evaluate budgets quarterly.
- Campaign formula: Repeat the same process but replace the annual sales target with the expected outcome for a specific event, strategic initiative, and timeframe.
- Performance-based formula: Instead of one fixed budget, set a tolerance. Use your customer acquisition (CAC) and est. lifetime value (CLV) metrics to guide your investment in a channel or campaign. This is appropriate for paid, not organic. Review and adjust budgets quarterly based on ROI.
- Guess and check: Hey, sometimes you just need somewhere to start. Use industry surveys like the CMO Survey as a benchmark.
Your last step is to break down your budget between the essential roles (and the tools to do those jobs):
- Strategic planning
- Content production
- Community management and listening
- Analytics and reporting
- Paid media
Explore this post for more guidance on setting B2B social media budgets, then read our guide to B2B social media strategy.