Social Media Consultant Rates Revealed
The 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report revealed that 97% of respondents are now using social media as a means to market their businesses. Yes, social media marketing is on the rise, making it critical for businesses without a social media marketer on staff to consider hiring a consultant. If you're looking for help in choosing the right social media agency for your website, you can start by comparing average rates to make sure you're getting the best deal for your dollar.
What Can You Expect to Pay?
Social media marketing is a buzzword for online businesses today, but many e-commerce business owners are clueless about how much they should expect to pay when hiring a social media marketing consultant to get the job done.
This lack of knowledge can hurt a business owner in one of two ways. First, you may shop based on price alone, choosing the cheapest deal that may not provide you with the quality of service you are looking for. Or second, and even worse, you may unknowingly sign up for an outrageously expensive social media consultancy service that will eat up your marketing budget before you can say "Twitter".
Before we jump the gun, pricing social media consultant rates isn't always that easy. A social media consultancy company may offer a wide range of services with different prices, making it critical to understand exactly what your business needs in the social marketing realm before hiring a third-party agency.
Social Media Marketing Service Price Categories
To help you determine your social media marketing needs based on price, here are the following service categories for your consideration:
- Blogging - Blogging is a foundational component of any social media marketing system. Once the blog is developed (which costs $900 - $2,500 on average) and integrated into your business' site, it is crucial to keep your audience's attention with consistent, engaging writing. However, a qualified blog ghostwriter is not cheap, and could cost as much as $1,000 to $1,800 per month for 1 post per week!
- Social Profile Setup - If your business is brand new to the world of social media, you may need quite a bit of help in setting up and managing multiple social accounts, including the big dogs like Facebook and Twitter.
According to industry averages, maintaining a business Twitter account could run from $500-$3,000 a month, after a one-time setup cost of $500-$2,000. Maintaining a Facebook account has similar costs, though a promotion or contest will run the bill up significantly - with $1,500-$75,000 charges accruing depending on the length of the promotion. - Social Marketing Strategy - Last but not least, your business can pay for a complete social media marketing strategy that includes outsourced work on a minimum of two social channels, ranging from $10,000-$20,000 per month, or $2,000-$25,000 for a short-term audit.
Before you open up your wallet to pay for a social media marketing consultant, remember that price doesn't not necessarily indicate the quality of service that you will receive. Make sure to check references, reviews, and results for a company before signing a contract.