How Much Should I Charge A Client As A Freelance Social Media Manager

A social media manager is a professional responsible for managing an Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook page. While the media manager may create original content like blog posts or memes, they are mainly responsible for maintaining and updating the social media presence. They may be tasked with monitoring mentions of their brand online and interacting with other users when appropriate.

On average, a social media manager will charge between $300 to $600 per month to manage a single Instagram account. A good rule of thumb is that if you’re expecting really great results from their work, increased engagement, more followers, and better quality content you should expect to pay closer to $400 per month for their services.

A common misconception about social media managers is that they are solely responsible for creating the brand’s content on Instagram. In reality, these two jobs fall under different roles in most cases a social media marketing specialist generally handles photo/video production.

Also, I get asked all the time by people I know, as well as on my blog, just how much I charge a client as a freelance social media manager. After some thought and soul-searching, I realized it would be more helpful to open it up and share my knowledge with you. So here are my tips on how much a freelance social media manager should charge a client.

What to Charge for Social Media Management Packages

Takeaways
Understanding your value and expertise is crucial when determining your rates.
Consider factors like the scope of work, market demand, and client expectations.
Research industry benchmarks and analyze competitors’ pricing strategies for insights.
Don’t undervalue your services; avoid underpricing to maintain sustainability.
Choose a pricing model that aligns with your business goals and client preferences.
Communicate your rates transparently, emphasizing the value you bring to clients.
As you gain experience, consider adjusting your rates to reflect your expertise.

Table of Contents

1. Experience

The more experience you have in general, the more value you’ll have to potential clients. This includes industry experience, social media experience, and content creation experience. The first factor is pretty straightforward if you’ve worked in the industry before that a client wants to be active in, your expertise will help.

Since social media becomes an extension of their main business or product, it’s important to understand things like their target market and how it compares to other industries’ target markets. For example, B2B companies might want slightly different results from their social media campaigns than consumer brands do.

The second factor is also pretty straightforward: the longer you’ve been using social media personally or professionally (or both), the more familiar you’ll be with its many nuances and intricacies which can help your clients get amazing results.

Finally, if you’re able to create great-looking content for your clients on top of managing their social accounts, that’s a huge plus since people are much more likely to engage with posts they deem visually appealing (first impressions count).

As a freelance marketer myself who has been building my own personal brand on Instagram for years now, I know that being visually inspiring is one way I can stand out from other marketers as well as make my own feed aesthetically pleasing for anyone who comes across it outside of my local network.

When building my online portfolio as a freelancer (in addition to showcasing my past work), I made sure to include examples of graphic design work I’ve done because this demonstrates some added value for prospective clients versus if I’d only included copywriting samples without any design elements.

When it comes to determining your rates as a freelance social media manager, understanding your value is key. In our guide on how much should I charge a client as a freelance social media manager, you’ll find valuable insights into setting competitive pricing that reflects your expertise and the scope of your services.

2. Your Target Market

Your target market is going to be key to determining what you charge your clients. Your target market can include:

Local, regional, national or international.
Small, medium or large size businesses.
Specific industry or not, e.g., I only want to work with photographers but will work with anyone who wants my service. (This could apply to all industries.)
B2B (business-to-business) services and products versus B2C (business-to-consumer) services and products.

For example, if you are going to focus on a small town in Nebraska with a local population of 2,000 people, chances are the local businesses do not have a lot of money for marketing and advertising so it does not make sense for you to charge $1000 per month for social media management when the cost of living in this community is low.

Are you considering a career as a freelance social media marketer? Our beginner’s guide to becoming a freelance social media marketer is a comprehensive resource that walks you through the essential steps to start and thrive in this exciting field, including strategies for pricing your services effectively.

3. Location

The cost of living for you, the contractor, and for your clients should also be factored into what you charge. Have you heard of a freelancer working in Manhattan charging the same rate as someone living in rural Mississippi? No. It’s because it is two different markets with two different costs of living, so they can’t charge the same amount.

So if you are new to freelancing and are looking at what others are charging, make sure that they live in a similar region/cost of living compared to yours. It’s also important to consider how your client will receive it if you are charging more than someone else that lives nearby because they might want to go with the cheaper option (even though it usually isn’t) just because of their business location vs your residence.

Making a full-time income as a freelancer requires careful planning and execution. In our article on how to make a full-time income freelancing as an email marketer, you’ll find valuable strategies that can apply to freelance social media management as well, including approaches to pricing and building a sustainable business.

4. Time And Responsibility

How much time you can devote to the project. The amount of time you’re able to commit to a client will have a huge impact on how much you can charge. If your time is limited, or if you have other responsibilities (such as caring for children or working another job) that prevent you from devoting all of your hours to one client, it could be difficult or impossible to charge what full-time social media managers earn. You’ll need clients who are willing to pay less because they’ll receive less work as a result

The Size Of The Client’s Social Media Following;

A great way to determine how much you should charge is by looking at how many followers the company has across its social networks and its engagement rate (how frequently users like and comment on its posts).

These factors will reveal how much work it takes for the company to stay relevant; if it has just 100 Twitter followers, there won’t be much upkeep required. On the other hand, if it has 10,000 followers and more than 1% engagement on all of its posts, there may be more work involved in managing those accounts.

Number Of Platforms;

Your second step is to understand how many social media platforms you will be working with. If a client comes to you and says, “I want to be on every single platform,” it’s going to take a significantly larger amount of time than if they say, “We only need Facebook.”

A lot of work goes into managing a single platform for a brand. You have to look at the analytics and metrics, study content creation and strategy, attend meetings and organize posts and I haven’t even touched on responding to comments or questions.

The more platforms involved in your client’s strategy, the more work you’ll have to do as their manager. There are also some platforms that are harder work than others, taking up more time and energy. You may think you’re comfortable working with three different platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but if they also ask that you start using LinkedIn on top of those three (for example), it might not make sense in terms of your workload or timeline.

Services

There are several different types of services you can offer clients as a social media manager. These include:

Social media management involves managing and creating content for your client’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, etc.
Social media advertising
Graphic design (for both web use and print)
Content creation (blog posts, articles, long-form essays, etc.)
Copywriting (creating copy for different parts of clients’ websites)
Analytics (measuring how well the clients’ websites and social media accounts are doing)
Reporting (analyzing which parts of a client’s website or social media account aren’t doing well and offering suggestions for improvement)
Community management (managing their online communities for example answering questions on their Facebook page or responding to comments on their blog)

Building a network is crucial for freelancers, including social media managers. Explore our guide on quickly building a strong email network for freelancers to learn tips and strategies for expanding your connections, which could lead to potential clients and collaboration opportunities.

5. Value Proposition

The first question you’re going to ask yourself, really, is what your value proposition is. What makes you different from everyone else? Perhaps you were in social media management before it was ever cool and are a seasoned expert with years of experience behind you. Maybe you’re just starting as a freelancer but have worked as part of an agency for years and want to take the plunge.

Whatever it is that sets you apart, figure it out and make sure it gets across to potential clients. They need to know what benefits they’ll get from working with you which could be faster turnaround times or extra time spent per week strategizing with their brand over the phone. That benefit could even be that they like your style or personality! Whatever sets you apart will help them decide whether to hire you or not, so make sure that element shines through in everything about your business.

Freelance professionals, whether in email marketing or social media management, often share common principles for success. Discover the 22 commandments of a freelance email marketer to gain insights that might resonate with your approach to pricing and delivering your services as a freelance social media manager.

Wrapping Up

There are a number of factors you should consider when deciding what to charge a client as a social media manager. These include your experience level and the scope of the project. If you’re just starting out in your career, and don’t have many projects to draw on for portfolio pieces, you may charge less than someone who has been managing social media accounts for years.

You would likely also charge less if you were only managing one account, as opposed to several accounts at once. And if the client is asking for a lot from you, for example, daily blog posts and weekly Facebook Lives, in addition to regular posting on other channels you may want to command more money for all that extra work.

People Also Ask

What Is A Social Media Manager?

A social media manager is someone who works with businesses to create and implement social media strategies. Part of this involves developing content for posts and paying for ads, but also includes ongoing monitoring and reporting on the results.

How Do I Determine My Pricing?

Your rate should be based on your location, experience level, industry specialization, and other factors unique to your skill set and work history. You can get started by using our freelance hourly rate calculator as a starting point to determine what you should be charging an hour based on all of these different variables.

From there you can start to factor in any add-ons or additional services that may be necessary depending on the needs of your client’s business or brand.

What Questions Should I Be Asking When I Enter Into A Contract With A Client?

When you enter into a contract with a client, you’ll need to have some questions ready.

First: Is this a limited contract or an open-ended one? Will the client be ready to hire you again at the end of the contract, or will your work together be done? If it’s an open-ended contract, you can expect to be working together for a long time, maybe even years!

Next: How much do they want you to post every week, and what kinds of posts are they looking for? You’ll need to know ahead of time just how much time you’ll have to dedicate to this project.

Lastly: What kind of posts are they looking for? Do they want something serious and professional, or something more light-hearted and fun? Are there topics that their company wants to avoid talking about publicly on social media?

What Is The Average Rate For A Freelance Social Media Manager?

The average rate for a freelance social media manager is around $20-75 per hour, though rates can be higher or lower depending on your location, experience, and expertise.

What Is The Best Way To Find Clients As A Freelance Social Media Manager?

As with any kind of freelancing work, finding clients as a social media manager takes some time and effort. Some of our favorite ways to get started include:

– Finding people who need your help in Facebook groups (but please don’t solicit them)

– Creating an awesome website that showcases your skills and experience

– Networking with people you already know in-person (don’t forget to ask them if they have any friends who might need your help!)

What Skills Do I Need To Become A Freelance Social Media Manager?

While you definitely don’t need technical coding skills to manage someone else’s social media accounts, there are still a few things you should know how to do:

– How to use the major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)

– How to make basic graphics using programs like Canva or Adobe Illustrator

– How to write compelling copy that will engage

What’s The Best Way To Charge A New Client?

Whatever you’re comfortable with just make sure it’s consistent and fair. If you’re offering a “social media package,” look at what other people are charging for similar packages, and then decide if you want to go higher or lower than that. If you’re being hired by the hour, come up with an hourly rate, and stick with it.

Should I Have A Different Price For Different Types Of Clients?

This is a little tricky because there’s no real cut-and-dry answer. On the one hand, if you’re working for an international corporation, you might feel justified in charging them more than a small local business. But then again, maybe the corporate client is going to be less work? It’s really up to you. The main thing is to be consistent and fair in whatever policy you adopt.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.