On average, social media packages can range anywhere between R5 000 – R25 000 a month.
By now it’s no secret that a business’ success on social media comes from having a strong social presence. With over 30 million social media users in South Africa, social media has proven to be a valuable investment for many businesses.
Maintaining a healthy social media presence requires content that’s engaging, valuable and interesting to your followers.
However–to keep them engaged and interested requires lots of research, content creation, creativity and more. And you may not have the time or knowledge to be doing it all by yourself.
Getting a reputable social media company to help with your social media needs can save you a lot of time and money. When it comes to social media pricing, the average cost of between R5 000 – R25 000 can be used as a guideline. But we can’t assume that the needs and wants of every business is the same, there are several components that needs to be factored in.
To start, consider the company’s level of experience you’ll outsource your social media marketing to. Every service provider is different, depending on their experience–you’ll get different pricing and quality.
You may find that one focuses solely on small businesses, while another chooses to work with larger corporations. Some are even niche-specific, meaning they work primarily within one product or service niche.
You want to trust that your business’ social media will be in the right hands and that the company you partner with is the right fit for you, not only in terms of budget but more specifically, in respect of what you are looking to achieve with social media.
Next, think about what your goals and needs are. What are you hoping to achieve?
- Create brand awareness?
- Generate more sales?
- Drive traffic to your website?
Your goals need to align with the three pillars of social media marketing: to inspire, educate and entertain. And it should answer the 3 w’s:
- Who you’re targeting?
- What product or service you’re selling?
- Why should people buy from or use you?
Depending on your needs, your service provider may need to manage one or a combination of social media platforms for you. They can help you determine which platforms would be best suited for you and the number of weekly posts you’ll need per platform.
Check out how many times you should be posting to social media here.
Another important point to consider is where your content will be coming from. Will you have content readily available, or does the agency need to create it from scratch?
Although some agencies include content strategies as part of their social media package prices, you may have to pay more for additional content.
You’ll also need to factor in advertising spend for sponsored or boosted posts on social media. These ads generally help enhance your social media presence, grow your following and get your content noticed.
Your ad spend is dependent on your budget and your social media goals, and your social media agency can help you figure out the budget you’ll need to achieve your goals.
Lastly–many agencies offer a few different social media package options to choose from. But we recommend these be used as a guideline only. What you should be asking is, “will my business benefit from a standard social media package or will a custom strategy be more beneficial to my business’ needs?”
Standard social media packages generally include:
- A set amount of social media posts per month
- Posting to and/or managing of one or more platforms
- A basic content plan or content calendar
- Image design or sourcing of stock images
Here are a few questions we suggest asking before deciding to partner with a social media company:
- Is account/profile setup included?
- Does the package price include ad spend–if not, what would be the recommended budget for ads?
- Are image designs included?
- What, if any additional charges are there?
What sets a reputable agency apart from the bad is that they understand the intention behind the use of imagery, videos, colours or words, who it is targeted towards and the expected outcome or return on investment.
Do your research and make sure the company you’re partnering with knows what
they are doing and can deliver results with their social media marketing packages.
