How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Social Media Consultant?
That depends on what services you’re looking for. There are many different types of “social media companies” out there and they all charge for services in different ways. Some solo consultants charge by the hour, some by the project. Most of our work here at Twirp is charged by monthly retainer. Here is some information on what you can expect to hear from local Halifax social media consultants.
Virtual Assistant
$15-50 per hour
A virtual assistant is usually like an administrative assistant who can help you with tasks like researching content, updating your blog, scheduling social media posts and maybe other office-related tasks like mailouts, bookkeeping, etc. They are the Jacks and Jills of all trades in the social media realm. Depending on their experience and level of expertise in social media, you can expect to pay $30 to $50 per hour for their services. Some virtual assistants expect and charge for a set number of hours per week and others charge “as you go”.
Social Media Strategist
$75-500 per hour
This type of service varies widely. New social media consultants typically begin by charging in the $50 - $75 per hour range to help you with tasks such as brainstorming a social media strategy, developing a content plan, setting up or auditing social media profiles. The more experienced your social media strategist, and the better their education and professional development, the more expensive they are. You definitely get what you pay for here.
Another factor at this stage is overhead. I work mainly from my home, so I have little overhead. Big marketing agencies with social media departments obviously have more overhead to cover (offices, equipment, etc). The big marketing agencies, of course, can help you with much more than a dedicated social media strategist as they may have in-house graphic design, copywriting, web designers, etc. The big marketing agencies tend to look at social media in terms of campaigns that have a start and end date. Social media is about much, much more than advertising campaigns, so if you’re looking for someone to help build your community, you’ll be looking for the next type of person, the Community Manager.
Community Manager
$500 + per month
Community managers may charge hourly, monthly or per project depending on your needs and their systems. At Twirp, we charge by monthly retainer, based on the number of networks you wish us to manage, beginning at $500 per month. A Community Manager will run your social media profiles 24/7, fielding questions and complaints from customers on all your networks, forwarding to the appropriate person when unable to answer themselves. A community manager will also make suggestions on strategies and tactics for accomplishing your social media goals. They may research content for sharing, write blog posts, develop social media strategies and campaigns, host Twitter parties, and manage influencer marketing. Generally this person will require the support of a graphic designer, either from within your company or outsourced, to produce quality graphics that speak to your brand.
Whichever type of social media consultant you are looking for. There are lots of options.
Ready to talk to Twirp about one of these options?
