If you’ve never hired a social media manager before, figuring out what you’re actually supposed to be paying for can get confusing fast.


One person charges $500 a month. Another charges $2,000. An agency might quote $3,500+. And somehow, they can all call what they’re offering “social media management.”


So I wanted to establish a baseline.


This isn’t meant to tell social media managers what they should charge, and it isn’t a pricing rule for every business. It’s simply market research into what different levels of social media management generally look like — especially for small, local businesses like restaurants, bars, shops and service-based businesses.


Because before comparing packages, we need to answer a much simpler question:


What are you actually getting?

What is basic social media management?

At its most basic level, social media management means:


You give someone your content, and they keep your social media running for you.


They aren't necessarily coming to your business with cameras.


They aren't producing a library of Reels every month. They aren't running your advertising campaigns or developing an elaborate marketing strategy.


They're taking social media off your plate.

For a small local business, a basic management package might look something like this:


BASIC SOCIAL MANAGEMENT

Research benchmark: $500–$750/month


Typically:

  • Instagram + Facebook
  • 8–12 posts per month
  • Captions written for you
  • Posts scheduled and published
  • Basic monthly content calendar
  • Basic hashtag and location strategy
  • Basic monthly analytics


The important part?


The client supplies the content.


That means the business is providing the photos and videos that will actually be posted. The social media manager's job is primarily to organize, write, schedule, publish and monitor that content.


This is about as stripped-down as I would consider true done-for-you social media management.


Anything below that starts moving closer to consulting, templates, scheduling software or "here's what you should post — good luck."

THIS IS WHERE PRICING STARTS TO CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY.

There's a major difference between:


"Send me your photos and I'll run your Instagram."


and


"I'll come to your business, create the photos and videos, edit everything, decide what we're posting, write it, schedule it and manage the account."


Now you're paying for two services:

Content creation + social media management.

A basic version of that might look more like:


BASIC MANAGEMENT + CONTENT

Research benchmark: $900–$1,500/month


Typically:

  • Instagram + Facebook
  • 8–12 posts per month
  • One monthly content session
  • Around 4 short-form videos
  • Additional photos/content captured during the shoot
  • Caption writing
  • Scheduling and publishing
  • Basic Stories
  • Light community engagement
  • Monthly analytics


Then there's full-service social media management


Once packages start reaching roughly $1,500–$2,500+ per month, I would expect to see a noticeable increase in either the amount of work being done or the level of strategy involved.


That could include things like:

More short-form video and Reels, more frequent Stories, multiple content shoots each month, active community management, TikTok management, more advanced strategy, campaign planning, influencer coordination, promotions, events, review management, advertising support or more detailed analytics and reporting.


At this level, you're no longer simply paying someone to keep the account active.


You're starting to pay someone to actively build and manage the business's presence online.