How much does a social media agency charge?
You’ve decided that you want to work with a social media agency - great!
One of the first questions on your mind is no doubt - how much is it going to cost me.
Great question, we’re glad you asked.
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to social media management. (Hint - be wary of agencies with standard packages!)
A great agency will jump on a call (or ask you to share a detailed brief) to understand your goals and objectives, target audience, current pain points, preferred ways of working and approximate budget. From there, the agency will go away and put together a custom quote that balances what you’re wanting to achieve with what you have available to spend.
The best agencies will share flexible retainer options, that can be scaled up and down as budget and business activity require.
But that’s not helpful right? You want to know the figures.
Here’s a quick breakdown.
- Smaller agencies or freelancers may cost from $1,000 - $3,000 per month.
- Fees to work with a medium sized experienced social media agency typically start from $3,000 per month and scale from there, dependant on your requirements.
- To work with large well-known agency, fees will typically begin at $20,000 per month and head upwards from there.
So what can you expect for your spend?
When you work with a low-cost small social media agency or freelancer, you’ll typically get lots of hours dedicated to your account. Great! Lots of hours means lots of output.
On the flipside, you’ll often (but not always!) be working with a relatively inexperienced team, who only have a few clients on their books. Expect lots of attention but a little hand holding will be required. The old saying ‘you get what you pay for’ generally applies here.
When you work with a large agency (you know the ones, these are the guys with a top floor of a St Kilda Rd office building, or a warehouse in Cremorne, BIG brands on their books, hundreds of staff) you get the benefits that come with working with an industry heavy weight. They’ll often have a direct line into Meta, thought leaders in the creative department and a seriously impressive folio.
There are plenty of perks with working with the ‘names’. However, alongside the perks often come the red flags. Hundreds / thousands of clients mean your business will be one amongst MANY. Expect to have regular account manager turn over and a low amount of hours dedicated to your campaign.
Reactiveness is not a strong suit of these agencies. Because of their size, there are more layers and processes involved. So if you’re after a campaign that plays to trends and latest platform changes, this is not the place for you.
And of course, $20,000+ per month is not realistic for every business.
That brings us to the happy middle ground.
Now - please keep in mind we’re biased because this is the space we play in.
When you work with a medium sized social media agency, you’re typically working with a team of 15-30. These agencies are generally experienced businesses with a big mix of clients, from start ups, through to global businesses. In the great medium sized agencies (of which there are a few REALLY great agencies in Melbourne - and if MSC isn't the right fit for you, we can give you a few names of other agencies we love) there is typically really low staff turnover, meaning a consistent, dedicated Account Manager on your account.
Because these agencies have around 50-100 clients on their books at any given time, your business is not a number but a very important piece of the agency’s puzzle.
The cost is always going to be higher than a small agency or freelancers - expect an hourly rate of somewhere between $100-$200. But with that fee, you gain access to the skills of the entire team, which includes the senior team closely overseeing your campaign. So while the dedicated hours to your campaign might be slightly lower than what you’ll gain access to with a freelancer or small agency, the quality of work, attention to detail and expertise is much greater.
The medium sized agency is still small enough to be able to work really dynamically and reactively, as they’re not bogged down with procedures and red tape. (Typically, content can be produced within 24 hours, so that trends are still relevant by the time your work goes out.) But they're large enough to be well versed in strategy, and know what works for different business types and industries.
The team working on your account generally only works with around 5-10 clients, they’re not overloaded and they REALLY care about your business.
Perhaps the biggest perk? If you think about it - at an investment of $5,000 per month, you’re looking at paying $60,000 per year for your experienced agency team, which is equal to (but generally less than) what you would be spending on a single employee. So really - you’re saving money.
Have we convinced you?
If you’d like to chat further or request a bespoke proposal from our team, please reach out.
Or, check out what we're up to on LinkedIn.

Should my business be on TikTok?
Here are the reasons businesses should integrate TikTok into their social media strategy.
You’ve avoided it long enough! It’s time. Your business now needs to start thinking about using TikTok.
Why?
With over 1 billion users worldwide, TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms, with no signs of slowing down.
With its high engagement rates and creative features, TikTok presents a huge opportunity for businesses to reach a wide audience and grow their brand.
Here are some tips on how to succeed on TikTok as a business:
- Understand the platform and its audience: To succeed on TikTok, you need to understand the platform and its audience. TikTok is a platform that celebrates creativity, humour, and authenticity. It's important to create content that resonates with the platform's young and diverse audience.
- Be authentic and transparent: TikTok users value authenticity and transparency. Avoid using scripted or overly polished content, and instead showcase your brand's personality and values (and humour if you can!)
- Use creative visuals and music: TikTok is a visually-driven platform that encourages users to be creative with their content. Use eye-catching visuals, creative transitions, and trending music to make your content stand out from the crowd.
- Participate in challenges and trends: TikTok is known for its challenges and trends. Participating in relevant challenges can help your business reach a wider audience and increase engagement. Make sure to use trending hashtags to increase your visibility.
- Engage with your audience: TikTok is a social platform, so it's important to engage with your audience. Respond to comments, DMs, and user-generated content to build relationships with your followers and show that you value their feedback.
- Collaborate with other creators and brands: Collaborating with other creators and brands can help you reach new audiences and increase your credibility on the platform. Look for opportunities to collaborate with influencers or other businesses in your industry.
- Measure your success: To succeed on TikTok, you need to measure your success and adjust your strategy accordingly. Use TikTok's analytics to track your engagement rates, follower growth, and video performance. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and optimise your content strategy.
In some ways, TikTok is a great place to experiment with content, trends and authenticity, due to its less polished nature. And there’s no better time to start having a play than the present! One hot tip? Have fun, and don't take your brand too seriously.
Want some help putting a TikTok strategy together, or would you like to outsource the content creation to our team? We manage some of the largest TikTok accounts in Australia, and we’d love to assist. Get in touch today!

4 go-to tips for creating great social media content
Stuck in a content rut? Creating content that keeps falling flat?
Social media management can be a tricky job (speaking from experience here!) You need to constantly feed the hungry social media beast (read algorithm) with content. But creating content just for the sake of posting every day? It just doesn’t work. Particularly when you’re posting as a brand. Your content needs to have purpose and really resonate with your audience.
Easier said than done right? Well, to get you started, here are a few tips from our team on creating content that WORKS in 2023.
Here are our 4 go-to tips for creating great social media content this year.
- Be clear on your objectives
Every piece of social media content that you create should fit within a greater social media strategy, rather than creating for content’s sake. What are you try to achieve with your content? Be clear with your purpose and create with this in mind.
- Know your audience
Who are you speaking to on social media? Different audiences have different content preferences, and it’s important to create content that your audience will really resonate with. Figure out who you’re speaking to first, and then create content that suits.
- Create with authenticity
In 2023, authenticity is TRENDING. If your brand doesn’t have an authentic voice and content style, you’re likely to be left behind this year. Create content that really speaks to your brand and it’s values. Use a conversational tone and engage engage engage with your audience.
- Play to the platform
No more cross posting the same content across every platform guys! Look at each platforms’ specific algorithm preferences, and tweak your content to suit.
Want to learn more from our team? Get in touch to schedule a consultation session.
Want to see what we're up to? Visit us on Linkedin.

A guide to nailing social media trends
Every social media strategy in 2023 needs a pillar dedicated to social media trends.
While every business’ approach will vary, an awareness of trends and ability to adapt quickly to platform changes is so important in todays’ landscape.
Some key tips to nailing social media trends within your content strategy are:
💙 Make sure you’re staying on top of what’s trending every week. (If you subscribe to our Social Media Trends Report, this will magically land in your inbox weekly - no scrolling required!
💙 Identify when trends are relevant to your business. Some trends will work for your brand and your objectives, and some wont! There’s no need to try to jump on every trend that emerges - be selective and utilise trends that work best with your authentic tone of voice
💙 Act on trends quickly. There’s no time for a 4 week approval process here - if you’re not acting on a trend within 48 hours, you’re too late
💙 Create and edit your content within platform where you can. Stats are suggesting that native content created within app outperforms content designed and edited elsewhere
💙 Remember that trending content doesn’t need to be perfect. While it can be challenging for brands to move away from slick, professionally designed content that has been through months of revisions and approvals, we know that the audience today is craving authenticity. Not every piece of content you share needs to be perfect - it just needs to create positive sentiment with your audience
If you are keen to update your 2023 social strategy to include authentic, fast moving, native or trending content, subscribe to our Weekly Social Media Trend Report.
When you sign up you’ll receive:
💙 A report of trending content, magically landing in your inbox each week
💙 Actionable content prompts to tap into trends
The cost? $10 per week. No scrolling required, no minimum sign up, cancel anytime.
Sounds pretty good right?
Click here to learn more and subscribe!

8 Reasons To Hire A Social Media Manager
Thinking about whether to manage your social media accounts in-house or to outsource to a professional?
We're sharing a few points on why it's a good idea to outsource your social media management requirements to a professional or agency.
1. Content creation
Having a professional manage your social accounts opens the door to amazing, expert content creation. Not only will your content be creative and of a professional standard, it will also be visually consistent and add to the overall aesthetic of your social pages.
2. Stay ahead of the trends
When you work with a professional, you're tapping into their years of broad experience in social media! It's your social media manager's job to stay up to date with all of the latest digital trends and they will adapt this knowledge to your business.
3. Consistent & professional tone of voice
It is very important when managing a social account, that the tone of voice of the account is consistent and professional. If a social account is managed internally and shared around amongst a team, the tone and professionalism of posts will differ. However, if the account management is outsourced, it will prevent variation in tone and keep the entire account consistent and professional.
4. Increase engagement
Managing your social media account is a daily task, but it can sometimes come second to the day-to-day tasks you have when running a business. Having a pro managing your social media means that no comment will go unanswered and social media can stay a priority without taking away time from the business. Not only will this make your business more personable and real, but it will increase your engagement rates, which will lead to your content appearing higher in your followers' feeds.
5. Reliability
Want to remove any unnecessary worry from your day? With a dedicated professional managing the account you can depend on them to post at the right times and provide a reliable account to engage with followers - this includes after hours!
6. It’s a time saver
Who doesn’t love saving time? By hiring a professional to head your social media it’s one less thing you, as a business, need to do. With your social accounts in more than capable hands, it gives you time to focus on other pressing matters.
7. Accountability
The great thing about using a professional to manage your socials is the level of accountability they bring. Clients expect a certain level of responsibility when outsourcing and a professional will record and measure the work their doing. This helps them meet the client’s needs and also holds them accountable for the work their doing.
8. It’s Fun
To put it simply, social media is fun, especially to those who have made it their career. By hiring a professional to manage your social media, you are guaranteed a committed worker who absolutely loves what they're doing.
Ready to outsource your social media requirements to a professional agency? We're here to help! Contact us at [email protected] today.
Building a social media audience
You've got great content, but how can you make sure it's being 'seen' and 'heard' on social media?
Your engagement rates now play a huge role in your brand's visibility on social media, but how can you go about building an engaged audience? Here are some of our top tips.
Have a good strategy in place to make sure you’re creating the right types of content, and sharing it on the right platforms (at the right time!)
When planning your content, you shouldn’t necessarily be thinking about how to get it in front of everyone – it’s all about getting it in front of the right people! To do this, you must define who your audience is, what their interests are, and create content that will really speak to them. The more engaged your audience is, the more likely it is that your content will be shared.
Consistency is key! Make sure you’re posting good quality content on a regular basis.
Engage, engage, engage! Spend at least 15-30 minutes every day engaging with fans, likeminded users and influencers to build your network. The more you show interest in and support others on social, the more you’ll be supported right back!
Use hashtags, both branded and unbranded to curate your content.
And finally, think about supporting your social media content with an advertising budget through Facebook/Instagram ads.
If you’d like to learn to how master social media marketing from our team, The Social Co Academy are currently offering a very special offer.
For a limited time only redeem Coupon Code: ‘SOCIALMELB50’ at the checkout to receive 50% OFF The Social Co Academy‘s signature online course – the Social Media Masterclass!
10 reasons why businesses need a Social Media Manager
We all know why social media is important for business. But do you think you need a social media manager for your business?
One thing we hear regularly from our clients is that while social media is a must-do and a huge part of their marketing strategy, it's more often than not the last thing on their daily to-do list. And we can understand why, when you're running a business you've got a million things on your mind, without even thinking about social media strategy, target audiences, analytics, content creation, community management - the list goes on. And yep, that all falls under the umbrella of the 'social media manager'.
But while you're ticking off your daily tasks to keep your business running, you may be neglecting the one thing that has the potential to take your business to the next level - social media.
Why is professional social media management important?
Firstly, the person managing your social media accounts is effectively the ‘voice’ of your business. If you wouldn’t put that person in front of 1000 people to promote your business on your behalf, you shouldn’t put them in charge of your social media voice - which potentially reaches a far greater audience on a daily basis.
Secondly, strategy, quality, consistency, engagement and innovation are the keys to social media success. Without these key points, your social media efforts will be in vain. By outsourcing the ongoing management of your social media channels to a dedicated strategist, you can ensure your business is not only utilising social media in a strategic manner designed to produce real results for your brand, but they're producing high quality content and distributing it a consistent, targeted manner, aimed at increasing engagement and reach for your business. (Or in other words, getting you 'seen and heard' online!)
Here are 10 reasons why businesses need a Social Media Manager:
- To develop a social media strategy. Without a great social media strategy in place, your efforts may be in vain. Your social media manager will set out a strategy for you that is geared towards achieving success online.
- To create amazing content. In 2017, your social media manager is no longer just that, (or at least at Melbourne Social Co they're not!) They are photographers, writers, stylists, publicists, community managers - you name it, the list goes on. And as part of our role, we will create and source amazing content for your brand. Because let's face it, in the crowded social media market place, you need amazing content to stand out from the crowd.
- To boost SEO (search engine optimisation): A Social Media Manager understands search engines (or knows someone who does!) and can create content that is optimised for this purpose.
- To communicate in a unified voice: A Social Media Manager will get to know your brand, define your audience and create a unified social media message to appeal to your target market.
- To manage the online community: The Social Media Manager acts as a 'brand ambassador' by listening to your customers on social media and responding in a timely manner. Social Media Managers can also be excellent PR agents, by reaching out to news outlets and bloggers who can help your business grow.
- To save time: Social Media Management takes time. Having people contribute to the process without a defined schedule or strategy won't help your marketing efforts and is often an afterthought. A Social Media Manager is dedicated to managing the digital marketing of your business - it's his/her job.
- To handle social media automation/scheduling: A Social Media Manager knows how to get the most out of social media by using a variety of tools and techniques. These methods can help grow the business and save money in the process. Do you know what is the best time of day to post particular content online? Your Social Media Manager does and can schedule posts accordingly.
- To have someone with business knowledge: Social Media Managers not only know social media, they also understand all facets of your business. They know what's important and which trends to follow because they interact with the various departments. They can confidently act as the 'voice' of your business as they are on top of what's going on.
- To track campaigns: A Social Media Manager can measure and track campaigns to see what works and what doesn't, and then adjust as necessary.
- To stay abreast of trends and technology: People who know the basics of social media may not be as informed as a person who works in social media marketing day in and day out. Just because you post on Instagram daily and love to use Pinterest doesn't necessarily mean you will be able to strategically manage your businesses online profiles.
So, now you know why a Social Media Manager is important, what should you do?
If you're looking to outsource your social media management, we can help.
We'd love to chat to you about your digital marketing needs, so that we can put together a custom full-service solution for you.
Please contact us for more information: [email protected]
Social Media Etiquette Basics
When using social media for your business there are some key rules to follow to ensure that you always represent your brand in the best way possible when interacting online.
Don't know your social media etiquette basics? Here are a few things to remember before you hit publish.
Fill out your online profiles completely:
There’s nothing worse than viewing a social media account with incomplete information about a business. Ensure you always include 'about us' info, a link to your website, contact information, and opening/closing hours if relevant.
Share information that is of value to your audience and always keep your target audience in mind:
When posting on social media, sometimes it can be easy to forget who you are actually talking to online. That’s why before you hit publish, it’s a good idea to ask yourself would my target audience be interested in this? Will this content be of value to them?
Don’t over share:
Finding time to post on social media when you don’t have a professional social media account manager can be hard and a lot of businesses fall into the trap of posting multiple things at once when they find a spare moment. This spams your audience, causing them to switch off from the content you are posting, or unfollow you. If you are having trouble finding time, or determining the perfect amount of posts to share on your social media accounts it’s best to chat to a professional social media manager who advise you on what might work best for your brand.
Check for spelling and grammatical errors:
It goes without saying! Plan your content in a word document or excel sheet beforehand to ensure you check for any mistakes.
Remember social media is public and permanent:
Before you post something for your business, remind yourself that there is the potential for everyone to see this content (including new clients or family members) so ensure it is respectful and professional and that it represents your business in the best way.
Communicate!
Social media is social after all right? Make sure you are active on social media throughout the day so you can respond to any messages or comments as they come. Fans (and potential customers) love it when you answer their questions or reply to their thoughts in a timely manner and it’s a great way to develop a two-way relationship with your customer.
Do you need help implementing the basic social media etiquette rules? Or are you struggling to find the time to manage your accounts professionally? Melbourne Social Co has an experienced team of digital marketers on hand to help your business stand out from the crowd online.
Get in touch today. [email protected]
Choosing The Right Social Media Platforms For Your Business
Most businesses today understand the importance of social media marketing, however determining which platforms are right for your business can be hard.
With everything from Twitter, Facebook to Snapchat and LinkedIn, each social media platform plays a different but integral part when it comes to your social media strategy.
So if you’re having trouble deciding on the right platforms to choose to grow your business and engage your audience, read on below for our top tips.
Determine your purpose and goals:
In order to figure out which are the best platforms to use, you have to determine what your purpose and goals on social media are. For example if your goal is to network and connect with potential clients or companies for business, then LinkedIn is great. If you would like to portray a creative and visual side of your business then Pinterest and Instagram are a must.
Identify your target audience:
The best part about social media is that you have the chance to engage one-on-one with your target audience through unique content and conversation. However, there’s no point posting content that your target audience won’t see because they don’t use that platform. That’s why it’s vital to determine who they are, what their interests are, and what platforms they use the most, so you know you will reach them.
Highlight the best parts of your business:
What is your business really about? Does it have a visual and creative product to sell, or it is more service driven? Keeping that in mind, think of the best platforms that will portray these key qualities and unique selling points of your business. By identifying your business’s strengths, you will be able to choose the best platform (as well as start to create a content strategy based on these key features.)
A few key questions to ask:
- What is the unique purpose of this social media platform?
- Will using it showcase the best parts of my business?
- Is my target audience on this platform?
Are you just getting started on social media and need some help choosing the right platforms? Or are you an established business needing to improve your current social media marketing strategy?
Melbourne Social Co has a team of experienced social media professionals ready to grow your business through digital marketing today.
Get in touch for more information: [email protected]
Instagram Fast Facts
Are you thinking about using Instagram for your business? If not, you should be – as one of the most active and engaged social media platforms world-wide, Instagram could be your next great marketing tool.
By using Instagram, you can showcase your products/services in a visually appealing manner, take followers behind the scenes of your organisation, (making your business more personable) and you can take advantage of the huge audience looking for great images to like and share.
Not convinced? Here are some facts to consider:
- Instagram has 400 million active monthly users
- Instagram users have shared over 40 billion photos to date, and now share an average of 80 million photos per day
- 75 percent of Instagram users come from outside of the U.S, making it a truly global platform
- Instagram adoption is at 85 percent among top brands
- Top brands on Instagram are seeing a per-follower engagement rate of 4.21 percent
- Instagram’s per-follower engagement rate for top brands is 58 times higher than on Facebook and 120 times higher than on Twitter
Now that it’s permanently on your radar, why not start using Instagram for your business today!
Need help creating 'double tap' worthy imagery for your social media channels? Eye-catching images are key to engagement and success on Instagram, but do you have time to source and create beautiful images on a regular basis? Our creative team can take care of this for you!
Melbourne Social Co's Product Photography For Instagram Package:
As part of this service, your business will receive:
14 professionally styled product images per month. Our team will style, photograph and edit a series of product images for use on Instagram, (as well as Facebook, Pinterest and within blog posts.)
Together we will plan a look that will not only suit the aesthetic of your brand, but will push you in a new and exciting direction, showcasing your products in the best possible light.
Cost: $599 + GST per month
Want to get a feel for our style? Follow us on Instagram @melbournesocialco.
Need help managing your Instagram accounts on a daily basis? We can take care of that too.
Tailored specifically to your businesses needs and goals, our team are experts in social media strategy, content creation and audience engagement, and would be more than happy to discuss managing and building your Instagram profile on your behalf.
Contact us for more information – [email protected]
Product Photography For Instagram Package Terms and Conditions:
- These rates are only valid for clients who sign a 3 month booking with Melbourne Social Co. Month by month rates are available, please ask us about these
- Each booking will be specifically quoted after a consultation with the client
- The images created by our team will become the property of your business. We may share these on our website and social media channels from time to time, crediting your business. Please let us know if you don't want us to do so
Stats via: www.instagram.com/press/