Consider this: A staggering 93% of businesses worldwide use social media for marketing purposes. With consumers allocating approximately half of their phone usage time to engage with various social media platforms, it’s not surprising that businesses find social media to be a great platform to reach, engage, and convert potential customers.

With significant stakes involved, businesses must understand the costs associated with effective social media management. This is where a social media management tool can be a game-changer. This innovative platform helps streamline social media efforts and offers significant cost-saving benefits.

In this exploration of social media management pricing in 2024, I’ll delve into the intricacies of budgeting for your online presence. I’ll also explain how leveraging the right tools can help you navigate the ever-evolving world of social media with confidence and efficiency.

Let’s dive in and decode the financial aspects of maintaining a compelling digital presence in the year ahead.

What Is Social Media Management

Social media management is the comprehensive strategy and practice of overseeing and optimizing an organization’s presence on various social media platforms. It involves a range of activities aimed at achieving specific goals, such as increasing brand awareness, engaging with the target audience, driving website traffic, and, ultimately, generating leads or sales.

What Are the Available Social Media Management Options in 2024

As we progress through the first quarter of 2024, the landscape of social media management continues to expand and diversify, offering a multitude of options to help you effectively navigate the digital realm.

Here are the three common social media management options available in 2024:

• Social media management tools
• Social media management agencies
• Social media managers

Social Media Management Tools

Social Media Management Tools have emerged as a popular choice for businesses due to their ability to streamline and enhance the efficiency of social media operations. With the increasing complexity of managing multiple social media platforms and the demand for consistent and engaging content, these tools provide indispensable features such as post-scheduling, content curation, analytics, and engagement tracking.

Here are two of the best social media management tools you can leverage:

1. Social Champ

   Social Champ stands out as one of the best social media management tools for several compelling reasons. First and foremost, its intuitive and user-friendly interface makes it accessible to both beginners and experienced social media managers. The platform also offers a wide range of features, including post-scheduling, content recycling, and detailed analytics, empowering users to manage their social media accounts efficiently.

   Here’s what Social Champ’s dashboard looks like:

   

   What sets Social Champ apart is its unique Bulk Upload feature, which allows users to schedule multiple posts in bulk, saving substantial time. Additionally, Social Champ offers extensive integrations with popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Mastadon, Google Business Profile, and TikTok, providing a holistic approach to social media management.

   Featured Guide: How to Schedule Posts Through Bulk Upload

   With its competitive pricing and commitment to staying up-to-date with the latest trends in social media, Social Champ has established itself as a reliable and versatile tool for businesses and individuals seeking effective social media management.

2. Buffer

   Buffer is another option that has earned its reputation as one of the best social media management tools available today. It offers essential features like post-scheduling, content calendar, and detailed analytics. Buffer also excels in team collaboration with its easy-to-use team management features, making it an excellent choice for businesses with multiple social media managers.

   While Buffer and Social Champ share many similarities, such as scheduling, collaboration, and analytics features, the latter offers a broader selection of social media integrations. It integrates many platforms, including Flickr, Dropbox, Google Drive, Canva, Giphy, Crello, Imgur, and WordPress.

   Additionally, Social Champ’s pricing for social media management may be more cost-effective for users in need of more advanced features. Ultimately, the choice between Buffer and Social Champ depends on your specific business needs and preferences.

Social Media Management Agencies

There are several occasions when a company, including your own, can reap the advantages of partnering with a social media marketing agency. The advantages that such an agency can offer include:

1. Expertise and Experience

   Agencies typically employ professionals who specialize in digital marketing and social media strategies. Their expertise and experience enable them to develop and execute effective campaigns tailored to a business’s unique goals and target audience.

2. Comprehensive Services

   Agencies offer a full spectrum of services, including content creation, scheduling, community engagement, advertising, and analytics. This comprehensive approach ensures that all aspects of social media management run seamlessly.

3. Industry Insights

   Social media agencies often stay updated on industry trends and changes in platform algorithms. This knowledge allows them to adapt strategies accordingly, maximizing the impact of a brand’s online presence.

4. Time and Resource Efficiency

   Outsourcing social media management to an agency saves businesses the time and effort required for in-house management. This allows business owners and staff to focus on core operations while the agency handles the intricacies of social media.

5. Scalability

   Social media agencies can scale their services to meet the evolving needs of a business. Whether a business is just starting or looking to expand its online presence, agencies can tailor their services accordingly.

   Overall, social media management agencies offer businesses a strategic and efficient approach to harness the power of social media for brand promotion, customer engagement, and business growth.

Social Media Managers

Let me first explain the difference between a social media manager and a social media agency. A social media manager is an individual with expertise in managing social media accounts. They can be an in-house employee or a freelance professional.

On the other hand, a social media agency is a company staffed with a team of professionals specializing in various aspects of social media management, including strategists, content creators, analysts, and more.

So, when does it make sense to outsource social media management to a social media manager and not to an agency? The following are the instances when hiring a social media manager would be best:

• If you run a small to medium-sized business with modest social media needs.
• When you require personalized and immediate attention to your brand’s voice and audience engagement.
• If you want a single point of contact and a close working relationship with the individual responsible for your social media.

Ultimately, the choice between a social media manager and an agency depends on your business’s size, goals, budget, and the level of expertise and resources required to manage your social media presence effectively. Smaller businesses may find a social media manager sufficient, while larger enterprises often benefit from agencies’ comprehensive services and scalability.

Related Article: The Ultimate Guide on Social Media Manager Salary in 2024

How Much Do Social Media Management Tools Cost in 2024?

This is the question on every savvy marketer’s mind. The answer, however, is far from one-size-fits-all.

With many options available, from robust scheduling platforms to all-inclusive analytics suites, understanding the social media management services pricing has never been more critical.

This section will delve into the intricacies of different price plans for three of the best social media management tools available today.

Social Media Management Pricing for Small Businesses

For small businesses, finding the right tool with budget-friendly pricing for social media management is crucial to maximizing their online presence without breaking the bank. Here are several pricing plans that you can consider for your small business:

1. Social Champ’s Champion Plan

   Social Champ stands out as an excellent choice for small businesses among the options available in 2024. While there’s a free plan that you can enjoy at no cost, there’s another plan that’s more suitable for start-ups and small businesses with limited social needs,

   Here’s a snapshot of Social Champ’s Champion Plan, which is best suited for start-ups and small businesses with limited social needs:

   • Price: Starting at $29 per month.
   • Maximum users: 2 with an option to add more users at $6 per month.
   • Maximum social media accounts: 12 with an option to add extra accounts at $5 per account per month.
   • Number of posts you can schedule: Unlimited.
   • Features: Basic scheduling, bulk scheduling, content curation, content calendar, individual post analytics, and unlimited report exports.

2. Buffer’s Essentials

   Buffer also provides a free plan for individuals and businesses getting started on social media. The free plan lets you connect up to three channels and provides planning and publishing tools, a landing page builder, and an AI assistant.

   For those looking for a paid plan that’s suitable for their small businesses, they can opt for the Essentials Plan. Here’s an overview of the plan:

   • Price: $6 per month per profile
   • Maximum social media accounts: 3 with an option to add extra channels for $6 per account per month.
   • Number of posts you can schedule: Up to 30.
   • Features: All features available on the free plan, plus engagement tools and analytic reports.

3. Later’s Starter Plan

   This plan is best suited for individuals and small businesses. Here’s an outlook of the Starter Plan:

   • Price: $25 per month.
   • Maximum users: 1
   • Maximum social media accounts: 1 social set.
   • Number of posts per social profile: 30
   • Features: Scheduling tools, analytics up to 3 months, and collab tools for creators.

Social Media Management Pricing for Large Businesses

Large Businesses typically have a more extensive online presence, with multiple social media profiles, accounts, and campaigns across various platforms. Managing this scale manually becomes increasingly complex and time-consuming. As such, large businesses often require social media management tools with more features than small businesses.

Let’s take a look at the social media management packages pricing large businesses can consider:

1. Social Champ’s Business Plan

   • Price: $99 per month.
   • Maximum users: 6 with an option to add more users at $5 per user per month.
   • Maximum social media accounts: 40 with an option to add more accounts at $4 per account.
   • Number of posts per social profile: Unlimited

2. Buffer’s Team Plan

   • Price: Starts at $12 per month per channel.
   • Maximum users: Unlimited team members and clients.
   • Number of posts per social profile: Unlimited.

3. Later’s Growth Plan

   • Price: Starts at $45 per month.
   • A number of social media accounts: 3 social sets with an option to add extra social sets at $15 each per month.
   • Maximum users: 3 users with an option to add more users at $5 per account per month.
   • Number of posts per social profile: 150 posts per social profile.

   Large businesses require advanced social media management tools with features like bulk posting, multi-account management, and team collaboration.

   Related Article: What is Team Management? Benefits of Social Media Teams

Social Media Management Pricing for Agencies

Agencies typically handle multiple clients, each with its unique social media needs. For that reason, they require social media management tools with robust features compared to individual businesses.

Here are three social media management social media management packages pricing to compare when searching for a social media management tool for agencies:

Social Champ’s Agency Plan

• Price: Customized
• Number of social media accounts: 100+
• Maximum users: 10+
• Number of posts you can schedule: Unlimited

Buffer’s Agency Plan

• Price: $120 per month
• Number of social media accounts: 10 social media accounts with an option to add more accounts at $6 per account per month.
• Number of posts you can schedule: Unlimited

Hootsuite’s Enterprise Plan

• Price: $ $739 per month billed annually.
• Number of users: 5
• Number of social media accounts: 50
• Number of posts you can schedule: Unlimited

When choosing a social media management tool for your agency, it’s good to choose one with features for managing multiple accounts, campaigns, and social media calendars simultaneously. Such tools can enable your agency to deliver high-quality services, demonstrate its value, and maintain productivity while ensuring client satisfaction and success.

Overall, choosing the right plan depends on the specific needs and goals of your business. It’s crucial to compare these social media management pricing packages to find the one that best aligns with their budget and objectives.

Are Social Media Marketing Tools a Cheaper Option?

When evaluating the three social media management options, it’s typical for individuals, businesses, and agencies to wonder whether social media marketing tools are the cheaper option.

To answer this question, I’d say that the cost-effectiveness of using social media marketing tools versus hiring social media marketing managers or agencies varies based on several factors.

For instance, social media marketing tools are often cost-effective for small to medium-sized businesses with relatively simple social media needs. If your social media requirements are straightforward, a social media management tool like Social Champ can be a budget-friendly solution.

How much is Social Media Marketing/Management Worth?

The worth of social media marketing or management strategy can vary significantly depending on various factors. Here are some considerations to help you determine the value of social media marketing and management to your business.

1. Your Business Goals

   The value of social media marketing/marketing is closely tied to your business objectives. These objectives could range from increasing brand awareness and engaging with your audience to driving website traffic, generating leads, and increasing sales.

   The value of social media management strategy can be substantial if using a social media management tool can help you achieve these goals.

2. Audience Size and Engagement

   The size and engagement of your target audience on social media play a crucial role in determining value. If you have a large, engaged following, the potential value of your social media management efforts is unquestionably greater.

3. Geographic Location

   The geographic location of your target audience matters. If your business operates in a global or international market, social media can be a valuable tool for reaching a wide audience.

   As such, the value of your social media management strategy will be high if you use a social media management tool that lets you target followers in different geographic regions.

4. Brand Reputation

   Statistics show that a company’s reputation accounts for 63% of its market value. Social media can impact your brand’s reputation positively or negatively. If social media management can help maintain a positive image and address customer concerns promptly, then it’s worth every dollar you spend on it.

5. Industry

   Different industries may have varying levels of competition and audience engagement on social media. The value of social media marketing can be higher if your business is in an industry where customers actively use social platforms for research and communication.

Investing in Social Champ is Investing in Long-Term Social Media Success

In an era where data-driven decisions are pivotal, a social media management tool can offer valuable insights into audience behavior, allowing you to fine-tune your social media marketing strategies for optimal results. Moreover, the automation capabilities of a tool like Social Champ can save time and resources, enabling your business to maintain a consistent online presence without the need for constant manual intervention.

When evaluating social media management pricing, be sure to assess your business’s unique needs and choose the most suitable plan from Social.

Frequently Asked Question