Social media management: what should be included, and what drives the price
Two agencies can both offer "social media management" and mean completely different things. One posts your photos with a caption. The other plans, films, edits and posts every video, then answers your comments. Here is what should be in the package, and what actually moves the price.
What "social media management" should include
When we run a brand's channels, the work splits into six parts. If a quote leaves one of them out, ask who is doing it.
- Content plan: formats, topics and a schedule for the month, approved by you before anything is filmed.
- Pre-production: scripts, locations, people and a shoot schedule.
- Filming: on location or in a studio.
- Editing: cuts, captions, sound and a version for each platform.
- Publishing: posting on every channel, on schedule.
- Account care: keeping profiles up to date and replying to comments and messages.
Some agencies only do the last two. That can work if you already have a team making the videos. If you don't, you are paying someone to post content that doesn't exist yet.
Video is where most of the cost sits
Posting takes minutes. A good short video takes an idea, a shoot, an edit and a caption. That is why the number of videos per month is the biggest factor in almost every quote.
The smart part is how the videos get made. For Betano and AC Sparta Praha, one studio shoot gave us three black-and-white campaign spots and two behind-the-scenes reels. Planning several videos around one shoot day costs far less than filming each one separately.
Five things that move the price
- 1. How many videos a month. Four to six is a different job from twelve or more.
- 2. Who films. Using footage you send us is cheaper than a crew on location.
- 3. How many channels. Instagram and TikTok can share a shoot, but each one needs its own cut. LinkedIn usually needs a different tone again.
- 4. Who answers comments and messages. Account care takes time every day, not once a month.
- 5. How fast you need it. Event content posted the same evening needs people on standby.
A cheap package that posts nothing worth watching is the most expensive option.
Why one video for every platform is not enough
It is tempting to film once and upload the same file everywhere. The platforms notice. In 2021 Instagram said it would make Reels with other apps' watermarks less discoverable, and in 2024 it changed its ranking to favour original content over reposts. So we cut a separate version for each platform: a different first second, captions and length. We wrote more about this in How often should a brand post on Instagram and TikTok?
Questions to ask before you sign
- How many finished videos do I get each month, and who films them?
- Do I approve the plan and every video before it goes out?
- Who replies to comments and messages, and how fast?
- What do I get at the end of the month: views, reach, saves, or just a list of posts?
- Can I keep the raw footage?
How our packages work
We have three packages. Start is for brands new to social media: 4 to 6 videos a month, a content plan, editing and captions, posted on 2 channels. Grow adds scripts and a monthly shoot day, with 6 to 12 videos on 4 channels. Full service is 12+ videos, 4+ channels, full account care, AI visuals and monthly numbers.
Prices come after a short call, because a brand that sends us footage and a brand that needs a crew at every event are very different jobs. You can see what this looks like in practice in our work for BAVSE, where the events sold out on the day tickets went on sale, and Signal Festival.
If you want to see what your channels would look like with us, book a call and we will put together a plan and a price for your brand. More on the service: Social media.
