The complete guide to social media management pricing: UK edition

Understanding social media management pricing in the UK is critical, especially for multi-location businesses. These enterprises have to juggle between managing multiple accounts at the corporate level and allowing for personalization at the local level. 

Birdeye research shows how most businesses currently approach social media management : 

• 81% of participants handle social media at the corporate level
• 24% have employees at individual locations
• 20% outsource/work with marketing agencies

These overlapping strategies highlight the complexity of managing social presence at scale. Therefore, businesses need flexible and tailored pricing solutions so that social media management doesn’t burden the bottom line. 

In this guide, we discuss social media management pricing in the UK, the factors that influence costs, the types of packages available, and what services businesses should look for. Let’s get started.

What factors affect social media management packages pricing in the UK?

Social media management in the UK is not a one-size-fits-all solution and can vary widely based on several critical factors. 

Let’s look at what determines the cost of these services in most social media packages in the UK:

• Pricing models: Agencies may charge social media marketing fees on an hourly, fixed, project, or performance basis. The right model depends on whether you need long-term support or campaign-specific services.
• Scope of services: Costs rise as services expand from basic scheduling and posting to content creation, community management, influencer outreach, reporting, and strategy. Dedicated account managers also add to pricing.
• Number of social media platforms: Managing 2–3 platforms is standard, but more platforms or multiple accounts per platform increase time, tools, and costs.
• Content creation and posting frequency: Pricing depends on the volume and type of content (copy, graphics, video). Daily posting or simultaneous posting across platforms is more expensive than weekly or monthly schedules.
• Reputation and experience of the agency: Established agencies with proven results often charge premium rates for their expertise and efficiency.
• Monitoring and engagement services: Community management—replying to comments, messages, and reviews is resource-intensive. The frequency of monitoring (constant, weekly, or monthly) impacts cost.

How much does social media management cost in the UK per month?

Social media marketing costs in the UK range from £500 to £5,000 per month, depending on factors such as the number of platforms managed, posting frequency, content creation, and whether paid ads are included. Enterprise or multi-location businesses usually see pricing at the higher end due to scale and complexity.

Social media management packages: UK guide

Social media marketing is a broad term used to describe any activity undertaken to promote a business across various social media channels. This can vary based on the numerous factors mentioned in the previous section. 

While there is no fixed range for social media management charges, here is what you can expect:

These prices depend on the services included, content volume, platforms managed, and level of strategy development involved.

Businesses should explore different social media management companies or tools in the UK before choosing a provider. 

Types of social media management pricing packages 

Based on the type of social media management services your UK business needs, you can pick from the various pricing packages. Let’s explore a few models to help you understand how the social media marketing pricing model works in the UK. 

Starter pricing plan

Most business owners opt for starter packages for small businesses just beginning their social media marketing efforts. These affordable social media management packages often include 1–2 social media platforms, limited content, and basic analytics.

They may offer to cover advertising campaigns for additional cost, if necessary. 

Mid-size pricing plan

Choosing a mid-size package for a social media management company or software can be an affordable price option for growing businesses or those with 3-5 locations. This is a good bridge between the starter pricing plan and the enterprise package. 

You can expect management across multiple platforms, more advanced paid advertising, and regular performance reports.

How does pricing change for multi-location businesses?

For multi-location businesses, pricing usually increases because each location requires tailored content, monitoring, and engagement. Agencies often charge per location or provide tiered packages that scale with the number of branches. Platforms like Birdeye help reduce these costs by providing a single dashboard for all locations, thereby improving efficiency and consistency.

Enterprise pricing plan

Enterprise packages offer full-funnel solutions with a comprehensive social media strategy, deep analytics, and integrated campaign management. These also include account managers and dedicated teams.

Agency pricing plan

If you work with a full-service marketing agency, you can expect a broader content mix, a dedicated account manager, strategy development, and community management. 

“My journey for a good ORM solution started with BirdEye and a pitch from them. I wanted to find an ORM, but they were the benchmark. I tested dozens of other solutions but failed to balance Birdeye’s complete offering with a better single solution. I really couldn’t find anything comparable, especially at this price point. We did exhaustive testing and research in this vertical. While we are a smaller agency, we wanted to ease into this as a solution for our clients. The pricing is really great, the use is scalable, and the amount of resources to pull from is robust.”

Christopher Papa, First Page Media 

Do UK agencies charge per platform or per package?

UK agencies use both models. Smaller agencies often charge per platform (e.g., Facebook only or Instagram only), whereas larger firms provide bundled packages that cover multiple platforms under one fee. The bundled model is more cost-effective for businesses that manage multiple social channels simultaneously.

Most social media marketing agencies provide a variety of pricing packages: 

Monthly pricing packages 

Most UK agencies work on monthly retainers, which can range based on the number of social media accounts, content type, and level of engagement. This is ideal for medium-sized business owners looking to begin with social media marketing. 

Platform-specific pricing packages 

Some businesses only need help with a single platform, such as TikTok or Instagram. These tailored packages help optimise spending.

Project-based pricing 

Project-based pricing is ideal for specific projects like launching a new product or running seasonal campaigns. Prices vary widely depending on complexity and time spent.

Performance-based pricing 

This model ties costs to outcomes such as engagement rates or follower growth. It’s useful when results are measurable, but it isn’t ideal for all social media efforts. 

How Birdeye saves money in social media marketing costs: UK edition 

Managing social media in the UK can get expensive when you factor in multiple agencies, tools, and locations. Birdeye reduces these costs by consolidating various tasks, including content creation, scheduling, engagement, reviews, and reporting, into a single unified AI platform. With a single dashboard, automated workflows, AI agents to automate publishing and engagement with industry-specific templates, UK businesses gain complete control at scale without paying premium agency rates.

Let us explore these functionalities in depth. 

Unified dashboard for multi-location control

Birdeye’s single dashboard manages reviews, listings, and social media across every location, saving agencies and brands from juggling multiple logins or vendors. Location-level access ensures both corporate and local teams stay aligned.

GenAI-powered content creation and scheduling

With Social AI, Birdeye generates on-brand posts, optimises captions and hashtags, and bulk-schedules across platforms. This reduces agency hours while maintaining a high and consistent posting frequency.

Full customer engagement management

Social Engagement AI continuously monitors comments, messages, and reviews in real-time. It prioritises conversations, drafts suggested replies, and routes escalations—so engagement happens faster with less manual work.

Proven industry templates and benchmarks

Birdeye’s Industry AI offers tailored templates and benchmarks for industries such as healthcare, retail, and restaurants. This ensures campaigns launch quickly, stay compliant, and perform against measurable standards.

3,000+ integrations for automated workflows

Birdeye integrates with CRM, PMS, POS, and payment systems to automatically trigger reviews, social posts, and surveys. This automation reduces reliance on manual reporting or high-cost retainers.

AI agents to cut social media management costs at scale

Birdeye’s Social AI Agents (for publishing and engagement) cut the biggest cost drivers in UK social media marketing: manual labour, agency retainers, and inefficiency across tools.
The Social Publishing Agent automates post ideation, drafting, and scheduling across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. It learns from past performance and competitor insights to create high-performing, on-brand content in seconds. This eliminates the need for multiple content tools or dedicated copywriting hours, helping UK businesses publish more often at a fraction of the cost.

The Social Engagement Agent further reduces expenses tied to customer support and community management. It monitors comments, mentions, and messages in real time, auto-prioritises what needs attention, and drafts on-brand replies that align with compliance and tone guidelines. By combining instant response capability with AI-powered routing, Birdeye enables teams to handle large-scale engagement without expanding headcount, delivering consistent brand presence and measurable savings across every location.

Transparent analytics and reporting

Birdeye’s analytics suite provides performance insights at both the brand and location levels, encompassing reach, engagement, sentiment, and ROI. These insights replace vanity metrics with measurable outcomes tied to revenue.

Pricing estimate for other social media packages UK: What should businesses expect

Content creation

Quality content helps your business reach a wider target audience and drive sales. Creating original posts, blogs, and visuals typically costs £200–£1,000/month, depending on frequency and volume. 

Graphic design

Design work that aligns with your brand is critical to building a consistent social media presence.

Most businesses in the UK can expect to pay £50–£150 per graphic if charged separately. You can also negotiate packages based on the volume of work you require. 

Video management 

Social media experts believe that high-quality video content boosts engagement rates and helps grow businesses across various social media platforms. 

Short-form videos for Reels or TikTok cost between £ 300 and £2,000 per video, depending on the level of editing and shooting required. 

Reporting  

A social media management tool or agency that provides insights into audience behaviour, content performance, and ROI is critical to outshine competitors. However, most agencies charge an additional fee for this service. 

Basic monthly reports may be included in your retainer, but advanced analytics and dashboards could cost £100–£500 extra per month.

Conclusion 

Understanding social media management pricing in the UK isn’t just about numbers—it’s about aligning your business goals with the right services, platforms, and partners. Whether you’re a small business testing the waters or an enterprise expanding across the UK, choosing the right social media management plan can make or break your online presence.

From starter packages to comprehensive solutions, many businesses opt for professional help to drive engagement, build brand awareness, and connect with their target audience. By knowing what services are included, what influences costs, and how to evaluate the value provided, you can invest in social media marketing with clarity and confidence.

If you’re ready to streamline your efforts, deliver results, and manage multiple platforms easily, the right partner, backed by the right technology, can help you scale faster.

FAQs on social media management pricing in the UK

Automate multi-location social media management with Birdeye Social AI 

Managing multi-location social media performance can be a strain on business resources. Businesses in the UK need a partner that can automate repetitive tasks without an impact on engagement metrics. And that is why Birdeye Social AI is becoming the most sought-after solution. 

With Birdeye Social AI, you can reduce time spent on posting and responding while boosting your reach with intelligent suggestions for social media content. Leverage Birdeye Social AI to: 

• Leverage AI-generated content creation processes for social media posts, captions, and images 
• Manage multiple platforms easily from a central dashboard 
• Stay consistent across all business locations
• Identify the best time to post across platforms 
• Monitor competitor feeds at all times 
• Simplify reporting with AI-powered insights

Learn more about Birdeye Social AI with a free demo.