Hey! If you’ve landed on this page, chances are you’re looking for a social media manager but you’re unsure of how much they charge.

Before we get stuck in, let me introduce myself – I’m Sam, I’m a social media strategist with 10 years of experience both as a freelancer and working agency-side.

Here’s a bit more about me.

I’m a Lancashire native (Chorley is my neck of the woods!) and I’m hopefully here to help you understand a bit more about how social fees are worked out.

Before we get stuck in, if you’re looking for a more strategic blog on whether to prioritise organic or paid social, this might be the better post for you.

So how much does a social media manager charge in Lancashire?

If I’m being honest? It depends!

Which I know isn’t the most helpful answer, so let me go into more detail…

I’ll break it down properly so you actually understand what you’re paying for (and whether you’re about to waste your money).

First things first: there is no “standard” price If you’ve Googled this already, you’ve probably seen numbers all over the place. That’s because: some people are posting memes for £300 a month others are building full strategies and driving revenue for £4k+.

Both call themselves “social media managers”. That’s the problem.

The actual UK benchmarks (so you’ve got context)

Let’s ground this in reality first. The average full-time UK social media manager salary sits around £33k–£35k (source: Indeed).

Typical full-time roles range from £25k to £50k+ depending on experience.

Freelancers often charge: £200–£450 per day (baseline), £25–£100 per hour depending on experience (source: Prospects).

£1,200–£4,000/month for full management packages.

So if you’re paying: £200/month, you’re not getting much as those paying £2,000/month.

What you’ll actually pay in Lancashire

Right, let’s bring this closer to home. Lancashire (and the North in general) is cheaper than London (but not that much cheaper anymore).

Here’s what I typically see:

🔹 Low end: £300–£600/month This is: posting content you give them basic captions maybe replying to comments. No strategy. No real growth plan. No link to revenue This is basically “keeping your page ticking over”. Nothing wrong with it, but don’t mountains to be moved…

🔹 Mid range: £700–£1,500/month This is where most small businesses sit. You’ll usually get: content creation some level of planning basic reporting light strategy (and I mean light) This is fine if: you just want to “be active” on social But again, don’t expect it to transform your business.

🔹 High end: £1,500–£3,000+/month Now we’re talking. This is where you should be getting: actual strategy content tied to business goals proper reporting (not just vanity metrics) conversion-focused thinking alignment with ads / website / sales. This is the difference between “posting” and “using social properly”

🔹 One-off strategy projects: £500–£2,000+. If you don’t want ongoing management, you might pay for: a strategy document, a workshop or an audit. Typical day rates sit around £250–£500+ depending on experience

But here’s the bit no one tells you You’re not paying for posts. You’re paying for thinking and experience.

Or at least… you should be. Why prices vary so much (and why people get caught out).

But let’s be blunt. Most businesses compare social media managers like this:

👉 “They both post 3 times a week — why is one £400 and the other £2,000?”

Because: One is posting. One is building a strategy. Big difference. The cheap option usually means: no clear audience targeting no messaging strategy no link to your offer no proper reporting no accountability You’ll get likes and maybe some followers, but not much else.

The more expensive option should mean: clear positioning content that actually says something alignment with your sales process, measurable outcomes and revenue.

If it doesn’t… they’re overpriced.

A quick reality check (this is important) If your business makes £100k+ a year… …and you’re spending £300/month on social… you are underinvesting. Simple as that.

Social is one of the biggest growth channels you’ve got, but only if it’s done properly.

“Can’t I just hire someone cheap and scale later?” You can. Most do. Here’s what usually happens: You hire someone cheap They post consistently Nothing really happens You assume “social doesn’t work”.

It’s not social. It’s the lack of strategy. What actually drives the cost If you want to understand pricing properly, look at these 5 things:

1. Strategy (the big one) Are they: planning content around your business goals or just filling a calendar? This is the difference between £500 and £2,000+.

2. Content creation Are they: designing graphics? filming videos? writing proper copy? Or just reposting stuff you send them?

3. Platforms. Managing: Instagram only = cheaper Instagram + LinkedIn + TikTok = more time, more cost

4. Paid + organic integration. Most freelancers ignore ads. The better ones: connect organic content to paid strategy That’s where results and revenue come from.

5. Experience (obviously) Anyone can call themselves a social media manager. Not everyone understands marketing, sales, and how content drives revenue That’s what you’re really paying for.

The question you should actually be asking is not “How much does a social media manager cost?” but “What am I getting for that cost?”.

Because £500 can be expensive… …and £2,000 can be cheap!

A simple way to sanity-check a quote If you’re speaking to a freelancer or agency, ask: How does this tie back to revenue? What’s the actual strategy here? What happens if it doesn’t work? What are we measuring?

If they can’t answer that clearly, walk away!

So… what should you spend?

Here’s a rough guide:

Startup / very small business → £500–£1,000/month

Growing business → £1,000–£2,000/month E

stablished / scaling → £2,000–£4,000+

But there are no rules, and rates may differ a little from this depending on the ask.

And before I leave you, a final thought from me (and a bit of tough love!).

If your current social media: isn’t bringing in leads, isn’t supporting sales and feels a bit… pointless! It’s probably not a content problem.

It’s a strategy problem. And that’s exactly where most businesses go wrong.

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