Since we launched The Brainchild Group back in 2007 the world of social media marketing has drastically changed, including the costs, and our past blog posts on social media consulting rates have gotten tons of views so we decided to follow-up with our thoughts for 2020. 

The biggest trend we’re seeing is not so much in the range companies should expect to pay for social media consultants, which has remained fairly steady over the past 5+ years, but instead what you’re actually getting for your money. 

Nowadays everyone is a social media guru and if they’re not you better bet their cousin or neighbor is — whether true or not — and that common misconception has created more consultants operating on the low end of the cost spectrum with limited real-world expertise guiding businesses. 

Looking at the numbers, most companies should expect to pay anywhere from $100-$300 per hour for social media consulting but take that with a grain of salt. What really matters most is what’s the problem a consultant is tasked with solving and how difficult/specialized is it? 

For example, aside from guiding startups to Fortune 500 companies, we’ve also been expert witnesses for civil cases in federal court that require a very deep level of knowledge and in those instances we charge over $500/hr for expert witness testimony. On the other hand, helping a funded startup create their first social media plan is very straightforward, thus driving the costs down. 

If you are on the hunt for a social media consultant or consulting firm, take a step back and think about your actual needs and the ideal outcome then try to find the best solution based on your unique problem as well as your budget.