You are probably reading this because you are searching for a freelance social media marketer in Dubai or you are planning on getting into the business. In this era, any company, regardless of its niche, ought to have a winning social media presence. There are many tricks and tips involved. For one to fully establish your online presence, you ought to have an experienced social media manager.
An excellent social media manager is a creative, goal-oriented individual who strives to target current and future customers for your company. Such people wear many hats and are not just for posting and interacting with your clients online. Social media marketers engage in activities such as;
- Creating social media strategies, deliberate on planning, and goal setting
- They develop brand awareness by building an online reputation
- Budgeting and planning for your social media campaigns
- Search Engine Optimization and generation of inbound traffic
- Cultivation of leads and sales
- Creation and uploading of editorial content
While all these services require a professional, you must be wondering how much social media marketing costs in Dubai. The shortest and the most straightforward (and admittedly the least satisfying) answer to this is – it depends. The charges accrued vary depending on factors such as;
Not unless your name is globally known, as a freelance social media marketer, you need to charge as per the experience you have. That is precisely why, as an employer, a CV with work experience is vital while hiring one. A new freelancer will often charge about $15 to $40 an hour.
One with at least five years of professional experience might charge you anywhere between $45 and $75 per hour. If you are working with a social media manager who has more than five years of experience, you will have to part with around $80 and above for the same hour.
2. The size of your business
The size of your business greatly determines how freelancers will charge to take care of your social media needs. Corporate clients will be charged for much more than non-profits and struggling individuals. Furthermore, the services offered by consultants are tailor-made to suit company needs. This makes it highly unlikely to receive the same bill from the same freelancer.
3. What types of services do you require
A social media marketer in Dubai does not only work to post content on those sites. They have far many roles as mentioned earlier in this post. If it is the sole task of the social media manager to come up with the content to be posted (more so on visual products such as images and videos), you should expect the price to go higher.
Social media does not sleep. This means that the managers will have to typically reply to the majority, if not all, of the comments, concerns, and complaints raised by their clients. You might have a social media manager responding to the customers at 2 A.M.
If your brand has a lot of such work, the prices will have to be higher generally.
4. The number of identities (the accounts which need taking care of)
Many businesses are geared towards having a vibrant Facebook and Twitter presence. Other industries see a much better benefit from other platforms such as Pinterest, YouTube, Linked In, and Instagram.
Managing more than one account usually comes with an additional price tag. When you target each additional platform, you will expect the monthly charges to go up by $300 to approximately $2,000 for small and medium businesses.
If you have an enterprise or large business, you might expect social media marketers in Dubai to charge you up to $5,000.
5. The effort used in the creation of content for a particular platform
The effort and time spent on the creation and spreading of a social media campaign vary from one platform to another. The amount of work put towards a successful YouTube campaign is much more compared to that of Facebook or Twitter. A lot of time is taken creating content and ensuring that it is suitable for the right audience, and is also optimized for search engines.
Setting up a new social media platform from scratch takes more time and effort. A lot of work is involved in the initial setup and content, creation of content, taglines, and branding. When dealing with a new brand, building a new follower base, and increasing the numbers, often takes more time and skill.
The freelancer will need to run both paid and organic campaigns to create awareness for your brand. Therefore, this makes your initial costs a bit more expensive. If dealing with an already established account(s), the price will go significantly lower.
This is because only a small refresh of graphics will have to be done before moving straight to the content.
7. Are influencers to be targeted?
The ability to attract influencers and other complementary businesses to your platforms usually comes as a great benefit for social media marketing. If such people share your content with their followers, your brand will easily be discoverable by tens of thousands making its visibility even better. With larger budgets, a social media marketer can engage an influencer to help with the marketing of your brand.
Different Social Media Marketing Platforms and their Deliverables
More than 50% of consumers feel that user-generated content is likely to influence their decision on whether or not to purchase a product. It is no brainer that investing in a skilled social media manager is mandatory for business growth.
Depending on the type of platform you are using, the prices charged will also vary.
1. Facebook
Facebook is one of the most popular social media channels in the world, with an average of 1 Billion users daily. Using this platform will assure you that you will reach at least a portion of your target audience. It is free to set up a business account on Facebook but will cost you extra through paid ads.
Many freelancers in Dubai will charge anywhere between $450 and $1,600 per month. This price will usually cater to both the paid and organic campaigns, and also customer interaction.
2. Twitter
Just like Facebook, opening a business account on Twitter is also free of charge. However, one can also use promoted tweets, trends, and promoted accounts to create brand awareness. Managing a Twitter account for business can cost around $600 to $1,600, plus the paid adverts.
3. LinkedIn
This is a more professional social media platform used for marketing. One can associate themselves with key players in their industry and get a place to share content. Just like the other platforms, there are paid options available on LinkedIn. Many companies put aside at least $200 a month to be spent on ads. In total, a budget of at least $900 per month is essential for LinkedIn marketing.
4. Instagram
Instagram is a highly visual marketing platform that mostly deals with images and videos. It can be used to target a broader audience, especially Generation Z. paid adverts are available, and a budget of $1,500 is advisable per month.
5. YouTube
This is the number one platform for video content. Apart from trying to get a video to go ‘viral,’ a skilled YouTube marketer knows how to make it rank top on Google searches. This platform often requires more skill, hence a bit more expensive to manage. It can cost you up to $3,000 to operate a successful YouTube channel.
Over to You
Social media marketing in Dubai requires a lot of skill. You should be ready to spend more if you are targeting better results. You don’t have to create a financial burden when looking for the best. Find some of the best freelance social media marketers in Dubai to help you create your brand’s visibility.
