What a social media consultant costs in the UK

Key takeaways

Social media consultant cost in the UK is indicatively £50–£120 an hour or £350–£800 a day, depending on experience and specialism. A consultant sells advice and direction, not production. That suits a business with people to do the work but nobody to decide what the work should be.

• £350–£800 a day is the indicative rate for a UK social media consultant.
• Hourly advice is indicatively £50–£120 an hour.
• Consultants advise; agencies and freelancers produce.
• Two to four hours a month of advice can direct an in-house team.

What does a social media consultant do?

A social media consultant is an independent specialist who advises a business on strategy, channels, content, paid campaigns and measurement, and often trains or coaches the team. A consultant does not usually produce and publish the content day to day.

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How much does a consultant charge?

As an indication, UK social media consultants charge £50–£120 an hour or £350–£800 a day. Production freelancers charge less, at about £25–£60 an hour, because the work is different. A consultant on a light monthly arrangement of two to four hours costs roughly £100–£480 a month. These are indicative figures.

• Hourly advice: indicative £50–£120.
• Day rate: indicative £350–£800.
• Monthly advisory of 2 to 4 hours: about £100–£480.
• Production freelancers: about £25–£60 an hour.

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Consultant, freelancer or agency: who does what?

A consultant decides, a freelancer produces, and an agency does both with a team. A consultant plus an in-house junior is a sound model. A freelancer without direction produces content with no plan. An agency costs more than either alone but removes the need to manage two suppliers.

• Consultant: strategy, audits, coaching, reviews.
• Freelancer: writing, design, scheduling.
• Agency: strategy, production, replies, reporting and cover.

• Social media freelancer vs agency: the cost compared

When is a consultant the right choice?

A consultant is right when you have someone to execute, such as a junior marketer or office manager, but no senior marketing view. It also suits a one-off decision: choosing channels, setting up measurement, reviewing an agency, or planning a launch.

• Social media training costs in the UK

When is a consultant the wrong choice?

A consultant is the wrong choice when the problem is hours. Advice does not write captions or reply to messages. If nobody in the business can produce content each week, you need production capacity, and advice on its own will sit unused.

• In-house versus agency social media for UK businesses

How do you check a consultant's value?

Ask for a client where a number moved, what they changed, and how it was measured. Ask what they would tell you to stop doing. If you engage a contractor regularly, check the off-payroll working rules on GOV.UK so the arrangement is treated correctly for tax.

What should a monthly advisory session cover?

A monthly session of an hour or two should review the numbers, decide what to change and set the next month's priorities. The consultant should arrive having looked at your accounts. You should leave with three decisions and a short list of actions for the person doing the work.

• Review: reach, conversations, enquiries.
• Decide: what to stop, keep and start.
• Plan: next month's themes and offers.
• Coach: feedback on recent posts.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see in UK firms with a junior marketer: output is steady but nobody senior reviews it against enquiries. A UK-facing account lead with a production team behind them, the model Global Bridge Labs (GBL) uses, gives the direction of a consultant and the capacity of an agency in one monthly fee.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Consultant hiring checklist

Work through these before engaging a consultant.

• Define the decision or problem you need help with.
• Confirm who will carry out the recommendations.
• Ask for evidence of results with similar businesses.
• Agree hours, deliverables and a review date.
• Check the tax status of the engagement.

Next step

Tell us who does your social media today and what is not working. We will say whether you need advice, production or both.