Social media spend for a £500k to £1m business

Key takeaways

A social media budget for a business turning over £500k to £1m usually runs between £800 and £2,500 a month in total. At this size social media needs an owner below the managing director, regular fresh content and a continuous ad budget, judged on cost per enquiry rather than reach.

• £800–£2,500 a month is the usual total at £500k–£1m turnover.
• £500–£1,000 a month in ads suits most local and regional firms.
• A managed service or part-time role takes the work off directors.
• Report cost per enquiry monthly, not likes and reach.

How is the figure built up?

Illustrative sum: a £750,000 business putting 6% into marketing has £45,000 a year. Giving social media 30% leaves £13,500, or £1,125 a month. A firm whose buyers find it mainly on social might give 45%, about £1,690 a month. Check both against the customers you need.

• Social media budget for a UK small business
• What share of your marketing budget should social get?

Who should do the work at this size?

Usually a managed service, a part-time marketer or an office team member with protected hours and outside support. Directors should approve the plan and the budget, not write posts. As indicative UK ranges, managed SME accounts cost £950–£2,500 a month. Global Bridge Labs (GBL) does not publish a rate card; we scope each piece of work.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK

How should the ad budget be used?

Run one always-on campaign for your main offer, a smaller retargeting campaign for website visitors, and seasonal pushes before busy periods. £500–£1,000 a month covers that for most local and regional firms. Add spend only where cost per enquiry stays below your target.

• Always-on: main offer to new buyers.
• Retargeting: website visitors and engaged followers.
• Seasonal: four to six weeks before demand peaks.

• Prospecting vs retargeting: splitting the ad budget

Where do firms this size waste money?

On too many platforms at once, on video production before the message is tested, and on reports that count reach but not enquiries. Two well-run platforms with a monthly cost per enquiry figure usually outperform four with polished but unmeasured content.

• How many social channels your team size supports

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a firm in this band has grown past owner-run social media but has no one else responsible, so activity depends on a director's spare evenings. Moving the work to a named owner with a fixed budget usually steadies output within a month.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Established business checklist

• Set a monthly total from revenue and sales targets.
• Name an owner who is not the managing director.
• Run one always-on campaign and one retargeting campaign.
• Limit active platforms to what the team can sustain.
• Report cost per enquiry every month.

• Social media spend for a £100k to £500k business
• Social media spend for a £1m to £5m business

Next step

Write down who owns social media today and how many hours they really give it. If the answer is a director's evenings, that is the first thing to change.