Small-business social media management runs $500–3,000 a month market-wide, with per-platform pricing commonly $500–2,500 each. Here's the part most agencies won't say out loud: for a local service business, social is usually the second-best use of the next marketing dollar. We'll show the prices — and the order.
Market pricing, laid out
| Business size | Typical monthly | What the fee buys |
|---|---|---|
| Small / local | $500–2,500 | Strategy, content creation, a posting calendar, community replies, a monthly report. |
| Mid-size | $2,500–5,000 | More platforms, more volume, paid boosting managed alongside. |
| Per platform | $500–2,500 each | Each network priced separately at most agencies — the bill compounds quietly. |
The honest question about "12 posts a month" for a plumber: what job is it doing? Social for local service works as proof and recall — before/after photos, reviews resurfaced, staying top-of-mind for referrals — and as recruiting, because candidates check your pages before they apply. It is rarely a direct lead machine.
When social IS the right spend
Visual trades (roofing, remodels, detailing, landscaping: before/after is the whole pitch) · referral-driven businesses (recall wins the moment of recommendation) · recruiting (a dead page reads as a dead company to a candidate). And when it's the wrong first spend: leads going unanswered, no review base, a site that doesn't convert. Social pours attention into a bucket — check the holes first.
DIY vs agency vs the content mill
DIY is free and dies in your busy season. A good agency earns its fee on strategy and consistency. The mill tell: identical graphics across their client list with the logo swapped, engagement numbers without a single booked job attributed. If the work could belong to any business in any city, it's the mill.
What GRIFFAIN charges
What GRIFFAIN charges
Social runs inside The Demand Engine — content composed with ads and lead response, not floating alone. You text us job photos; we turn them into content.
+$997/mo · ScaleMonthly video and graphic creative alongside managed ads, added to a plan.
+$1,497/mo · DominateAdds daily posting on Facebook and Instagram.
$5,000 install + $3,500/moThe Growth Engine: creative and daily social inside the full machine. Annual prepay: 12 for the price of 10.
We don't sell standalone posting. If posting alone is the whole ask, a content mill is genuinely cheaper — and we'll say so on the call.
Questions owners actually ask
Which platform matters for my trade?
Facebook and Instagram for almost every local trade. Everything else is optional until those two are alive.
Does social media actually get local jobs?
Indirectly, mostly — proof and recall. The person who saw your before/after in March calls you in July. If you need jobs this month, ads and lead response come first.
Do I approve posts before they go up?
Yes, with a standing-approval option once you trust the voice. Nothing controversial ever auto-posts.
Why don't you sell social on its own?
Because alone it's the weakest system we could sell you, and our whole model is refusing to sell the wrong thing first.
More cost guides: Google Ads · AI marketing · speed to lead.
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