Creating content for social media involves MANY different methods and vary in the requirement of skill involved. If you’ve tried all of these areas yourself, you’ll know that; actually, it can be more tricky than it looks!

At Firebelly, we work with experts in each field to ensure that our clients are getting the best possible quality of content for their professional aesthetic across their social media profiles. 

Of course, when you are a small to medium business, budgets can be tight! I’ve popped together a guide of all of the content creation areas for social media and the level of expense you can expect to pay.

It’s REALLY important to note that this guide is based on the average of these skills. As you can imagine, if you were to reach out to a photographer that’s just starting, they will be cheaper than an established photographer that is experienced and has been shooting for years.

Across all of these professions, you will find varying levels of experience and background, so always be mindful of where you spend your money and if it’s aligned with the results you are trying to achieve. 

Content creation for social media falls into five areas:

• Photography

• Videography

• Graphic Design

• Sourced Assets 

• Influencer & Collaboration Content 

Photography 

Photography on social media is one of the most effective ways of promoting your product or service and showing your brand identity. 

In a world where everyone has a camera in their pocket, the quality of photography on social media is mixed. Of course, having a mixture of professional and raw shots is a great combination, and there’s no harm in taking the photos yourself when you are starting your business. 

But working with a professional photographer who oozes creativity and direction for your brand is gold! Some photography styles will cost less, and some will require more time, props, locations and skills to create, impacting the overall cost. See the full list below.

Product Photography - Core Product Focus ££

Environment/Office ££

Stop Motion ££

Lifestyle Photography - In Hands £££

GIF £££

Portrait Photography - Humans ££££

Videography

More than ever, videos are one of the most compelling pieces of content across social media. Ever since the boom of TikTok, short-form video content is golden, and brands have been seeing some incredible success by posting TikToks and reels.

Instagram stories are meant to be raw and personal; TikToks and Reels can be both raw or shot with a creative involved for a professional aesthetic. Check out my blog all about TikTok here. 

I’d really recommend when working with a videographer that you find someone who has a portfolio full of the style you are looking for. There are many different styles and methods in creating video, including the edits and there are many videographers out there to help. Like photographers, the style of video required and the creative involved skill will impact your overall cost. For example, making a TikTok will be cheaper than a cinematic video. See the full list below.

Cinemagraphs ££

Long Form - Mobile First ££

Short Form - Mobile First £££

Cinematic - Short Form ££££

Cinematic - Long Form £££££

Graphic Design 

You’ll notice a heavy influence of graphics on feeds, videos, ads, and stories across social media. Over the last few years, social media has transformed and gone are the day of a picture only grid and the introduction of graphic-based feeds. 

Not only are graphics a great way to communicate your offering to your ideal audience, but they are a way of getting your branding out there and creating the very much desired brand identity and familiarity for your customers. 

It is possible to create your own graphics on graphic design software such as Canva; involving a graphic designer is a HUGE benefit in your designs’ quality. Like the above examples, your graphic design cost will depend on the designer’s experience and how complex your needs are. See the below list for what to expect for graphic design costs.

Lettering/Typography ££

Marketing/Advertising £££

Editorial/Publishing £££

Procreate Artist/Illustration ££££

Motion Graphics ££££

Product Design ££££

Packaging ££££

Visual Identity & Brand ££££

Digital Design - 3D modelling ££££££

Sourced Assets 

If you are just starting your business, and are on a budget (we all started somewhere!), use sourced stock! This is a great way to get content for your brand with little expense. I’d always recommend when using stock content, never to use something you’ve already seen and make your search terms VERY specific and ensure it works with your branding.

Sourced Stock Imagery £

Sourced Stock Videography £

Influencer & Collaboration Content 

Ten years ago, influencer and user-generated content was NOT a thing. We are SO lucky to work with influencers who have specific niches and an engaged audience who have already built the know like and trust relationship. 

Working with influencers and content creators is a fantastic way to get a fresh perspective on your brand from a users perspective and a lifestyle aesthetic. We see AMAZING results from this across TikTok and Instagram in particular.

When working with influencers and collaborative projects, establish deliverables and rates at the beginning of your conversations. Rates will vary based on an influencers audience size, engagement rate and level of experience. The audience size is KEY here, as you can see in the list below.

Micro audience ££

Med-Large audience £££

Large - Very Large ££££

Celeb - £££££

Ready to create content?

If you are not too sure which platforms right for you, I’ve written a blog here with some valuable tips to decide which platform is suitable for your business. 

I hope this guide to content creation cost has helped you to pick up on a few tips! 

Remember, research your creatives and their portfolio before agreeing to a shoot, ensure their work aligns with your aesthetic, and their pricing is within budget.

 

BIG love,

Mary-Anne. x

 

p.s if you would like to check out more digital marketing tricks that I’ve been sharing on TikTok, you can view ALL of my videos here.

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