What’s the Cost of Social Advertising?

Sell to Win Team Contributor Last updated on: October 10, 2025

With more than five billion active users around the world–approximately 63.9% of the global population–social media platforms are the ideal place to promote your products or services to your target audience.

But how much does advertising cost for social media? Average social media advertising pricing can cost anywhere from $15 to $200 per day to $450 to $6,000 per month to manage an account (paid to your agency or consultant), with monthly ad spend ranging from $200 to over $50,000 (paid to ad networks).

Keep reading for a more in-depth breakdown of the cost of social advertising and what factors can influence how much you’ll pay!

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Browse our social advertising plans and pricing, and then contact us to launch your personalized, revenue-driving campaign!

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What is social advertising?

Social advertising, also known as social media advertising, is a digital marketing strategy in which companies run paid ad campaigns on the social media platform (or platforms) of their choice.

In contrast to social media marketing, with social advertising you generate leads and sales using paid ad campaigns,  instead of relying on organic reach and influencer marketing.

The importance of social advertising in your digital marketing strategy

According to a 2023 report on consumer behavior, approximately 58% of shoppers in the US said they bought a product after seeing it on social media. To say that social media is a powerful marketing tool is an understatement.

Implementing social media advertising in your digital marketing strategy can benefit your business in many ways, including the following:

• Build brand awareness: With targeted advertising, you can ensure the right eyes are on your product. Building brand awareness with your target market means that you build trust, resulting in a potential higher rate of conversion.
• High-reward, relatively low-cost: Social media advertising is a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising (print ads, billboards, etc.).
• Access to valuable analytics: With social media advertising, you get an in-depth understanding of how your campaigns perform across multiple locations and metrics. This helps you pinpoint areas of improvement, and get insight into your ideal customer profile.

How much do social media advertising services cost?

If you need help maximizing your ad results or simply don’t have enough time or resources to manage your campaign, you might opt to partner with an experienced social media advertising agency at the right social media marketing pricing. 

But how much do services typically cost? Depending on your chosen agency, social media marketing prices range from $450 to $6,000 per month. Understanding these social media marketing rates is key to budgeting effectively and ensuring you get the most value for your investment.

When you partner with an agency like ours, you’ll get access to an award-winning team of social media experts and industry-leading technology to fuel your ad campaign results. 

From maximizing your budget for the highest return on investment (ROI) to designing click-inducing ads to continuously optimizing your campaign for the best results, we help you do it all. 

If you’re ready to grow your awareness on social media and create an ad campaign that drives revenue, contact us to chat with one of our strategists about your unique company’s needs and goals.

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Budgeting for social media advertising

How much of your business budget should you spend on social media advertising? It depends. Social advertising tends to result in quicker returns than social media marketing, but it still requires time to see results and pivot accordingly.

We recommend setting aside a portion of your budget or annual revenue to go toward marketing and new customer acquisition. A slice of this budget would go into social advertising specifically.

Before you spend any money on social advertising, you first want to determine your ideal customer profile and service areas. This will guide your advertising focus in terms of demographics and keyword specificity. 

A marketing audit – with a free proposal – from a world-class digital marketing agency can help you understand where to focus your marketing budget.

What do social media advertising services include?

If you’re considering investing in social media services from an experienced agency, it’s essential to know what you can expect to receive from your investment. 

When you partner with an award-winning social media advertising agency like ours, you’ll receive: 

• A dedicated account manager 
• Custom ad strategy for each of your chosen platforms
• Unique ad design
• Compelling ad copy
• Advanced demographic and interest targeting
• Ongoing reports and campaign analysis
• Continuous campaign management and optimization
• And much more

When you partner with us, we act as an extension of your marketing team. We’ll take the time to get to know you, your team, and your business to craft a personalized ad campaign tailored just for you. 

A case study in maximizing social advertising ROI: Duolingo

In the 2020s, the rules of social media advertising have been rewritten. It’s no longer enough to simply run a digital version of a TV commercial.

Today’s best-performing ad campaigns don’t even look like ads. The perfect case study? Duolingo’s unhinged, wildly successful TikTok presence.

If you’ve been on TikTok, you’ve likely seen Duo, the brand’s giant green owl mascot, causing chaos: thirsting over pop stars, lamenting his single status, and jumping on the latest absurd trend. The videos are low-fi, shot on a phone, and feel like they were made by a creator, not a corporation. And that’s the secret sauce.

This isn’t just a case of “going viral” by accident. It’s a calculated and brilliant advertising strategy that redefines “cost.”

• Investing in personality, not production: Duolingo’s primary investment isn’t in slick, high-production video shoots. It’s in the creative talent to be consistently funny, relevant, and authentic to the TikTok platform. They’ve created a brand personality so entertaining that millions of people choose to follow them, effectively creating their own built-in audience.
• Using ad spend as an amplifier, not a battering ram: This is where the cost of advertising comes in. Duolingo doesn’t need to spend a fortune forcing a boring ad on uninterested users. Instead, they can identify their most engaging, highest-performing organic videos and put a strategic ad spend behind them. They use their budget to pour gasoline on an already-burning fire, boosting their best content to “For You” pages far beyond their existing followers. The ad feels like a discovery, not an interruption.
• Brand affinity drives action: The result is that millions of users have a genuine affection for a language-learning app’s mascot. When Duolingo does run a more direct call-to-action ad (“Download the app!”), it’s received by a warm audience that already feels connected to the brand. The entertainment has already built trust.

The Duolingo masterclass teaches us a critical lesson for the 2020s: the most effective use of your social media ad budget is to amplify content that people would want to watch anyway. The “cost” is shifting from high production value to high personality value. The goal is to invest in being so interesting that when you do pay to show up, people are happy to see you.

FAQs about social media advertising cost

What is a good monthly budget for social media advertising?

A good starting budget for social media advertising is between $500 and $2,000 per month for many small to medium-sized businesses. The most important thing is to set a budget that is sustainable for your business and allows for enough data collection to optimize your campaigns.

Which social media platform is the most expensive for advertising?

LinkedIn is generally the most expensive platform, with an average Cost-Per-Click (CPC) often exceeding $5.00. The high cost is due to its valuable audience of professionals, making it a powerful, albeit pricey, tool for B2B marketing and recruitment.

What’s the difference between CPC and CPM?

CPC (Cost-Per-Click) means you pay every time someone clicks on your ad. This model is best for campaigns where the goal is to drive traffic, generate leads, or make sales.

CPM (Cost-Per-Mille) means you pay for every 1,000 times your ad is shown (impressions). This model is better for campaigns focused on building brand awareness and maximizing visibility.

How can I lower my social media advertising costs?

You can lower your social media ad costs by:

• Improving your ad quality and relevance score: Platforms reward high-quality, engaging ads with lower costs.
• Narrowing your audience targeting: Being more specific about who sees your ad can increase conversion rates and lower wasted spend.
• A/B testing your creative and copy: Continuously testing different images, headlines, and calls-to-action will help you find the most cost-effective combination.
• Focusing on ad formats with higher engagement: For example, video ads often have higher engagement rates, which can lead to lower costs over time.

Is it better to invest in organic social media or paid advertising?

The most effective strategy uses both. Organic social media is crucial for building a community, fostering brand loyalty, and engaging with your current audience. Paid advertising is essential for reaching new, targeted audiences at scale, driving specific actions, and overcoming the decline in organic reach. They work best when used together to support a unified marketing goal.

Get started with a transparent social advertising plan

Searching for social media marketing pricing plans from an experienced agency? We have you covered. 

We offer completely transparent pricing, so you always know what you’ll pay and receive with our services upfront. 

Our team has more than 1.5 million hours of combined experience crafting revenue-driving social media ad campaigns that build brand awareness and drive revenue. And in just the past few years alone, we’ve helped clients drive over $3 billion in revenue. 

Ready to see how our team can help your business grow? Contact us to chat with one of our friendly strategists about your company’s needs and goals. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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