How do I charge clients for doing social media work?

This question is a great one and was prompted by a reader enquiry (thanks Kate).  Many agencies seeking to integrate social channels into their campaigns want to know whether they can charge their clients for the work.

Our view is that this should be a chargeable service that you can provide.

First check a couple of things

1. Does the client have a PR agency?  (they may be better suited to doing the work)
2. Is there anyone on the client side team who is already an active social media user? (Could you train them up)

And so here are a few things to think about when considering your proposal and pricing

1. Social media coverage is often time intensive and so a per hour fee may make it look expensive, consider a retainer or success fee combined with per hour billing
2. Learn how to use as many ‘time saving’ applications as possible (Google alerts, Tweetdeck, TweetLater) so you can cover several client social media brand accounts simultaneously
3. Offer a strict time-limited service so staff don’t over-do the time spent on social media.  Set up alarms so they know when to stop work.
4. Transfer your skills into the client organisation as ‘training’ – you can charge more for this
5. Ensure you set the strategy for social media execution and specify this work separately and charge appropriately

Any other advice you can offer?

Other resources

Five things to ask a social media agency before working with them (FreshNetworks)

Social Media Group has a template RFP for brands looking for a social media service partner (Social Media Group)

Related articles

• Social Media RFP: Ask the Right Questions, Find the Right Partner (socialmediatoday.com)
• How PR Pros Are Using Social Media for Real Results [Mashable] (joshdilworth.com)
• Twitter for Business (slideshare.net)