What the fee depends on
The number of channels (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn). Posts per week and stories per day. Who produces photos and video (you, the social media manager, a photographer). Languages (Albanian only, or also Italian and English). Ad management. DM replies and hours (evenings and weekends cost). Reporting. Seasonality (intense summer, light winter). Every offer must say which of these it includes.
Band 1: the basic profile
One channel, two or three posts a week, stories from your material, Albanian texts, DM replies in office hours, a simple report. For a shop, a studio, a craftsman. It is the cheapest band and works if you provide the material. It includes neither shoots nor ads.
Band 2: the active business
Two channels, three or four posts a week, stories every day, one shoot a month, texts in two or three languages, small-budget ads, DMs in the evening too, a monthly report. For restaurants, small hotels, real estate agencies, clinics. It is the most requested band and costs less than a part-time employee.
Band 3: full presence
Three or four channels, posts every day, many stories, weekly shoots, edited videos, three languages, structured ads, DMs 7/7 in season, creator collaborations, a detailed report. For hotels and resorts, nightlife venues, developers, brands. It costs about a full-time employee, but with a team and method.
The ad budget
Separate, directly to Meta or TikTok, from the business card, on an account in the business’s name. Not included in the social media manager’s fee and not passed through them. The ad management fee is fixed or a percentage of budget; the first is clearer.
What every offer must include
Channels. Posts per week and stories. Who produces content and how many shoots. Languages. Who replies to DMs and at what hours. Ads: management yes/no, budget separate. Monthly report. Minimum contract length. Ownership of accounts and material (always the business’s). If one of these is missing, the offer cannot be compared.
How to compare two offers
With the same list. Offer A “150 euros a month” with two posts a week from your photos in Albanian and no evening DMs; offer B “400 euros” with four posts, daily stories, a monthly shoot, three languages, ads and DMs 7/7. They are not the same service. Ask for the list and ask what happens to Saturday-evening DMs.
Low prices: where savings come from
Stock photos instead of shoots. Machine-translated texts. Scheduled posts and no DM replies. No report. Bought followers to show “results”. Ad accounts in the agency’s name. Whoever pays little often gets these: they cost more than the fee.
The contract
A minimum of three months (less shows no results), a fixed monthly fee, what is included, 30 days’ notice, ownership of accounts and material in the business’s name, confidentiality. Without a contract, in month three you will argue about what was included.
What it should bring
For a restaurant: bookings from social covering the fee several times over. For a hotel: direct bookings and enquiries. For a real estate agency: property enquiries. For a clinic: appointments. If after three months the report shows no measurable results, change: either the social media manager, or the business.
In-house versus external
A full-time in-house employee costs salary, contributions, tools, training, and often has no method. An agency costs a monthly fee lower than a salary, with a team (photo, video, texts, ads) and a method, but needs an internal contact. For most Albanian businesses under 20 employees, external costs less and gives more.
The short answer
It costs what the work you get is worth. A good social media manager for an active business costs less than a part-time employee and brings more than their fee in bookings or enquiries. Ask for the list, the report and the contract. Ask about evening DMs. Choose whoever answers all of it.
A return calculation
A restaurant in Sarandë, band 2: the agency’s monthly fee plus a modest ad budget. Results measured after three months: on average 110 bookings a month from DMs and WhatsApp originating from social, with a known average bill per table. Revenue from social: many times the total cost. Even counting only a third of those bookings as “new” (the rest would have come anyway), the campaign pays for itself several times. The same calculation for a real estate agency with one sale a quarter from social covers a year of fees. Ask for this calculation in the report: if it is missing, you do not know what you are paying for.
What not to accept
A fee without a service list. An ad budget passing through the agency without transparency. An ad account in the agency’s name. A one-year contract with no exit. Follower promises. No report or a report with likes only. Machine-translated texts. Stock photos. Ownership of material (photos, video) staying with the agency. Whoever accepts one of these pays twice: the fee and the loss.
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost on average?
It depends on the band: from a modest fee for a basic profile to about a full-time employee for full presence.
Are ads included?
Management may be; the budget is always separate, on your account.
How many months to see results?
Three. That is why the minimum contract.
Can I start small and grow?
Yes: basic band for three months, then add channels, shoots and ads.