Is the ad budget included in the fee?

No. The management fee pays for my work, meaning planning, copy, and publishing. The ad budget goes directly to Meta or Google and is separate from that. If you want to run ads, you plan the budget on top: for Meta realistically from around CHF 300 per month, for Google Ads rather from CHF 500.

Do I need my own visual material?

Yes, in most cases. Without photos and short videos from your business, social media looks generic. I plan and write the copy, but the visual material has to come from you or be produced through a separate photo and video budget. Without material, a subscription is rarely worth it.

When is social media management not worth it?

When you cannot supply visual material and have no clear sales goal. Social media costs time and money; without material and a goal, both go to waste. A well-kept Google Business Profile or a clean website is then usually the better investment.

Is VAT on top of that?

Not with me. I do not charge value-added tax, so the rates I quote are the final prices. With providers who are liable for VAT, the Swiss standard rate of 8.1 percent comes on top, which at CHF 890 per month would be around CHF 72. Worth keeping in mind when you compare offers.

What does social media management cost for a small business in Switzerland? · Guide

Q: What does social media management cost for a small business in Switzerland?

The rates I come across in Switzerland run from CHF 390 to CHF 2,000 per month, depending on the number of posts and channels. My own plans are Presence at CHF 490 and Active at CHF 890 per month. On top of that comes a one-time setup from around CHF 690, plus the ad budget if you run ads. Photo and video are separate.

The rates for ongoing social media management that I come across in Switzerland run from CHF 390 to CHF 2,000 per month; my own plans start at CHF 490. On top of that comes a one-time setup from around CHF 690 and, if you run ads, a separate ad budget. Photo and video are separate again. The wide range comes from the number of posts, the channels, and whether you supply material yourself.

That is the short answer. Now to the honest breakdown. Because with social media, four things that have nothing to do with each other often get thrown into one pot.

What is in the price? Four items you have to separate

Social media management is not a single price; it is made up of four cost blocks. Serious offers list them separately.

Management fee: my actual work. Editorial plan, writing copy, publishing posts, answering simple comments. This is the monthly subscription price.
Setup (one-time): setting up profiles cleanly, creating templates, defining tone and topics. This only happens at the start.
Ad budget: money that goes directly to Meta (Facebook, Instagram) or Google when you run ads. It never lands with me, but with the platform.
Photo and video: the raw material. Either you supply it yourself, or it is produced separately.

Anyone who does not separate these four is comparing apples and oranges. A subscription at CHF 490 with no material and no ad budget is something entirely different from a package at CHF 1,800 that includes a shoot.

What do providers in Switzerland charge per month?

Prices in the market scatter widely, because “social media management” can mean anything, from two posts a month to a full editorial operation with reels and ads. Here are the typical ranges I come across in Switzerland, and next to them my own rates.

Scope	Market CH, per month	My rate
Basic presence (few posts, 1 channel)	CHF 390 to 600	Presence CHF 490
Active management (regular, 2 channels)	CHF 800 to 1,200	Active CHF 890
Fully managed (reels, community, ads)	CHF 1,500 to 2,000	Active + add-ons
Setup one-time	CHF 500 to 1,500	CHF 690

My rates are final prices; I do not charge VAT. Reels, intensive community work, and ad management are deliberately add-ons with me, not hidden in the base price. That way you see what you are paying for, and you can start small.

For comparison on the hourly logic: the Swiss web agency rates I come across run from CHF 120 to 250 per hour. A subscription of CHF 890 therefore roughly corresponds to half a day of work per month, spread across the weeks.

Ad budget: this is often forgotten

Ads on Instagram or Facebook cost extra, and on top of the fee. The ad budget (the money for reach) goes directly to Meta. I set up the campaign and manage it, but you pay the ad francs to the platform.

Realistically, small businesses start with CHF 300 to 800 per month in ad budget on Meta to see any measurable results at all. Less than around CHF 10 per day rarely produces usable numbers. For Google Ads I would set the floor higher, at around CHF 500 per month, otherwise the data stays too thin. So anyone reading “CHF 890 all inclusive” should ask whether the ad budget is meant to be included. Usually it is not, and rightly so.

If you connect Google Ads or the Meta Pixel with Analytics anyway, you also need Google Consent Mode v2: in the EEA since 6 March 2024, and for Swiss users since Google extended the policy on 31 July 2024. That is technical work that should be set up cleanly once, otherwise you will be missing your conversion data later.

Photo and video: the real sticking point

This is where it is decided whether social media works or not. I can write the best editorial plan, but without good images from your business it stays generic. Everyone recognizes stock photos these days, and they sell nothing.

There are two ways:

You supply it yourself. Smartphone photos of the business, the team, the work. That is plenty for many small businesses, as long as it comes in regularly. It only costs you time.
A separate shoot. A photographer or videographer produces material once a quarter to keep on hand. That is its own item in the budget, often in the four-figure range per shoot.

My rate covers planning and copy. Sourcing material is not included in the subscription price, because it varies enormously depending on the business. I would rather say that clearly upfront than disappoint afterwards.

What does it cost in the first year?

A realistic example for a small business that wants to start actively, without a big shoot:

Item	Amount
Setup one-time	CHF 690
Active management per month	CHF 890
Ad budget per month (optional)	CHF 400 (to Meta)

In the first month you therefore land at CHF 690 plus CHF 890, after that CHF 890 per month, plus the ad budget directly to the platform. With me these are final prices; I do not charge VAT. If you compare offers from providers who are liable for VAT, add the Swiss standard rate of 8.1 percent, which at CHF 890 would be around CHF 72 per month.

This matters to me, because too many businesses put money into channels that bring them nothing. A subscription is not worth it if one of these points applies:

You have no visual material and do not want to supply any. Without photos and videos, social media becomes a duty without effect. The money is then better placed in a good website or a well-kept Google Business Profile.
You have no clear goal. “Showing a presence” is not a goal. Do you want appointments, applications, sales? Without a measurable goal, you cannot judge whether the monthly CHF 890 is worth it.
Your customers are not there at all. A B2B supplier with five regular clients does not need Instagram. There, a phone call brings more than any reel.

In all these cases I advise against it. Better to put the budget where it works. A solid business website and a clean Google profile are the more important foundation for many small businesses, before social media even makes sense.

Where do I start?

If you are unsure, start small. Three months of basic presence with your own material quickly show whether social media fits your business. If the numbers add up, you scale. If not, you have lost little.

I always list setup, management, ad budget, and material separately, so you see where your money goes. What the rates cover exactly is on the Social Media page. And if you would rather talk about the goal first: I get back to you within one working day (Mon to Fri).