The lure of social media for small businesses is huge. The promise of a direct connection with local consumers that you can do yourself at no cost is a big promise. For most who try it, though, they realize pretty quickly that to make an impact, it’s a lot of work and you really do need to spend money.
Gordon Borrell’s 2017 Local Advertiser study shows the typical small business is spending a considerable amount of money on social media. According to Borrell, it averages out to $17,191 on social media outsourcing.
Local franchisees average $12,000. Bars and restaurants average $5,870. Real estate agents bring the average up, spending an average $31,817 annually.