# How to set a social media budget

> Add up tools, time, creative & any paid promotion, then set a figure tied to one clear goal. Start modestly, review quarterly & move money only when you can see what's working.

Updated: 2026-10-05.

## Start with the goal

A budget without a goal is a guess. Decide what social media is for first: awareness, leads, hiring, support or community. The goal tells you where money should go.

Pick one main goal for the next quarter. Two is the limit.

## List the real cost lines

- Tools: a scheduler, design software, stock media
- People: staff time, a freelancer or an agency
- Creative: photography, video, editing
- Paid promotion, if you use any

The most commonly missed line is time. A free plan with ten hours of weekly work isn't free.

## Set a starting figure

For a small business, start modest & treat the first quarter as a test. A figure you can afford to be wrong about is the right one.

There's no universal percentage that fits every business, & published benchmarks vary widely by industry & size. Use them as context, not as a target.

## Split it by what drives the goal

If the goal is leads, weight toward content that gets people to act & tools that keep you consistent. If it's awareness, weight toward reach & creative quality.

Keep a small reserve for something that unexpectedly works. Being able to back a good post is useful.

DunSocial doesn't run paid promotion, so that reserve would be spent in each platform's own ads tools.

## Where DunSocial fits

DunSocial costs $20 a month or $192 a year, with one seat included & extra seats at $8 a month, plus a 14-day trial. That makes the tool line of a budget easy to state: one flat figure covering scheduling, AI drafting & every connected platform.

It doesn't include design software, stock media or paid promotion, so those stay separate lines.

## Review on a schedule

Look at the budget every quarter. Cut what didn't help, keep what did & shift a little toward whatever's working.

DunSocial's calendar shows what you published each month, which helps you compare activity with outcomes when you review. It doesn't track spend, so keep that in your own sheet.

## Related guides

- [How much does social media management cost?](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/social-media-management/how-much-does-social-media-management-cost.md)
- [How to measure social media ROI](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/social-media-budgeting-and-roi/how-to-measure-social-media-roi.md)
- [Is a social media management tool worth the money?](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/social-media-budgeting-and-roi/is-a-social-media-management-tool-worth-the-money.md)
- [How to calculate the time cost of social media](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/social-media-budgeting-and-roi/how-to-calculate-the-time-cost-of-social-media.md)

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