Where prices start
In Baku, social media management starts at around 500 AZN a month. Agencies that publish their prices usually charge between 600 and 3000 AZN a month for SMM packages. A freelancer can be cheaper, a large network agency more expensive.
The range is wide because "SMM" covers completely different work. One package has 8 posts a month; another has 20 posts, 12 Reels, a shoot day and a report. Both are called SMM.
Content volume and format
This is the simplest factor: how many posts, stories and Reels a month. But the count alone doesn't tell the whole story. A static post is an hour or two of work for a designer. A Reel means a script, a shoot, editing, subtitles and music, which takes several times longer.
When you look at a proposal, ask: are the Reels edited from existing footage or shot specifically? The answer explains half the price.
Is a shoot included?
This is usually where the biggest price difference comes from. In cheap packages, content is built from photos you send or from stock material. More expensive packages include one or two shoot days a month: a photographer, a videographer, lighting, a shot list.
Neither is wrong, they're just not the same thing. For a restaurant or a shop, a page without its own shoots doesn't work for long, because people want to see the real product.
Number of platforms
Instagram alone is one job. Instagram, TikTok and Facebook together is another. Each platform has its own format, its own language and its own audience. Posting an Instagram video to TikTok as is doesn't work; it needs to be adapted. Every extra platform adds to both the workload and the price.
The ad budget should be separate
This is what causes the most confusion. Some cheap packages say "ads included". Ask: how much? Often it's a boost worth a few manat taken out of the service fee.
In the right model, the ad budget is separate from the service fee and paid directly to Meta from your own card. The agency charges only for managing the campaign. That way you see exactly where every manat goes.
6 questions to ask when comparing proposals
How many posts, stories and Reels are produced each month? Who shoots the content, and how many shoot days are there a month? Which platforms are included? How is the ad budget paid? Which numbers go into the monthly report? What is the minimum contract term?
Once you have the answers to these six questions in writing, you can actually compare prices. If you ask Gulzcom for a proposal, these answers will be in it.
