There is no useful price without a scope
A quote for social media design is not directly comparable to a quote that includes filming, community management and paid campaigns. Ask each provider to separate the recurring management fee, one-time setup, content production, advertising spend and third-party subscriptions. A single monthly total can hide very different responsibilities.
Build a comparison from deliverables
For a website, record the number and type of templates, content preparation, languages, ecommerce features, hosting, maintenance and migration work. For social media, record the platforms, formats, quantities, shoot arrangements, revision rounds and response coverage. For ads, clarify whether the fee includes landing-page work, conversion setup and creative.
Use a budget worksheet instead of an invented market average
Suppose your own planning assumptions are $300 management, $200 production and $500 media for one month. The working total is $1,000 before taxes or extra subscriptions. This is arithmetic to illustrate the comparison method, not a Bluemoon quotation or a Lebanon market benchmark. The same discipline applies at any budget level.
Ask what happens after approval
Confirm the start date, contract term, cancellation notice, account ownership, reporting and what counts as extra work. Ask for a written scope and a sample report. The cheapest proposal is difficult to evaluate if nobody owns approvals, follow-up or measurement.
| Cost line | What to clarify |
|---|---|
| Setup | Discovery, account setup, migration and initial tracking |
| Management | Recurring planning, optimization and reporting |
| Production | Design, copy, filming, editing and revisions |
| Media | Money paid to advertising platforms |
| Third-party services | Hosting, licenses, CRM and sending tools |