Social Media Budget Template (Free, Filled Example)

Free, no signup · Updated 14 October 2026 · Opens in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers

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Monthly budget: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
12-month plan: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
Budget vs actual: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)

In Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then pick the CSV.

What's inside

A one-month budget broken into tools, content, people, paid posts and partnerships, with why each line exists
A 12-month plan that shows quarterly costs, such as a photo shoot, in the months they actually land
A budget-vs-actual sheet with the difference, what the money bought and a keep-or-cut decision
A filled example for a fictional café (every figure is made up) and a blank CSV of each sheet

How to use it

List every cost you already pay for social media, including subscriptions you'd forgotten about.
Add staff time as a cost. Multiply the hours spent on social media each week by the hourly rate, even if nobody sends an invoice.
Put one-off and quarterly costs, such as a photographer, in the month you'll pay them rather than averaging them out.
Decide your paid budget last, once the fixed costs are clear, and give each boost or ad a single job.
Fill the 12-month sheet so the busy months, such as Christmas, get more money on purpose.
At the end of each month, enter what you actually spent in the actuals sheet and write what each line bought.
Every quarter, cut the line that bought least and move the money to what worked.

Preview: Monthly budget

A filled example for a made-up small business.

Category	Item	Cost this month	How often	Paid to	Why we spend it	Note
Tools	Scheduling tool	£25	Monthly	Software subscription	Posts go out on time when the café is busy	Example price; check current prices before you budget
Tools	Design tool	£10	Monthly	Software subscription	Menu boards and offer graphics in our colours	Example price
Content	Photographer, half day	£240	Quarterly (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct)	Local freelance photographer	About 60 edited photos for the quarter	October is a shoot month
Content	Bakes and props for shoots and videos	£20	Monthly	Our own stock	Things made only to be photographed	Count it, even though it comes from the kitchen
People	Staff time: 4 hours a week	£208	Monthly	Priya's hours at £12 an hour (example rate)	Planning, posting and replying to messages	4 hours × 52 weeks ÷ 12 months × £12
Paid	Boosted posts	£60	Monthly	The platform's ads tools	Show our best post of the month to people nearby	Only boost a post that already did well
Partnerships	Drinks and cakes for local creators	£30	Monthly	In kind	Two visits a month from local food accounts	Gifted visits count as ads; creators must label them
Total		£593				A month without a photo shoot is £353

Preview: 12-month plan

A filled example for a made-up small business, first 8 of 13 rows.

Month	Key moment	Content	Paid	Tools	People	Partnerships	Total
Jan	Quiet month, winter menu shoot	£260	£30	£35	£208	£0	£533
Feb	Pancake Day, half term	£20	£60	£35	£208	£30	£353
Mar	Mother's Day (UK)	£20	£40	£35	£208	£30	£333
Apr	Spring menu shoot, Easter	£260	£60	£35	£208	£30	£593
May	Outdoor seating opens	£20	£40	£35	£208	£30	£333
Jun	Summer drinks launch	£20	£60	£35	£208	£30	£353
Jul	Summer shoot	£260	£40	£35	£208	£30	£573
Aug	Holiday season, fewer posts	£20	£40	£35	£208	£0	£303

Preview: Budget vs actual

A filled example for a made-up small business.

Month	Category	Budgeted	Actual	Difference	What it bought	Decision
Sep	Content	£20	£35	+£15	Extra bakes for the new menu video	Fine for a launch month
Sep	Paid	£60	£60	£0	Two boosts: 4,100 people reached, 38 link clicks (made-up figures)	Keep, but boost earlier in the week
Sep	Tools	£35	£35	£0	Scheduling and design	Keep
Sep	People	£208	£256	+£48	4 extra hours in menu launch week	Plan launch weeks with extra hours from the start
Sep	Partnerships	£30	£0	-£30	Nothing: the creator visit was cancelled	Rebook for October
Sep	Total	£353	£386	+£33	Example figures, made up for this template	Within the yearly total; no change needed

Tips

The café and every figure in the filled example are made up. They show the layout, not what a small business should spend.
Staff time is usually the biggest cost, and the one most often left out. Put it in so you can compare doing it yourself with paying for help.
Keep about a tenth of the year's budget unallocated for chances you can't plan, such as a local event or a post that deserves a boost.
Give every paid boost one goal and a link with UTM parameters, so the actuals sheet can say what it bought.
Gifts to creators are a cost and an ad. Budget for them, and agree upfront that the creator will label the post.
If you're pricing tools, Zolyp's plans with AI-written and designed posts start at $29 a month; the pricing page lists every tier.

Common questions

How much should a small business spend on social media?

There's no single right figure. Start from what you already spend, including staff time, then decide what you want it to achieve and price the content, tools and paid posts that would do it. Compare your own months with each other rather than with published averages.

What goes into a social media budget?

Tools such as scheduling and design apps, content costs such as photography and props, people's time, paid posts and ads, and partnerships with creators. Add training and a small unallocated amount if you can.

Should staff time be in the budget?

Yes. Hours spent planning, posting and replying cost the business money even without an invoice. Counting them shows the real cost and helps you decide whether a tool or a freelancer would save money.

Are the figures in the example real?

No. The café, its prices and its results are made up to show how a filled budget reads. They aren't averages or recommendations.

Social media budget template: a filled monthly and yearly plan