Social media management in Dubai typically costs AED 2,500–6,000 a month for 8–12 designed posts across two platforms with captions, scheduling and basic replies, and AED 6,000–15,000 or more when it includes a monthly content shoot, reels, community management and paid boosting. You should expect a monthly content calendar for approval, content made for your brand rather than templates, replies to comments and messages within a working day, and a one-page report that counts enquiries, not just likes.
Those are typical ranges in the UAE market. Below is what should be inside a retainer, what is usually left out, and how to tell a good provider from one that is just posting.
What a standard social media retainer includes
Most content and social management packages at the AED 2,500–6,000 level cover:
- Strategy and calendar. A short plan for the month: themes, offers, key dates such as Ramadan, Eid, National Day and back-to-school, and a calendar sent for approval before anything is posted.
- Content creation. Designed graphics, carousels and short videos cut from footage you supply or from a shoot. Captions in English, and Arabic if agreed.
- Scheduling and publishing across the agreed platforms, usually Instagram and Facebook, sometimes LinkedIn or TikTok.
- Community management. Replying to comments and direct messages within agreed hours and passing enquiries to you quickly.
- Monthly report. Followers, reach, engagement, profile visits, link and WhatsApp clicks, and enquiries attributed to social.
Everything above should be listed in the scope with numbers: how many posts, how many reels, which platforms, how fast replies happen.
What is usually excluded, and what it costs extra
- Ad spend. Boosting and paid campaigns are paid to Meta directly, on top of the fee. Budget AED 1,000–5,000 a month at minimum if you want posts seen by people who do not already follow you. See our guide to Meta Ads for UAE businesses.
- Content shoots. A half-day photo and video shoot typically costs AED 1,500–4,000 in the UAE market; a full day with a videographer AED 3,000–8,000. One good shoot day can supply a month of content, which we explain in one shoot day, one month of content.
- Influencer fees. Micro-influencers in Dubai commonly charge AED 500–3,000 per post; larger accounts far more. Note that UAE rules require influencers who earn from promotion to hold the appropriate permit; confirm current requirements with the relevant authority.
- Giveaway prizes, props and products.
- Arabic copywriting, unless it is in the scope.
How often should a Dubai small business post?
Less than you have been told. For most SMEs, three to four feed posts a week plus two or three stories a day is plenty, provided the content is good. Daily posting of weak content trains the algorithm and your followers to ignore you.
Reels and short video should make up at least a third of the output in 2026 because they reach non-followers; static graphics mostly reach people who already follow you. A reasonable monthly plan at the standard tier is 8–12 feed posts, of which 4–6 are reels, plus stories, plus replies.
Which metrics actually matter?
Followers and likes are the easiest numbers to inflate and the least connected to revenue. Ask for these instead:
- Reach among non-followers. Are new people seeing you?
- Profile visits and website or WhatsApp clicks. Did anyone act?
- Direct messages and enquiries. How many, and how fast were they answered?
- Saves and shares. The best proxy for content people actually value.
- Enquiries and sales attributed to social in your CRM or booking system, which only works if links are tagged and tracked.
A provider who reports only followers and engagement rate is reporting activity, not results.
Red flags when choosing a social media agency in Dubai
- Templates with your logo dropped in, identical to their other clients' feeds.
- No approval step. You see the post when your customers do.
- Follower growth guarantees. Those come from bought followers.
- No access to your own accounts. You must be the owner of every page and ad account.
- Stock photography instead of your premises, your team and your work.
- No Arabic capability when half your customers read Arabic.
- Replies handled "when possible" rather than within a defined window.
Questions to ask before you sign
- How many posts, reels and stories per month, on which platforms?
- Who shoots the content, how often, and is it in the fee?
- Who writes Arabic captions, and are they a native speaker?
- How quickly are comments and messages answered, and where do enquiries go?
- What does the monthly report show? Ask for a sample.
- What is the notice period, and do I keep everything?
Social works best when it is connected to the rest of your marketing: the website the profile links to, the ads that amplify the best posts, the CRM that captures the enquiries. That is why we run it as part of a full-service marketing plan rather than as an isolated service.