Common practice is two to four times the underlying software cost, but markup multiples are the wrong frame. Clients buy an outcome, not a license, so price the bundled service against its value and your delivery hours. The software cost is a line in your COGS, not the basis for the price.
Agencies ask about markup because it feels like the safe, formula-driven answer. It is not, because the software is a small input to what you are actually selling. If your platform cost is $30 a month for a client workspace, the difference between a 2x and a 4x markup is $60. The difference between pricing that engagement at $800 and $2,000 is $1,200, and it has almost nothing to do with the software.
Build the price from delivery cost and value. Total your hours per client at loaded rates, add the software share and any assets, and set the retainer at a multiple of that total that clears your target margin. Then sanity check against what the outcome is worth to the client. Software cost belongs inside your COGS calculation, not as the anchor for the price.
One case genuinely fits: reselling platform access as a standalone product line, where the client gets a branded dashboard and does their own posting while you provide setup and support. There you are selling software plus a service wrapper, and two to four times the underlying cost is a common range. Even then, price against comparable products the client could buy directly rather than against your input cost, and be explicit about what support is included, or the margin gets eaten by unbudgeted help requests.
Presenting a line item for the platform invites the client to price-shop it and reframes your work as a reseller markup. Bundle it into the service price. Clients are buying results and their time back, and a bill that exposes a $30 input against a $1,500 retainer starts a conversation you do not want.
Cloud Campaign plans run $49, $199, and $299 per month with unlimited users, and additional client workspaces start at $29 to $35 per month on the Team and Agency plans, dropping further at volume. White-labeling is included on Team and Agency. That per-client input cost is what belongs in your COGS line. Our answer on how to price organic social media services covers building the retainer itself.
Cloud Campaign is the white-label social media management platform built for marketing agencies. Every plan includes unlimited users and our full suite of time-saving tools, so you only pay more when you take on more clients.
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