Here's a strong and eye-catching piece you can use as a video script, blog post, or social media caption titled:

⚠️ The Truth About Social Media Marketing: It's NOT Free!
Everyone says social media marketing is "free"—just post, engage, and wait for the magic, right? Wrong. If you want real results, you need to understand the real costs behind the scenes.

💸 1. Time is Money
Creating quality content, engaging with your audience, and learning platform algorithms take hours every week. Your time has value—whether you're paying yourself or hiring someone.

📱 2. Paid Ads Are Almost Always Necessary
Organic reach is tanking. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram prioritize paid content to show your posts. Investing in ads is the fastest way to get in front of your ideal audience.

🎨 3. Quality Content Costs
Professional photos, videos, graphic design, copywriting — none of this happens by accident. Either you do it yourself (and invest in tools/time) or hire pros.

🤝 4. Social Media Is Relationship Marketing
Building trust requires consistency, genuine interaction, and sometimes incentives or giveaways. That means investment in community management and sometimes tools to automate or measure it.

📈 5. Tracking and Analytics Aren't Free Either
You need good analytics to know what's working — and many advanced tools and reports come at a price.

🧠 Final Thought
Social media marketing isn't free — it's a strategic investment of time, money, and energy. But done right, it pays off with loyal customers and brand growth that's worth every cent.