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Community relations assistant vs social media specialist

The differences between community relations assistants and social media specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a community relations assistant and a social media specialist. Additionally, a social media specialist has an average salary of $51,584, which is higher than the $36,453 average annual salary of a community relations assistant.

The top three skills for a community relations assistant include community outreach, press releases and community relations programs. The most important skills for a social media specialist are social media marketing, instagram, and digital marketing.

Community relations assistant vs social media specialist overview

Community Relations AssistantSocial Media Specialist
Yearly salary$36,453$51,584
Hourly rate$17.53$24.80
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs27,96147,228
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a community relations assistant do?

Community Relations Assistants are involved in outreach programs and in promoting the business or organization. These assistants establish and distribute promotional materials for customers. They support public relations departments through copying, answering phone calls, and filing. Their duties include ensuring the effectiveness of outreach missions. Among the skills and knowledge needed for this job include community relations programs, special events, and press releases.

What does a social media specialist do?

A social media specialist is an individual who is responsible for creating and administering content on all social media platforms to build an audience and ensure customer engagement. By using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, social media specialists must create content that resonates with the interests of the intended audience. They are required to understand social media metrics so that they can use the information to ensure success in their social media strategy. Social media specialists must also work with industry professionals and influencers via social media to create a strong network.

Community relations assistant vs social media specialist salary

Community relations assistants and social media specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Community Relations AssistantSocial Media Specialist
Average salary$36,453$51,584
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $53,000Between $38,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry-Professional

Differences between community relations assistant and social media specialist education

There are a few differences between a community relations assistant and a social media specialist in terms of educational background:

Community Relations AssistantSocial Media Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorBusinessCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Community relations assistant vs social media specialist demographics

Here are the differences between community relations assistants' and social media specialists' demographics:

Community Relations AssistantSocial Media Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 28.0% Female, 72.0%Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between community relations assistant and social media specialist duties and responsibilities

Community relations assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage all copywriting elements for live broadcasts and promotional commercials.
  • Schedule and coordinate meetings in-house and off site; prepare PowerPoint presentations.
  • Maintain the website (RedDot), online calendar and Facebook event calendar.
  • Develop and ensure all necessary documentation are charted to meet Medicare criteria for DME approval.
  • Leverage entrepreneurial orientation and expertise in government transactions to acquire excellent relationships outside of FEMA.

Social media specialist example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage blogger outreach program and KPIs.
  • Assist in managing the social network pages (Facebook/Twitter) as well as editing the site.
  • Create, curate, and manage all publish content (images, video and written).
  • Develop and help manage online links and search engine optimization (SEO) efforts to drive traffic to sites
  • Manage social media properties (Facebook, YouTube), including daily monitoring, posting, and content development.
  • Manage $15- $75K monthly PPC budget for 90 interactive agencies, totaling $24M annual ad spend.
  • Show more

Community relations assistant vs social media specialist skills

Common community relations assistant skills
  • Community Outreach, 16%
  • Press Releases, 12%
  • Community Relations Programs, 11%
  • Event Planning, 8%
  • Community Relations Events, 7%
  • Promotional Materials, 4%
Common social media specialist skills
  • Social Media Marketing, 8%
  • Instagram, 8%
  • Digital Marketing, 7%
  • Facebook, 7%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Social Media Management, 5%

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