Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between content strategists and social media managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a content strategist, becoming a social media manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a content strategist has an average salary of $93,672, which is higher than the $70,287 average annual salary of a social media manager.
The top three skills for a content strategist include content strategy, digital marketing and digital content. The most important skills for a social media manager are instagram, twitter, and digital marketing.
| Content Strategist | Social Media Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $93,672 | $70,287 |
| Hourly rate | $45.03 | $33.79 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 14,660 | 105,475 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 10 |
A content strategist specializes in creating engaging and captivating content to increase brand awareness and shape company image. One of their responsibilities is to conduct marketing research and analysis to understand the current trends among consumers and determine what kind of strategy would work best with the public. Moreover, a content strategist mainly coordinates with writers and content managers, collaborating with them in developing marketing materials. A content strategist may also perform administrative tasks such as managing schedules, producing progress reports, creating presentations, and maintaining the projects' documentation.
Social media managers are responsible for representing the company's business through social media channels. They help the company grow by enhancing its presence via social networks. Primarily, they need to implement marketing plans and identify their target clients and create a content schedule. Their duties include implementing and strategizing digital marketing campaigns. They support the development of brand identity and promotional strategies. Candidates for the job must be excellent in communication skills, have in-depth knowledge of how social platforms work, and easily understand the target audience.
Content strategists and social media managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Content Strategist | Social Media Manager | |
| Average salary | $93,672 | $70,287 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $129,000 | Between $50,000 And $98,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a content strategist and a social media manager in terms of educational background:
| Content Strategist | Social Media Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | English | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between content strategists' and social media managers' demographics:
| Content Strategist | Social Media Manager | |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.3% Female, 55.7% | Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 10.6% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 10% |