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Digital content specialist vs content manager

The differences between digital content specialists and content managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a digital content specialist, becoming a content manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a content manager has an average salary of $75,124, which is higher than the $54,127 average annual salary of a digital content specialist.

The top three skills for a digital content specialist include digital content, digital marketing and content strategy. The most important skills for a content manager are digital marketing, content strategy, and content creation.

Digital content specialist vs content manager overview

Digital Content SpecialistContent Manager
Yearly salary$54,127$75,124
Hourly rate$26.02$36.12
Growth rate19%10%
Number of jobs45,100108,058
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age3739
Years of experience610

What does a digital content specialist do?

Digital content specialists are employees who work on the writings and posts that an official company page publishes digitally. This content may be posted on the company website or social media pages. Digital content specialists should be able to write, edit, and proofread posts before publishing them. They should also be familiar with the company's branding so that the contents they publish are consistent with the branding and overall image of the company. They carefully curate posts to ensure that every content they have is in line with the company image. Digital content specialists should be familiar with the current trends in the digital landscape and should also be technologically-savvy.

What does a content manager do?

A Content Manager is focused on creating, improving, and maintaining content to achieve the business goals. They lead a team of copywriters and content executives.

Digital content specialist vs content manager salary

Digital content specialists and content managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Digital Content SpecialistContent Manager
Average salary$54,127$75,124
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $74,000Between $50,000 And $111,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonWashington
Best paying companyNational Railroad Passenger CorporationMeta
Best paying industryHospitalityTechnology

Differences between digital content specialist and content manager education

There are a few differences between a digital content specialist and a content manager in terms of educational background:

Digital Content SpecialistContent Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorCommunicationEnglish
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of Georgia

Digital content specialist vs content manager demographics

Here are the differences between digital content specialists' and content managers' demographics:

Digital Content SpecialistContent Manager
Average age3739
Gender ratioMale, 47.4% Female, 52.6%Male, 49.1% Female, 50.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.7% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between digital content specialist and content manager duties and responsibilities

Digital content specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead the content transition from WordPress to Drupal.
  • Develop and manage advertising campaigns through Google AdWords, Facebook, and AdRoll.
  • Manage brand messaging on social networks and the development of custom Facebook tabs by vendors.
  • Manage e-commerce demand generation programs for www.ToshibaDirect.com.
  • Develop and post product demos on YouTube, providing quick understanding of functionality to differentiate solutions and generate leads.
  • Implement content on client websites through WordPress content management system.
  • Show more

Content manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage social media, blogging, SEO strategy, and outreach.
  • Assign stories to freelancers and manage that editorial process, including optimizing original content for SEO.
  • Manage, coordinate, and confirm all content updates in the content management system including UI messaging and user assistance.
  • Manage social media marketing, including Instagram
  • Manage implementation of marketing automation software and lead integration with CRM to improve tracking and visibility into campaign performance.
  • Web management responsibilities include WordPress and basic HTML.
  • Show more

Digital content specialist vs content manager skills

Common digital content specialist skills
  • Digital Content, 16%
  • Digital Marketing, 8%
  • Content Strategy, 7%
  • Google Analytics, 4%
  • HTML, 3%
  • Web Content, 3%
Common content manager skills
  • Digital Marketing, 9%
  • Content Strategy, 7%
  • Content Creation, 6%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • Content Development, 4%

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