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The differences between digital media strategists 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 digital media strategist and a social media specialist. Additionally, a digital media strategist has an average salary of $62,947, which is higher than the $51,584 average annual salary of a social media specialist.
The top three skills for a digital media strategist include digital marketing, client facing and search engine marketing. The most important skills for a social media specialist are social media marketing, instagram, and digital marketing.
| Digital Media Strategist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $62,947 | $51,584 |
| Hourly rate | $30.26 | $24.80 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 31,387 | 47,228 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 87% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Digital media strategists assist in building ad campaigns outlined to catch potential clients' awareness and keep existing customers' fealty. Their responsibilities include determining the campaign's target demographic, assessing the best time to run the campaign, and figuring out which medium to use. Also, they analyze data from surveys, develop a budget-friendly ad campaign media, as well as assessing the effect a campaign's online presence will have on its selected audience. Skills required include strong critical and analytical skills, creativity, and excellent communication skills.
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.
Digital media strategists and social media specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Media Strategist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average salary | $62,947 | $51,584 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $89,000 | Between $38,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | |
| Best paying industry | Media | Professional |
There are a few differences between a digital media strategist and a social media specialist in terms of educational background:
| Digital Media Strategist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 87% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between digital media strategists' and social media specialists' demographics:
| Digital Media Strategist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.2% Female, 57.8% | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.6% 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 Percentage | 12% | 12% |