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The differences between media buyers and contracts administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a media buyer and a contracts administrator. Additionally, a media buyer has an average salary of $74,390, which is higher than the $52,876 average annual salary of a contracts administrator.
The top three skills for a media buyer include digital marketing, campaign performance and media buying. The most important skills for a contracts administrator are contract administration, customer service, and contract management.
| Media Buyer | Contracts Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $74,390 | $52,876 |
| Hourly rate | $35.76 | $25.42 |
| Growth rate | 8% | -6% |
| Number of jobs | 20,884 | 58,038 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 87% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Media Buyers are marketing professionals who manage the company's advertisements. They create the company's media plan to determine the advertising needs of the company. They negotiate with external providers to get the best advertisement placement values. To do this, Media Buyers are expected to conduct thorough research on the different advertising companies, networks, media, size of placement, and length of advertisement. Their research must consider the target market and determine the best media to reach their target market. Media Buyers should have good negotiation skills and must be able to maintain good working relationships with providers.
Contract administrators create and manage legal contracts from which the company participates. They ensure that all entities to the contract will accomplish their obligations, as indicated in the contract. They usually work for larger organizations that might be involved with different or highly complex contracts. These organizations spread across a range of industries, including government, construction, and healthcare. Their responsibilities include addressing any conflicts of questions regarding the contract, analyzing the possible risks posed by contracts, and working alongside the legal and procurement teams.
Media buyers and contracts administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Buyer | Contracts Administrator | |
| Average salary | $74,390 | $52,876 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $98,000 | Between $35,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Burlington, VT | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Vermont | Maryland |
| Best paying company | Bloomberg | Ngam Advisors, L.P. |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a media buyer and a contracts administrator in terms of educational background:
| Media Buyer | Contracts Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 87% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between media buyers' and contracts administrators' demographics:
| Media Buyer | Contracts Administrator | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 30.1% Female, 69.9% | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 7.7% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 7.7% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |