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Media executive vs social media specialist

The differences between media executives and social media specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a media executive, becoming a social media specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a media executive has an average salary of $76,792, which is higher than the $51,584 average annual salary of a social media specialist.

The top three skills for a media executive include facebook, instagram and twitter. The most important skills for a social media specialist are social media marketing, instagram, and digital marketing.

Media executive vs social media specialist overview

Media ExecutiveSocial Media Specialist
Yearly salary$76,792$51,584
Hourly rate$36.92$24.80
Growth rate10%8%
Number of jobs90,09347,228
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age3942
Years of experience104

Media executive vs social media specialist salary

Media executives and social media specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Media ExecutiveSocial Media Specialist
Average salary$76,792$51,584
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $176,000Between $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 media executive and social media specialist education

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

Media ExecutiveSocial Media Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeUniversity of GeorgiaNorthwestern University

Media executive vs social media specialist demographics

Here are the differences between media executives' and social media specialists' demographics:

Media ExecutiveSocial Media Specialist
Average age3942
Gender ratioMale, 40.9% Female, 59.1%Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage10%12%

Differences between media executive and social media specialist duties and responsibilities

Media executive example responsibilities.

  • Manage company website including photography of all images, update images and information as necessary.
  • Boost ads for certain target audiences on Facebook.
  • Prepare and deliver effective monthly reports to prove ROI.
  • Optimize user experience to increase registration and purchase by analyzing key performance indicators and A/B testing results to refine acquisition funnel.
  • Organize and run several events in the community to communicate company information.

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

Media executive vs social media specialist skills

Common media executive skills
  • Facebook, 11%
  • Instagram, 10%
  • Twitter, 9%
  • YouTube, 7%
  • Press Releases, 6%
  • Media Planning, 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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