Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between media specialists 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 media specialist and a social media specialist. Additionally, a social media specialist has an average salary of $51,584, which is higher than the $50,832 average annual salary of a media specialist.
The top three skills for a media specialist include digital marketing, video production and customer service. The most important skills for a social media specialist are social media marketing, instagram, and digital marketing.
| Media Specialist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,832 | $51,584 |
| Hourly rate | $24.44 | $24.80 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 39,401 | 47,228 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Media specialists are individuals who establish and administer content on various social media platforms. The job involves monitoring site metrics, overseeing creative design, and responding to reader comments. Specialists offer advice to administrators and teachers on the use of non-print social media. They work for huge enterprises with multimedia departments, new media departments, and in-house websites. The skills the job requires include trend awareness, social media ads, community management, strong visual aesthetic, and understanding SEO.
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.
Media specialists and social media specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Media Specialist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average salary | $50,832 | $51,584 |
| Salary range | Between $35,000 And $73,000 | Between $38,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | BP America Inc | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a media specialist and a social media specialist in terms of educational background:
| Media Specialist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Communication | Communication |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between media specialists' and social media specialists' demographics:
| Media Specialist | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.5% 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% |