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Media supervisor vs social media specialist

The differences between media supervisors 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 supervisor and a social media specialist. Additionally, a media supervisor has an average salary of $82,267, which is higher than the $51,584 average annual salary of a social media specialist.

The top three skills for a media supervisor include media planning, digital marketing and client facing. The most important skills for a social media specialist are social media marketing, instagram, and digital marketing.

Media supervisor vs social media specialist overview

Media SupervisorSocial Media Specialist
Yearly salary$82,267$51,584
Hourly rate$39.55$24.80
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs8,85847,228
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 84%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a media supervisor do?

Media Supervisors help develop the company's overall media messaging and media campaigns. They perform various duties that include creating and distributing press releases to print, radio, digital media, and television outlets, informing the media about the company's new initiatives, and helping to drive interest for the said initiatives. It is their duty to coordinate the company's media buying initiatives and prepare ROI reports based on various key performing indicators such as CPA, CPI, and CPP.

What does a social media specialist do?

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 supervisor vs social media specialist salary

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

Media SupervisorSocial Media Specialist
Average salary$82,267$51,584
Salary rangeBetween $65,000 And $103,000Between $38,000 And $68,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateVirginiaHawaii
Best paying companyWpp Us Holdings IncMcKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industryRetailProfessional

Differences between media supervisor and social media specialist education

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

Media SupervisorSocial Media Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 84%Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common majorMarketingCommunication
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Media supervisor vs social media specialist demographics

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

Media SupervisorSocial Media Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 47.6% Female, 52.4%Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage12%12%

Differences between media supervisor and social media specialist duties and responsibilities

Media supervisor example responsibilities.

  • Lead team on flawless execution of all performance-base media campaigns, including SEM, digital display and paid social.
  • Manage company website including photography of all images, update images and information as necessary.
  • Audit and enhance website to maximize SEO and work with manager and internet team on SEM plan.
  • Overhaul reporting process to identify non-display KPIs, benchmarks and insights.
  • Evaluate and hire developers of content management systems, apps and ads for Facebook.
  • Compose national media proposals utilizing media math and benchmarking reports.
  • Show more

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 supervisor vs social media specialist skills

Common media supervisor skills
  • Media Planning, 11%
  • Digital Marketing, 6%
  • Client Facing, 6%
  • Campaign Performance, 4%
  • Google Analytics, 4%
  • KPIs, 3%
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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