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The differences between social media managers and 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 social media manager, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social media manager has an average salary of $70,287, which is higher than the $58,013 average annual salary of a specialist.
The top three skills for a social media manager include instagram, twitter and digital marketing. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Social Media Manager | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $70,287 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $33.79 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 105,475 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 2 |
Social media managers are responsible for representing the company's business through social media channels. They help the company grow by enhancing its presence via social networks. Primarily, they need to implement marketing plans and identify their target clients and create a content schedule. Their duties include implementing and strategizing digital marketing campaigns. They support the development of brand identity and promotional strategies. Candidates for the job must be excellent in communication skills, have in-depth knowledge of how social platforms work, and easily understand the target audience.
Specialists are employees who are responsible for specific tasks or activities in the department they are assigned to. The actions or tasks they work on are related to their educational background or work experiences. They are usually highly skilled in specializations related to the work they are assigned to. Specialists are also highly trained on the competencies that are required of their specialty. As such, they are focused on the skills and competencies that are needed to enhance their experience in their specific field further.
Social media managers and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Media Manager | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $70,287 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $98,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a social media manager and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Social Media Manager | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between social media managers' and specialists' demographics:
| Social Media Manager | Specialist | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.9% Female, 61.1% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 11.4% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 10.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |