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What is a social media & marketing director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Ella Andreasen,
Richard Tate

A Social Media and Marketing Director is paid to use social media and marketing strategies to build and grow a customer base for a company to drive sales. As a social media and marketing director, you'll be responsible for directing, developing, and implementing the overall strategy for marketing. This will cover email, social media, promotions, creative development, and the likes of all the company's brands. Also, you'll be in charge of building and managing the social accounts and content of new brands across all platforms.

Employers require at least a bachelor's degree in a related field with a minimum of two years of professional experience. Candidates must know about basic marketing principles and best practices. You must possess communication, adaptability, multitasking, and creativity skills. You must also be familiar with Adobe creative suite, graphic design, and WordPress. These professionals make $127,924 on average per annum. Their salary falls between $71,000 and $231,000.

What general advice would you give to a social media & marketing director?

Ella AndreasenElla Andreasen LinkedIn profile

Marketing Coordinator, Hiniker

Marketing is a dream job for me, and I'm thrilled with my decision. I recommend tailoring your classes to what you view you may need, not just taking standard, required courses. For example, I was not required to take Graphic Design, but I thought it would help me be more well-rounded, and it has helped me quite a bit. I'd also recommend trying out different internships, with companies of various sizes, to gauge if you enjoy being a big part of a little company or a small part of a big company.
ScoreSocial Media & Marketing DirectorUS Average
Salary
5.9

Avg. Salary $75,675

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 57.99%

male 42.01%

Age - 38
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Social media & marketing director career paths

Key steps to become a social media & marketing director

  1. Explore social media & marketing director education requirements

    Most common social media & marketing director degrees

    Bachelor's

    76.2 %

    Associate

    10.0 %

    Master's

    8.0 %
  2. Start to develop specific social media & marketing director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Social Media Marketing31.15%
    Facebook9.19%
    Instagram7.91%
    Twitter7.37%
    Content Strategy4.02%
  3. Complete relevant social media & marketing director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New social media & marketing directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a social media & marketing director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real social media & marketing director resumes.
  4. Research social media & marketing director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the Instagram feed, and bring the amount of followers from 32 to over 500 and climbing.
    • Develop and manage strategic B2C and B2B integrate marketing plans leveraging digital and traditional marketing efforts.
    • Utilize photography and graphic design techniques to create engaging advertisements.
    • Interview with visitors and sponsors, creating videos for YouTube channel.
  5. Get social media & marketing director experience

    Generally, it takes 8-10 years to become a social media & marketing director. The most common roles before becoming a social media & marketing director include internship, sales associate team lead and marketing internship.
  6. Prepare your social media & marketing director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your social media & marketing director resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a social media & marketing director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable social media & marketing director resume templates

    Build a professional social media & marketing director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your social media & marketing director resume.
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
    Social Media & Marketing Director Resume
  7. Apply for social media & marketing director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a social media & marketing director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first social media & marketing director job

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Average social media & marketing director salary

The average social media & marketing director salary in the United States is $75,675 per year or $36 per hour. Social media & marketing director salaries range between $51,000 and $112,000 per year.

Average social media & marketing director salary
$75,675 Yearly
$36.38 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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