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The differences between social media project managers 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 social media project manager, becoming a social media specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a social media project manager has an average salary of $81,039, which is higher than the $51,584 average annual salary of a social media specialist.
The top three skills for a social media project manager include media management, social media management and twitter. The most important skills for a social media specialist are social media marketing, instagram, and digital marketing.
| Social Media Project Manager | Social Media Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $81,039 | $51,584 |
| Hourly rate | $38.96 | $24.80 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 136,876 | 47,228 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 4 |
A social media project manager is responsible for drafting, planning, executing, and monitoring a company's social media strategy. They promote brand awareness, observe social media trends, and produce regular social media campaigns. They monitor search engine optimization practices and user entanglement. They also collaborate with marketing and social development teams.
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.
Social media project managers and social media specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Media Project Manager | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average salary | $81,039 | $51,584 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $132,000 | Between $38,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between a social media project manager and a social media specialist in terms of educational background:
| Social Media Project Manager | Social Media Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between social media project managers' and social media specialists' demographics:
| Social Media Project Manager | Social Media Specialist | |
| Average age | 39 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% |
| 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, 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 | 10% | 12% |