What is a Social Media Specialist?

Social Media Specialists create and manage content on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Their job is essentially to engage customers and build a solid audience around a brand or product, often disguising it as entertainment.

Your work as a social media specialist will not only entail planning posts and creating content. You will have to actively engage with followers as well, responding to their comments and generating discussion. Your success will be measured in numbers, so following metrics and adjusting your strategies to consumer analytics will be a part of your job as well.

This is a highly complex and very independent role you can practically perform from the comfort of your home, and many actually do. You will be responsible for every aspect of this position, from customer service to creative direction, copywriting, and even data analysis.

What Does a Social Media Specialist Do

There are certain skills that many social media specialists have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed problem-solving skills, speaking skills and writing skills.

Learn more about what a Social Media Specialist does

How To Become a Social Media Specialist

If you're interested in becoming a social media specialist, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 78.7% of social media specialists have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 7.1% of social media specialists have master's degrees. Even though most social media specialists have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Social Media Specialist

Social Media Specialist Job Description

A social media specialist is a trained professional in charge of creating and bettering the online presence of a company or a client. Their duties include monitoring various social medias, creating and managing content, and creating and implementing social media strategies.

Learn more about Social Media Specialist Job Description
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Social Media Specialist Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a social media specialist can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as editor, progress to a title such as consultant and then eventually end up with the title brand marketing manager.

Social Media Specialist

Average Salary for a Social Media Specialist

Social Media Specialists in America make an average salary of $51,584 per year or $25 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $68,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $38,000 per year.
Average Social Media Specialist Salary
$51,584 Yearly
$24.80 hourly
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Roles and Types of Social Media Specialist

The role of a social media specialist includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general social media specialist responsibilities:

  • Creating engaging content for facebook, instagram, youtube, linkedin
  • Social media strategy and content: create engaging content to be shared via the home depot foundation's social media channels. Grow social media audience
  • Operational manage approval across business units, senior leaders within the enterprise,

There are several types of social media specialist, including:

Communications Coordinator

Role:

A communication Coordinator supports the communication department to perform administrative tasks in executing and improving communication strategies. He/She also puts down several contents to assist marketing and communication endeavors. This includes copywriting, newsletter, and press release. Primarily, you are meant to assist the communication department in implementing and building a master plan to improve company objectives. The success and failure of your work must be well monitored by giving an analysis and reporting the campaigns and strategies. As a communication Coordinator, familiarity with the latest industry trends helps you provide recommendations for communication strategies and practices. You also cannot ignore media publicity; therefore, responding to media inquiries and maintaining a relationship with journalists helps your work to be more effective.

Your responsibilities include organizing press conferences, coordinating volunteers, assisting the staff, and performing outreach to magazines, press, and influencers to improve the company's productivity. Uncommon interpersonal skills, public speaking skills, exceptional writing skills, management and organizational skills, and knowledge of communication and marketing morals are all essential skills of a communication Coordinator. The average salary of a communication Coordinator annually is $45,000. A bachelor's degree in Mass Communication, Journalism, or other related fields will set you up for the role.

  • Average Salary: $47,075
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Media Coordinator

Role:

Media Coordinators are communications professionals who plan and implement targeted communications and advertising content for clients. They research, write, proofread, and edit all content for broadcast, print, and online distribution channels. They coordinate the execution of marketing and advertising campaigns for broadcast, digital, and media outlets. Furthermore, they negotiate deals with media channels. Moreover, they serve as liaisons between their clients and media organizations, monitor all campaigns, and compile a report on results.

Media coordinators are required to have a bachelor's degree in communications, media, or a related field. They must have at least three years of work experience in a similar role. They are an expert at targeted communications and advertising campaigns. Also, they must be conversant with SEO, web traffic metrics, and social media practices. Key skills include interpersonal, decision-making, research, and communication skills. Their salary ranges from $33,000 to $55,000, which is $42,495 on average yearly.

  • Average Salary: $47,471
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Public Relations Coordinator

Role:

Public relations coordinators are responsible for managing clients or an organization by creating awareness and maintaining their public image. As a public relations coordinator, your job is to use the media to create awareness and promote your client or the organization you are working with. You can carry out your job by developing content and managing their social media platform, issuing and promoting press releases, organizing conferences and social appearances. Your goal as a public relations coordinator is to constantly increase awareness of your clients and ensure the public gets the right image of your client.

As a public relations coordinator, you must have problem-solving skills, good communication skills, interpersonal skills, organizational skills, writing skills, and knowledge of public relations. You should also have a bachelor's degree in public relations, marketing, or any course relevant to the field. On average, public relations coordinators earn $42,763 per year.

  • Average Salary: $46,225
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Social Media Specialist Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active social media specialist jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where social media specialists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Social Media Specialist Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California3,936$56,204
2New York2,083$55,915
3Texas2,056$43,948
4Florida2,015$44,682
5Illinois1,527$46,677
6Massachusetts1,436$54,483
7Georgia1,174$44,318
8Pennsylvania1,156$46,676
9Michigan1,119$45,440
10Virginia1,043$54,491
11North Carolina995$47,913
12Washington989$54,971
13Maryland929$48,677
14Ohio915$45,873
15New Jersey827$57,484
16Colorado719$49,198
17Minnesota707$46,539
18Arizona688$49,295
19Indiana654$42,523
20Missouri557$41,707
21Tennessee530$47,525
22Wisconsin517$45,785
23Oregon500$53,244
24Utah477$43,627
25Iowa474$40,552
26Louisiana417$38,276
27Connecticut399$54,049
28South Carolina381$36,464
29Alabama356$38,557
30Kentucky345$46,789
31Kansas308$40,318
32Arkansas301$41,559
33Nebraska298$42,460
34Oklahoma296$37,410
35Nevada263$52,630
36Idaho259$50,561
37Maine220$36,206
38New Hampshire218$49,733
39New Mexico213$40,733
40Delaware208$52,916
41Mississippi202$37,969
42West Virginia173$47,368
43Montana164$38,782
44Rhode Island154$54,694
45South Dakota139$41,888
46Vermont134$39,806
47Hawaii131$58,642
48North Dakota124$48,976
49Alaska124$52,318
50Wyoming113$40,887

Social Media Specialist Education

Social Media Specialist Majors

Communication
21.3 %
Business
12.4 %
Marketing
12.1 %

Social Media Specialist Degrees

Bachelors

78.7 %

Associate

8.8 %

Masters

7.1 %

Top Colleges for Social Media Specialists

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

7. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

8. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

9. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

10. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

Top Skills For a Social Media Specialist

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 7.8% of social media specialists listed social media marketing on their resume, but soft skills such as problem-solving skills and speaking skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Social Media Specialist Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Social Media Specialist templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Social Media Specialist resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Social Media Specialist diversity

Social Media Specialist Gender Distribution

Female
Female
61%
Male
Male
39%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among social media specialists, 61.4% of them are women, while 38.6% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among social media specialists is White, which makes up 67.1% of all social media specialists.

  • The most common foreign language among social media specialists is Spanish at 49.4%.

Online Courses For Social Media Specialist That You May Like

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1. Social Media Management

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This course equips you with critical content creation and management skills. You’ll learn how to create effective social media posts and how to create a strong brand to help you build a social media presence. You’ll also learn how to establish an ongoing process to manage your content. This includes setting up a content calendar, managing and moderating your posts, analyzing data for insights and iteration, and how to increase post effectiveness. You will end the course with real-world...

2. Social Media Advertising

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Social media platforms are driven by digital advertising. As a result, social media advertising is affordable and can be purchased at almost any budget. Targeting options in social media advertising are also sophisticated. It is possible to tailor ads around a user’s behaviors (e.g., likes, posts and clicks). This course unpacks small business use cases of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter advertising. From basic campaigns, to advanced techniques including lookalike modeling and audience...

3. Social Media Marketing - Content Marketing Masterclass 2022

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4.4
(5,209)

Online Digital Marketing / Social Media Strategy For Beginners - Posts / Blogs / Podcasts / Video / Google Local SEO...

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Best States For a Social Media Specialist

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a social media specialist. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, New Jersey, California, and New York. Social media specialists make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $58,642. Whereas in New Jersey and California, they would average $57,484 and $56,204, respectively. While social media specialists would only make an average of $55,915 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. District of Columbia

Total Social Media Specialist Jobs: 315
Highest 10% Earn:
$84,000
Location Quotient:
1.56

$60,360

Avg. Salary

View 315 Social Media Specialist Jobs In DC

2. Massachusetts

Total Social Media Specialist Jobs: 1,436
Highest 10% Earn:
$75,000
Location Quotient:
1.3

$54,483

Avg. Salary

View 1,436 Social Media Specialist Jobs In MA

3. Washington

Total Social Media Specialist Jobs: 989
Highest 10% Earn:
$75,000
Location Quotient:
1.13

$54,971

Avg. Salary

View 989 Social Media Specialist Jobs In WA
Full List Of Best States For Social Media Specialists

How Do Social Media Specialists Rate Their Jobs?

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Top Social Media Specialist Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ social media specialists and discovered their number of social media specialist opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Robert Half was the best, especially with an average salary of $49,896. Arrow Electronics follows up with an average salary of $54,759, and then comes T-Mobile US with an average of $45,525. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a social media specialist. The employers include Subaru, Regal Beloit, and Armanino

Most Common Employers For Social Media Specialist

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Activision Blizzard$67,957$32.6714
2Salesforce$60,560$29.128
3Ford Motor$56,379$27.118
4Aeropostale$55,992$26.9211
5Arrow Electronics$54,759$26.3347
6Wounded Warrior Project$51,654$24.8316
7Nordstrom$51,431$24.7313
8Percepta$51,119$24.5814
9Publix$51,025$24.538
10Hewlett Packard Enterprise$50,891$24.477
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Social Media Specialist Videos

A Day in the Life of Lucky Magazine's Social Media Guru Virginia Nam
DCTC Business Marketing, Marketing Design, Sales, and Social Media Programs

Becoming a Social Media Specialist FAQs

How Do I Become A Good Social Media Specialist?

To become a good social media specialist, you typically want to get postsecondary education and prior relevant experience to become a good social media specialist.

Although it's possible to become one with just a high school diploma if you have the relevant experience to prove your skills, most social media specialists obtain a bachelor's degree, typically in a related field like communication, marketing, and public relations.

How Do I Start A Social Media Career?

To start a social media career, it's important to educate yourself and start small. The good news is that there isn't just one right way to start a career in social media; there are many. It's good to consider your timeline and your short and long-term career goals before you get started.

How Much Do Media Specialists Make?

Media specialists make about $49,000 yearly or $23.58 hourly. As most jobs go, factors like location, industry, and experience can determine your exact salary.

On the lower end of the salary range, they can make around $29,000, usually for entry-level positions or for low-paying states like Louisiana and South Carolina. On the higher end, they can earn around $81,00 or more.

Is Social Media Specialist A Good Career?

Yes, being a social media specialist is a good career if you enjoy making creative content, engaging with people online, and the high salary possibilities.

Social media specialists are professionals responsible for creating and administering content on all social media platforms to build an audience and ensure customer engagement. Their duties include customer service, copywriting, data analysis, and creative direction, making the job feel fast-paced and exciting.

What Are The Skills Required For Social Media Specialist?

The skills required for social media specialists are content marketing, major social media platforms, and other tools to measure engagement.

Social media specialists are generally responsible for creating and administering content on all social media platforms to build an audience and ensure customer engagement.

What Experience Do You Need To Be A Social Media Specialist?

The experience you need to be a social media specialist is typically an internship in a related field like marketing, social media, or public relations. In general, relevant experience in handling customers and selling products to them, such as a sales associate, can be useful.

Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.

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Updated April 6, 2023