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.
How to Become a Social Media Specialist
What is a Social Media Specialist
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Social Media Specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $23.62 an hour? That's $49,127 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 17,300 job opportunities across the U.S.
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.
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.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Social Media Specialist. When we researched the most common majors for a Social Media Specialist, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Associate Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Social Media Specialist resumes include Master's Degree degrees or High School Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Social Media Specialist. In fact, many Social Media Specialist jobs require experience in a role such as Internship. Meanwhile, many Social Media Specialists also have previous career experience in roles such as Marketing Internship or Sales Associate.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
And if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
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 Jobs You Might Like
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for a Social Media Specialist
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12 Social Media Specialist Resume Examples
Build a professional social media specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your social media specialist resume.
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Wayne Perkins Social Media Specialist |
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Russell Hall Social Media Specialist Experience Social Media Specialist2019 - Present University of Pittsburgh•Pittsburgh, PA
Digital Media Coordinator2018 - 2019 CBS•Pittsburgh, PA
Promotions Internship2017 - 2018 Red Bull North America•Chicago, IL
Skills FacebookYoutubePromotional MaterialsOn-Site PromotionsCommunicationMailchimpContent MarketingEmail CampaignsGraphic DesignSpecial Projects Education Bachelor's Degree Journalism2014 - 2017 West Virginia University•Morgantown, WV |
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Learn How To Write a Social Media Specialist Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Social Media Specialist resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Social Media Specialist Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
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.
Social Media Specialist Demographics
Social Media Specialist Gender Distribution
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 73.2% of all Social Media Specialists.
- The most common foreign language among Social Media Specialists is Spanish at 49.4%.
Find the best Social Media Specialist job for you
Social Media Specialist Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Social Media Specialist Jobs - $63K and Up
- Work From Home Social Media Specialist Jobs
- Entry Level Social Media Specialist Jobs
- Part Time Social Media Specialist Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Social Media Specialist Jobs
Top Colleges for Social Media Specialists
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
5. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
6. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
7. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
8. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
9. Bentley University
Waltham, MA • Private
10. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Find the best Social Media Specialist job for you
Social Media Specialist Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Social Media Specialist Jobs - $63K and Up
- Work From Home Social Media Specialist Jobs
- Entry Level Social Media Specialist Jobs
- Part Time Social Media Specialist Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Social Media Specialist Jobs
Online Courses For Social Media Specialist That You May Like
Online Digital Marketing / Social Media Strategy For Beginners - Posts / Blogs / Podcasts / Video / Google Local SEO...
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 applicati...
The comprehensive social media course, beginner to advanced. Go viral, get started today!...
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, 12.0% of Social Media Specialists listed Content Marketing on their resume, but soft skills such as Problem-solving skills and Speaking skills are important as well.
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 Connecticut, Maryland, California, and New York. Social Media Specialists make the most in Connecticut with an average salary of $57,577. Whereas in Maryland and California, they would average $56,132 and $55,458, respectively. While Social Media Specialists would only make an average of $55,121 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
$61,074
Avg. Salary
2. Michigan
$53,982
Avg. Salary
3. Massachusetts
$54,729
Avg. Salary
How Do Social Media Specialist Rate Their Jobs?
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 International was the best, especially with an average salary of $48,062. Nike follows up with an average salary of $52,889, and then comes Harte Hanks with an average of $47,819. 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 FIS, Stanley Black & Decker, and Canon USA
Social Media Specialist Videos
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.