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The differences between social media specialists and specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a social media specialist, becoming a specialist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a specialist has an average salary of $58,013, which is higher than the $51,584 average annual salary of a social media specialist.
The top three skills for a social media specialist include social media marketing, instagram and digital marketing. The most important skills for a specialist are patients, customer service, and work ethic.
| Social Media Specialist | Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $51,584 | $58,013 |
| Hourly rate | $24.80 | $27.89 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 47,228 | 358,433 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
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 specialists and specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Media Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average salary | $51,584 | $58,013 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $68,000 | Between $32,000 And $104,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a social media specialist and a specialist in terms of educational background:
| Social Media Specialist | Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 79% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between social media specialists' and specialists' demographics:
| Social Media Specialist | Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% | Male, 47.5% Female, 52.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 | 12% | 11% |