Social media has become an essential part of our daily lives in today’s ever-growing digital era. Be it to use communication, branding, promotions, or just to enjoy and entertain yourself in your leisure time. With the high usage of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and even Threads now, all sorts of businesses have recognized the immense potential and importance of social media marketing and are trying their best to leverage from to maximize their businesses.
One of the hurdles these businesses are facing is implementing pragmatic tactics and strategies to ensure the effectiveness of social media marketing. Most of them fail to understand that this is not a cup of tea and can’t be done by any individual. Skilled professionals with excellency in certain social media marketing areas are required for such tasks, and they are called ‘Social Media Managers’.
It seems like a trivial or fancy title, but it requires hard work. Thankfully, social media management tools like Social Champ exist that minimize their daily social media hassles.
Let’s delve into details on what kind of work they do and what’s the Social Media Manager’s salary approximately.
What is an Average Social Media Manager’s Salary?
There is no lie that the demand for skilled professionals who excel in social media marketing has skyrocketed for quite a few years, ultimately giving rise to the role of social media managers.
Their job description revolves around creating, strategizing, executing, and optimizing social media campaigns for a number of brands and organizations. Given the potential and significance of social media in the digital marketing realm, it’s natural to ask hundreds of questions like What’s the average Social Media Manager salary? How much do they make? Is this kind of profession blooming and worth it in the neater future?
These thoughts are circulating in your minds right now, but for all the right answers, you need to keep reading as we’ll explore the key factors that influence social media managers’ average salaries and provide pragmatic insights into earning well in this exciting field.
So, let’s be honest, social media marketing has emerged and become an exceptional strategy for businesses to connect and engage with their potential customers and bring intellectual conversations to the table. With its ever-increasing influence and high conversation rates, the demand for skilled professionals on social media platforms has touched the skies.
Source: Builtin
According to the reports and statical data, social media manager salary falls within the wide spectrum worldwide, but in the United States of America, it is somewhere between $70,000 to $80,000K annually. These salaries depend on multiple factors such as geographical regions, company size, industry, gender, and even years of experience.
Social media managers are also heavily compensated like any other profession and receive extra perks depending on their company and industry. These may include bonuses, insurance, retirement plans, pieces of training, etc. The good and heavy salary packages vary from company to company, and how well the potential candidate can negotiate.
It is essential to note that the scope of digital marketing, specifically social media management, is evergreen and dynamic. Analyzing the current situation, we can hardly predict if there will ever be a downfall in this area; instead, it will keep growing, and the demand for skilled professionals will be expected to grow soon. ‘’
Therefore, it is important to know the average social media manager salary, geographical vise, by number of experience, etc.
Now let’s talk about the dynamics of the average social media manager salary in depth.
What Is an Average Social Media Manager Salary in THE US?
The area, region, and geographical location majorly impact a social media manager’s average salary. This is not restricted to this field, but the region plays a major role in compensating employees in almost all professions as living expenses, local marketing conditions, and tons of other things vary from region to region.
Mostly metropolitan and bigger cities tend to offer higher salaries and great compensation packages due to the high competition between skilled professionals and the greater potential for businesses to expand and grow.
Source: Builtin
For example, if we talk about the average social media manager salary working in any tech business in San Francisco or New York City, we can expect a higher wage than in any small town or rural area.
Speaking of San Francisco or New York City, a social media manager’s average salary is approx $72,860 annually plus the benefits. However, it is essential to keep in mind such figures are estimated on average, and actual salaries may differ based on individual differences and factors such as any skilled certifications, specialized skills, good references, successful work record, etc. These factors can help the potential employee to compensate and demand higher salaries with additional perks and benefits such as medical insurance, bonuses, stock options, etc.
Average Social Media Manager Salary by Years of Experience
Another primary factor that plays a major role in determining a social media manager salary is their years of experience. Now there is no way we are saying that newbies or freshies can not land such high-paying roles; they can still land modest-paying roles if they’ve honed their skill sets and have a learning attitude, then they may, but a number of years of experience play a good role.
Source: Builtin
Let’s break it down and say entry-level social media manager salary is typically decent as they are just kicking off their careers. On average, employees with an experience of less than a year can easily range from around $40,000 to $50,000 per year. But, of course, the earning potential exponentially increases with years of experience.
As per Builtin, the average social media manager salary of 1-3 years, probably in their mid-level, is approximately $72,000, which tends to increase to $83,000 plus as the years pass by and the employee reaches a senior level with experience of 7 plus years with successful campaigns and promising results.
Feature Article: 20+ Top Social Media Tools to Transform Your Strategy in 2023
Social Media Manager Salary by Gender
This may sound absurd, but gender does play a very important role in determining salaries in many regions. There have been multiple protests and movements to promote equal pay to all genders in the workplace.
Each role requires certain sets of abilities and capabilities, and based on that, most companies assign roles based on gender. When it comes to the role of a Social Media Manager, it is important to determine if the required capabilities and abilities are applicable to such a role.
Source: Builtin
As per that statistics, it has been observed that there seems to be a wide gender pay gap for social media managers. The average social media manager salary for women is around $66,279, whereas for men in the same industry is around $87,221. That’s a difference of approximately $20,000, which is quite huge.
It is safe to say that not all studies have similar findings, but most of the research reports disparities in Social Media Manager salary based on gender. These reports highlight that women Social Media Managers tend to earn way less than male social media managers.
We can assume that disparities are not inherent to the role of social media managers only but may be reflective of organizational issues. Addressing these issues requires cumulative efforts from the employees and HR to ensure equality and fair compensation between the genders.
A few of the actions to combat gender are as followings:
- Be transparent: Organizations should adopt transparent salary structures and implement policies to regulate equal pay based on expertise, not on gender. These should be regularly audited to rectify any sort of dispensaries.
- Awareness program: Experts should conduct yearning programs for the family and the employees for their market worth and help them to upskill their negotiating skills to compensate for their fair pay.
- Promote an Inclusive Workplace: Encourage an open and inclusive workplace where employees can take action, hold HR accountable, and encourage healthy and productive discussion.
Being transparent, promoting inclusive workplaces, and providing awareness sessions can help to lower the gender pay gap and to make sure to increase or equalize Social Media Manager salary.
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Social Media Manager Salary by Industry & Company Size
The industry and the company’s size majorly determine the social media manager salary. Industries and sectors like technology, fintech, SaaS, and e-commerce mainly offer higher salaries due to their competitive nature and their understanding of the importance of social media marketing.
For example, the bizinsure Insurance Fintech offers salaries competitive with top financial technology innovators to secure top social media talent. Their success illustrates how niches like insuretech value social engagement in standing out in crowded segments.
Salaries can also widely depend on other factors, such as whether the organization falls under the public or private sector, is a small or a multinational corporation, or specializes in a different niche, such as fashion or healthcare. Other sectors, such as non-profit organizations or startups, have limited funding; hence they offer lower salaries.
In addition to this, Company size is also an important factor in depicting social media manager salary. Usually, larger companies have a higher budget for the role of the social media manager. Larger companies with 1000+ employees, as per bulletin stats, earn more than $82,488 annually along with the packed perks and benefits like bonuses, stock options, allowances, etc.
Source: Builtin
However, the small-scaled based companies or NGOs; have lower budgets with minimum or zero perks and benefits or any additional growth opportunities. The responsibilities and workload are the same for social media managers in both companies and industries; the size and industry matter a lot in deciding the salary bracket.
6 Tips for Getting the Compensation You Deserve
In today’s world, the job market is competitive and tight. If you are just stepping into the field of marketing, you must ensure that you receive a fair amount and should be compensated well for your time and skills. It can be challenging and difficult to negotiate the amount you deserve as you might fear the rejection or the loss of the offer ultimately. But guess what? With the right and planned approach, you have a higher chance to receive the negotiation and be paid well off.
On a light note, these top 6 tips can help you get well deserved social media manager salary along with the perks and benefits.
Do Well in Dept Research
The very first step is doing well preparation research touching all the essential points with respect to your experience, the market value of an average social media manager salary, the geographical location, the company, and so on. This will help you set the base pay, and you will not be exploited.
Always Portray Your Achievements
During the interview, it is recommended to emphasize and highlight your achievements and skills along with the certifications to prove them. It will reflect light upon you and differentiate you from the rest of the candidates. You must mention how you can bring value to such an organization, what skills you will use, and show them your potential. Providing such information can impact your strengthening position for negotiation if or when they offer you a job.
Present Facts
Instead of shooting empty promises, always present facts along with shreds of evidence that support it and then present a persuasive case to request increased compensation. You may try by highlighting your responsibilities, achievements, skillset, value, and any projects you have taken on. It would be wise to prepare a well-structured deck that clearly mentions and shows all of the above-mentioned pointers, and then you can easily negotiate the compensation you deserve.
Be Communicative
In the field of marketing, especially as a social media manager, effective communication skill is a core skill and is essential when it comes to negotiation, debating, etc. Using strong vocabulary in a confident tone shows a professional demeanor. Therefore, be communicative, articulate your points, use a convincing tone, and prepare potential objections. It will allow the employer to understand your perspective better, and the possibility for the negotiation for compensation will increase.
Consider the Entire Compensation Package
Compensation does not always equal basic pay. For example, a social media manager salary is $72,000/yearly, and thats all. Most of the time, it extends the basic pay and includes other compensation such as fuel allowance, medical insurance, bonuses, stocks, paid vacations, etc. Therefore, it is wise to consider the entire compensation package, evaluate them, and see if the perks and benefits interest you. If it is still not enough, then you may feel free to negotiate the compensation offered.
Be Open to the Solutions
Keep in mind that you may or may not receive the desired, so it is wise to explore alternative solutions and be open to creative ideas that could still benefit your entire compensation package. This may include opportunities, additional responsibilities, etc. Being open to solutions depicts your willingness to find mutually beneficial results.
Pro tip: Never be afraid to negotiate for the compensation you truly deserve. If you know your market value and worth, never accept the pay exploiting you. Many potential employees are hesitant to salary discussions or negotiate, fearing that it might lower their chances of getting hired. If you keep in mind that it is a normal part of the hiring process and that most employers generally expect candidates to negotiate, then the process can become smooth.
Final Words
To conclude, it is clear that the demand for social media managers continues to rise as most businesses recognize the importance of creating an online presence across all social platforms. They play a crucial role in shaping a brand’s digital awareness and identity to engage with its target audience.
Social media manager salary varies on different factors such as years of experience, industry, geographical location, and sometimes even gender, but despite all these factors, no employee should be underpaid or exploited; therefore, it is necessary to negotiate the compensation you deserve, and that requires thorough research, effective communication, and a solid understanding of your value in the market place.
Relevant Article: Social Media Demographics to Form a Powerful Business Strategy in 2023
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Social Media Manager do?
The job description of a social media manager mainly circles around creating and implementing strategies to increase the online visibility of the brand and company across all social media platforms.
How to Become a Social Media Manager?
The first and foremost requirement to become a social media manager is to acquire a degree in Marketing management or digital marketing, but if you do not, then you may practice relevant skills, build community and network and stay updated on recent trends.
What Skill Sets Are Needed to Become a Social Media Manager?
A few of the skill sets that are needed to become a social media manager are the ability to read analytics and report them, make impactful strategies, craft exceptional content, and build or manage communities.
Which states pays social media managers the most
Social media manager salary in the United States highly depends on certain factors such as region, experience, and industry. According to Zippa, the highest paying state in the US is Washington, with $89,087 annually, and the social media manager’s salary per hour rate starts from $42.8.
