As is always the case, the effects of a technological breakthrough affect the life beyond the technology itself. Steam engine pushed us into the industrial revolution and created a large number of needs and jobs that never existed before that, while the internet and social networking launched us into the era of digital marketing – a virtual octopus which has infiltrated all the levels and aspects of doing business in every industry today.
The need for a presence in the online world and on social media has birthed a new breed of marketing managers – the ones that are well versed in the in’s and out’s of social networks and trends and the ones who can use headlines and hashtags to the advantage of their company and brand and make them relevant and successful.
Scope in the role of Social Media Manager
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has predicted that between 2016 and 2026, the demand for social media and public relations jobs will grow by 9%. But the interest in the position is steadily growing as well, making it one of the most sought out positions in today’s job market.
Many people with established online presence and a lot of experience with social media are going after these jobs and the competition is fierce and becoming even more so. Using a good looking resume template when going after a social media manager position is probably one of the easiest and most obvious ways one can make sure to stand out in the sea of hopefuls.
But what if you are on the other side?
What if you are an employer looking to hire a social media manager to handle your brand in the online realm and run a social marketing campaign that will spark the public’s awareness of your business and bring the customers to your door.
A lot goes into the creation and running of a social media campaign and establishing an online presence of a brand, and depending on what your needs are and what you want to accomplish, the expected and necessary pay may vary.
The expectations of the applicants may vary based on a lot of factors and most, if not all of those, need to be considered when deciding on the available budget for the salary or fee of your future social media manager.
Large Companies vs SME’s
For example, applicants will expect a higher pay rate in a large company with an established reputation and history than they would in a smaller family business just trying to break through into the market.
What’s more, a new, smaller business is more likely to hire a freelancer or a part-time social media manager to run their initial campaign – establish the accounts, the audience, the tone of the brand. The payment for this type of introductory project would be higher than what social media managers would expect to be paid later on for continuing to maintain the accounts and the social presence.
These kinds of gigs are usually very attractive to beginners in the social media marketing, and are commonly a good way of gaining experience and learning skills necessary for bigger projects.
A larger and already established company, on the other hand, is more likely to hire the in-house social media managers – one or several – and depending on their duty the payment both expected and offered would be different.
For example, a social media director would have much more experience and would have many more responsibilities overseeing the whole social media marketing team, than for example a junior social media manager, whose job is to follow the trending’s and the news and report on them to the rest of the team.
All of these details have a huge effect on the expected and offered salary rates and fees.
Conclusion
According to the data gathered from some of the website frequented the most by job hunters and employees alike – Glassdoor, Indeed.com and PayScale – the median wage for a social media manager goes anywhere between $48,390 and $55,199 per year, with the lowest, entry level salaries starting at $15,000 and going up to over $100,000.
