Jobs in Social Media

a social media talent marketplace

Social Media Salaries

ReadWriteWeb does an anecdotal survey of what social media folks ar..., and the spread is as varied as a Vegas buffet. There are no surprises, but I can tell you that consulting fees range from $20 an hour to $400 an hour, salaries range from $24,000 a year to $170,000, and the difference is based almost entirely on your non-social media employment background.

That's good and bad news - good for experienced types that want to use social media to move their careers along, bad for entry-level and college graduate salaries who want to learn social media, but lack the business background to truly be effective.

The survey was based on 10 responses from social media types, ranging from bloggers to social media consultants, and it's fair to say that Marshall got it right. It doesn't pay that well for most people, but then again, it's hard to compare salaries without knowing what they've accomplished. For the in-house blogger, expect 40-50's.

"Our respondents reported annual pay rates ranging from $45k and $55k with benefits (!) up to $70k, $80k and $90k with bonuses. We're tempted to say, based on the anonymously submitted but descriptive replies we got, that the closer to pure journalism our respondents were doing the lower their wages were. That's not always the case, but social media management and working for marketing firms were clear indicators of higher end pay rates. That makes sense."

Consultants make a lot more, but be careful believing those rates. Rates very by state and company, and are much different when comparing agency to independent (which is funny, as far too many agencies sell the project and immediately reach out to independents to sub-contract the work).

The per post bloggers are the worst examples, because blogging is primarily a part-time gig, and it entails more work and less pay than journalism, something journalists don't want to hear in a time of layoffs. You want salaries? I'll give you a list based on eight months of headhunting. Feel free to argue, but this is what I'm hearing, and recommending.

I've listed this before, but my views on social media (when asked, which is every call), go a little like this. These are all middle market salaries Add $20-$40,000 for New York, Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisom, with a little less for Austin, Dallas, LA, and others. Do me a favor - link to this post on social media salaries if you're going to quote it (that link is the post you're reading. I'd appreciate that.

Entry level - $30,000 (online writing background, at least 3 months consistent writing experience, familiarity with social media tools.

Community Manager - If you're the sole CM, $60-80K in the Midwest. 5- 10 years in the industry you're managing, minimum. Steady hand on the till.

Strategist - $80-$150K - based on past experience, and the interview has to be a roadmap of what is accomplished. Do NOT hire someone who has not shown experience in the field. They don't have to work in your industry, but they better have some kind of track record in achieving business goals (traffic, adveritising, conversions, sales).

Enterprise Architect - $120-$250 - This is a very rare find - it's for companies looking to competely revamp their content management strategy and internal networks. This is the most exciting job in social media, and requires someone with broad experience in networks, multiple platforms, development, security, and political infighting. It could be the most important role in a company in the next 5 years.

Director of Social Media - $60-$90K - this is a manager who has a background in building teams, who really gets the promise and the purpose of social media. A great voice for the company. SHould be wary of new technologies, but all over blogs, RSS, have Facebook and Twitter accounts, and know the difference between his or her employees playing and researching on MySpace and YouTube.

If you're curious about your position, drop me a line or leave a comment, and I'll give you my opinion. Make sure you list the city, duties, and your years of experience.

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Comment by Maggie McGary on December 22, 2008 at 7:50am: How about social media manager (or whatever they decide to call it as they start creating this position in associations) at associations? Social media is a huge topic in the association and nonprofit community, but most associations are at the stage of deciding whether it's "worth it" to invest in adding social media to either an existing position or creating new social media manager-esque positions. Many associations execs are still very skeptical about the value of social media, but it's getting to the point where more and more meeting sessions, webinars, magazine and newspaper articles and even TV/radio stories are talking about the importance of social media and it's only a matter of time until they cave and realize that social media is here to stay and they better get on the bandwagon before their members decide to form their own virtual organizations.

Because this is such a new position (or mostly idea of a position at this point; most associations are still in the "do we really need to get into this?" phase) there's not much (if any, that I'm aware of) salary data for association social media positions. It's hard to tie it to another, existing job because it's hard to classify the job in relation to existing jobs: is it on par with communications manager? Marketing manager? Membership? Web? It's basically anyone's guess at this point; what do any of you think?

Comment by Ann Marie Brucia on January 6, 2009 at 11:13am: JIm- I was sent this post by a friend. I found it helpful. You mentioned being able to drop you a line for your opinion. I am trying to price our my consulting fees......always tough for me to nail down. Can I email you?

Comment by Lisa Russell on January 12, 2009 at 7:22pm: "Director of Social Media.... and know the difference between his or her employees playing and researching on MySpace and YouTube."

Comment by Jim Durbin on January 12, 2009 at 7:52pm: Lisa,

That's a great point. Sometimes those two distinctions are hard to make, but by their fruits they shall be known. Managers have to know how to teach their employees how to work and not play.

A problem just as big is having someone do work in social media that isn't effective. They think they are doing their job, because expectations aren't laid out.

I'm going to toot my own horn here - if you're a recruiter or manager of recruiters, you can solve these problems by purchasing my training cd's at http://store.socialmediaheadhunter.com, or at the big banner on the side of the page. I show how to use each software to get results.

If you're a marketer, we want to see your ideas on this network. The more descriptions we have, the better we'll all be when looking for work.

Comment by Monique DiCarlo on December 18, 2009 at 1:39pm: Sr. Executive Assistants better brush up your Internet skills!

"The Sr. Executive Assistant position is for the executive staff of the company. The Sr. Executive Assistant joins a web based news service company.
The Executive Assistant position is a unique opportunity for the right person.

Responsibilities for Sr. Executive Assistant:
The successful candidate for the Sr. Executive Assistant will be technically competant to build a computer, has an Engineering Degree with a
Minor in Finance; in addition, he/she will have Network experience (CSCO/MSFT CCNA). The Sr. Executive Assistant Position joins a financial news service company as a right hand executive to the senior executive personnel of the company. The Executive Assistant will be an energetic, super computer geek, executive assistant. This is a hands-on position that reports directly to the executive staff of a global 24hr media, news &
analysis provider.

Qualifications: Candidates must have the following minimum education skills and requirements:

1) Software or Computer Engineering Degree relevant with a Minor in Finance
2) 8 or more years of relevant Project Management Experience (please submit history)
3) Experience managing remote developers
4) Live in the local metro area and has reliable transportation to meet demands of occasional overtime and on-call requirements
5) 6+ years experience in Excel and Visio
6) Extensive billing and record keeping experience
7) Excellent negotiating skills
8) Extremely well organized and a consistent attention to detail and accuracy
9) Ability to touch type
10) A valid and clean driver's license
11) Search Engine Optimization
12) Web 2.0 Social Networking"

Anything else? Wonder what the pay is...

Comment by Veronica Steele on April 3, 2012 at 10:23pm: I would love to get some insight on what my salary should be. I am the Social Media Manager at a private Christian University in Southern California. What is the best way to touch base with you?