- Introduction
- What does a social media manager do?
- Benefits of Social Media Marketing
- Are social media managers in demand?
- How much do beginner social media managers make?
- Social media manager salary per month
- Conclusion
Introduction
Gone are the days when legacy brands could keep their sales up no matter what the market condition. In this digital world, especially post COVID-19, social media is the crucial deciding factor of a brand’s performance in the market.
In China alone, e-commerce, delivery, and social media jobs grew more than 5.1 million in the first half of 2020, as per a McKinsey report.
Owing to this job trend, there has been an increase in the demand for social media marketing managers. People are now more curious to know about a social media manager’s salary. And that is what we are planning to do. In this post, we will be discussing a social media manager’s salary, the importance of this branch of digital marketing, social media marketing courses and the nature of their job.
What does a social media manager do?
In contrast to the general perception, a social media manager’s job is way more than just scrolling Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds all day. Simply put, a social media manager represents the company on social platforms.
They are the modern-day digital advertisers that convey a company’s values to the audience, engage with customers, analyze trends and create compelling marketing campaigns to drive sales for a brand.
The social media manager’s job also includes data analytics, managing social partnerships with other brands online, responding to audience comments, designing, and copywriting.
Having said that, there are no set limitations to one’s portfolio. For instance, a social media manager at a highly-specialized technical company will need to know the basic tech know-how of the brand to help sell its products or engage customers with it. In addition, they will have to create content as per the social media platform.
One cannot be selling lampshades on Facebook without knowing that the platform is best for B2C industries and is more suited for creating brand awareness or advertising.
Benefits of Social Media Marketing
Now that we have established the growth of social media jobs, let’s also discuss the benefits of social media marketing on a brand/company’s market performance.
1. Brand Awareness
Hubspot estimates that over 1 billion people use Instagram monthly, 1.79 billion use Facebook daily, and about 186 million users are active on LinkedIn every day. Imagine the outreach a brand can get with the use of social media marketing done right.
Brand Awareness can be defined as the familiarity index with which a consumer associates with a brand, its products or services, logo, and what its values are. For instance, one only needs to see Apple’s logo to identify the brand, its products, features, and much more.
2. Customer Relationship Management
Ten years ago, it was difficult and tedious for customers to engage with a brand if they had any issues or grievances about its products/service. For that reason, a lot of brands suffered sustained losses. On the other hand, due to this lack of transparency, many companies choose unethical and non-sustainable ways of producing goods for the longest time.
Now, with information available to everybody, people can raise concerns over social media platforms to address issues they have been tackling for the longest time. And, especially after the pandemic, with consumer behavior moving towards eco-friendly products, customer relationship management with the use of social has only increased and diversified.
For instance, one only had to look at Twitter at the time of #BlackLivesMatter and see how customers asked brands to respond to and share their views on social media about such dissent movements.
In fact, some fashion brands that only engaged superficially with customers without actually practicing diversity in their organizations suffered a major backlash.
All the more reason now that social media managers focus on ethical customer relationship management on social media. After all, if you do it right, you have a loyal customer for life.
3. Leads and Conversions
Most social media marketing managers use platforms to engage with the market and drive conversions with the help of campaigns, contests, host live AMAs/ Q & A’s, and so much more.
These are just a few benefits of social media marketing and since the focus of this blog is the profile and social media manager’s salary, let’s return to the skills one needs.
What skills do you need?
There are no set criteria for any job in the world. And likewise, with the dynamic market conditions of social media, the skills a social media marketing manager must possess are also alterable.
Below is a list of soft skills and hard skills that are generally asked of anyone in that position.
| Soft Skills | Hard Skills |
| – Social media literate: that’s a no-brainer – Thick-skin – An eye for trends – Political/social/cultural awareness – Public Speaking – Behavioral Psychology | – Analytics – Budgeting – Copywriting – Designing – Networking – Marketing |
Are social media managers in demand?
As we have already discussed a social media marketing manager’s job profile, skillset, and the benefits/scope of social media for digital marketing, let us now understand the demand for this job role in the global economy.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics( BLS), social media jobs are expected to grow 8% by 2028, higher than the expectation for all other occupations.
A social media manager’s role also lands on #42 on CNNMoney/PayScale’s list of top 100 careers with Big Growth, Great Pay, and Satisfying Work. According to this list’s analysis, a social media manager’s salary comes under a satisfying pay experience.
As part of the Changing Marketing Jobs Landscape report for 2021, LinkedIn’s study of the marketing industry also shows a rising trend in hiring and job listings for social media on its platform.
Their research found that despite the pandemic, the demand for marketers only increased. Industries like arts and retail now are the biggest recruiters for marketing jobs, followed by education and corporate services. All the sectors have also witnessed massive growth in the global lockdown and thus the demand for digital marketers.
In the new normal, leading marketing agencies and digital marketers are also pivoting towards remote and flexible solutions, the report added. This is also one of the reasons why a lot of professionals are choosing digital marketing as their full-time career.
How much do beginner social media managers make?
If you are wondering what a social media professional makes when he/she starts out, continue reading to find out.
According to data from Payscale, an entry-level social media manager makes around Rs 3 Lakh/annum while it gradually progresses to between 3-10 lakh/annum and much more depending on the experience, skillset, and the industry you work in.
In fact, a lot of industries also pay very handsome salaries to social media managers. After the pandemic, these include manufacturing, media, and technology sectors.
Check out Social Media Marketing Course to learn the key concepts from basics.
Social media manager salary per month
If looking at the global digital marketing industry, the average social media manager’s salary varies according to the demographic, country’s economy, and development status.
For instance, in the USA, a social media manager’s monthly salary is about $ 4,842 ( 3.6 lakh INR at the time of writing this article).In Europe, in economies that are very digitally advanced like Estonia ( where people elect their country head through online voting), the average salary is € 1600 (1.4 lakh INR). Again, these salaries vary for different industries within a country or in different countries.
In Germany, for instance, a social media manager’s salary is about almost € 3000/ month, double what a person employed in a similar profile earns in Estonia.
A social media manager in India, on the other hand, earns about Rs 26,551/month, as per a glassdoor national report.
Conclusion
This is a comprehensive account of the nature of a social media manager’s salary, their profile, and the rising demand for this profession.
If you are a marketing professional hoping to upgrade your skillset and learn new-age technological skills relevant to your field, now is the time.
This festive season, start a new beginning with Great Learning’s PG Program in Strategic Digital Marketing. Offered in collaboration with Great Lakes Executive Learning Institute, this course teaches all branches of digital marketing besides offering certifications in platforms like Google Ads Search, Google Ads Display, Google Analytics, Hubspot Email Marketing, and Hubspot Content Marketing.
Apply now!
Should you wish to know more about social media marketing or digital marketing in general, follow this space for more updates.
