Social media is being utilized by a diverse assortment of organizations for PR and marketing, event organizing, customer care, and so much more. I read a couple of articles/posts listing types of jobs in this field along with how much money some of the top people in the sector are making. These jobs require a high level of media savvy, creativity, experience, and passion.
It seems most of these jobs don’t pay much at all, but the more experienced and accomplished you become, the more money starts to roll in. “It’s a new world online and people with experience succeeding in it are widely sought-after by businesses wanting to catch up fast. There’s nearly bottomless need for and a strong demand for high-quality social media consulting – the big challenge is bridging the gap between living a Web 2.0 life and reaching out effectively to people”.
Below are lists of jobs and salaries:
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 your managing, minimum.
Strategist – $80-$150K – based on past experience. Will NOT hire someone who has not shown experience in the field. Must have some kind of track record in achieving business goals (traffic, advertising, conversions, sales).
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/her employees playing and researching on MySpace or YouTube.
Please keep in mind there is a HUGE difference between having fun utilizing social media and using it to enhance a company or organization. Tech savvy coupled with writing, researching, and marketing skills are a must!
Ignite Social Media is a good example of a company assisting organizations to better understand and use social media tools.
For more info check out these articles:
How Much do Top Tier Bloggers and Social Media Consultants Get Paid?
Eye on iMedia 