What is a Good Social Media Manager Salary?

Dorien Morin-van Dam

I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You’ll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.

Updated August 2, 2020

Hello, social media manager, or soon-to-be social media manager! 

If you are looking to get an answer to the question “What is a good social media manager salary?” you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, you will learn

• What the average salary for a social media manager is
• Finding the average salary for a social media manager in your area
• Factors that positively impact a social media manager’s salary
• Factors that negatively impact a social media manager’s salary
• How social media managers can increase income 
• What other career moves a social media manager can make to increase their salary

The Average Social Media Manager Salary

The average total salary, of course, is not the median, or standard an/or uniform at all locations around the world. Therefore, you have to take a few things into consideration as some social media managers might only make a fraction of what others make.

The salary of a social media manager will depend on several factors.

Factors that impact a social media manager salary include

• Location; salaries in your area may fall above or below the average social media manager salary 
• Experience; how long have you been in the social media marketing industry
• Employer; the size of the business, number of years in business, the health of the business and the number of marketing team members will often dictate salary offering
• Benefits; the salary offered to you might or might not include a generous benefits package
• Job Requirements; while we use the title ‘social media manager’ to indicate someone who manages all things social media, some companies also expect their social media manager to be in charge of all things digital marketing and sometimes traditional marketing. 

Finding The Average Social Media Manager Salary

One main factor we see in social media manager salary ranges is due to location. Salaries in the United States will differ from those in the UK, Asia or Africa.

With 32000+ social media managers in our Social Media Managers Facebook group, we see a wide range of average salaries across the globe for people with similar skills.

While in certain countries social media manager employees make great money, in other countries, they barely scrape by and are not (yet) valued for their skills. Cultural differences and differences in standard of living play a factor in this. 

How do you go about finding out what social media managers in your area make? How do you know salary estimates are based on what people in your area earn, versus the national average salary for your position? 

Finding The Average Social Media Manager Salary in your Geographical Area

Here are a few resources you can check out to find the average salary for social media managers in your area. 

1. Glassdoor, where salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor help us understand the current market. 

Glassdoor lets anyone browse by companies, jobs, locations, and interviews. Glassdoor even has a salary calculator. 

While this is a good starting point for those who are brand new to social media management and are looking for a job title and employment, don’t worry if the estimate seems off for you if your circumstances are a bit different.  

For example, while this writer has 9+ years of experience in the field, her personalized salary estimate was completely off balance due to working in a remote area, being self-employed (freelance) and not having a college degree.  

1. Payscale, where you can do career research and find in-depth salary data for specific jobs, employers, schools, and more.

Much like Glassdoor, Payscale has a research tool that allows you to check what your skills are worth in the job market as this is constantly changing.

Factors That Positively Impact a Social Media Manager Salary

While an average salary is well…average, there are several steps you can take to position yourself for optimum compensation.

These positive steps include

• Holding industry-recognized certification
• Learning a wide variety of relevant skills
• Attending industry conferences
• Networking with industry leaders
• Taking care to build your personal brand
• Having an online presence
• Displaying an impressive portfolio
• Receiving LinkedIn recommendations
• Creating content including blog articles, case studies, and videos

While these steps might not immediately help you score a higher-than-average salary out of the gate, taking these steps will certainly give you a great foothold for when your first performance review comes around or when you are ready to request a raise! 

Factors That Negatively Impact a Social Media Manager Salary

Things that don’t put you, the social media manager in such a positive light include

• Speaking negatively about a prior place of employment and previous bosses
• Not actively reading up on new features
• Not creating accounts and experimenting on new platforms 
• Ignoring the latest trends in our industry
• Being overall negative about your occupation
• Refusing to work with an existing marketing team

While these things might not immediately impact your current salary, bringing a negative vibe to the workplace is never a good strategy for those who are looking for longevity in a job.

Additional Income Streams for Social Media Managers

What happens when you are (first) starting out and the salary for are offered as a social media manager doesn’t quite satisfy your need for cash? 

Social media managers can and often do supplement their income with freelance projects. Whether you get an account on Fiverr, Upwork or you are using your online network to score projects, these are great ways to earn extra cash. 

In addition to stand-alone projects, social media managers can also supplement or diversify their income by getting paid to train, teach, speak or coach. 

Last but not least, writing aka blogging can be a lucrative second stream of income for those social media managers who enjoy content creation. 

Long-term Goals and Career Opportunities for Social Media Managers

If you are looking for financial freedom, a way to scale your salary, make more money than you thought possible, consider moving to full-time freelance work, or starting an agency. 

While it certainly isn’t for everyone, many social media managers enjoy the freelance lifestyle of being able to work with clients they love, set their own schedules and being their own boss.

Long-term goals can include 

• Teaching at a local college
• Creating an online course
• Speaking at conferences
• Publishing a book
• Managing an agency
• Starting an agency
• Managing a freelance team
• Niche management
• Consulting
• Coaching

And much more! 

One way to find out what’s possible is by just going out and trying new things and doing it! 

Another way is to connect with mentors, join a mastermind and to network with those who’ve been in the field longer or those who are constantly reinventing themselves and their content strategies. 

Whichever you choose, longevity in this industry means pivoting. If you can't adapt to constant change, you are in the wrong place. 

Dorien Morin-van Dam

I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You'll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.