So, how much do social media managers make?
Whether you’re a company looking to hire potential candidates or a social media manager looking for a position yourself, this article is for you.
Indeed, the demand for social media managers is growing, especially when you know its importance for companies that want to develop their marketing strategy.
In this article, we will review how much social media managers make depending on skills, seniority, or location.
If you are a company, you will be able to set a budget for the position and attract a candidate well suited to the role. You can also use this information to set fair expectations and negotiate the salary you deserve if you are a candidate.
How Much Do Social Media Managers Make in the US?
According to Payscale.com, a Social Media Manager working in the United States makes an average of $54,368 per year. The lowest salary starts at $36,000 per year, and the highest salary is $83,000 per year.
Also, the salary is not uniform throughout the country, and some states pay social media managers better than others.
To give you an idea, according to Indeed, the salaries in the different US cities are:
- San Francisco: CA, $74,049 per year
- New York, NY: $70,105 per year
- Las Vegas, NV: $59,570 per year
- Houston, TX: $61,677 per year
How Much Do Social Media Managers Make in Europe?
Now let’s see the situation in Europe. According to Glassdoor, the salary of a social media manager is lower than what we can find in the United States.
- United Kingdom: The average salary in the United Kingdom is £34,869 per year. Salaries start at £24,000 per year for an entry-level and can go up to £51,000 per year.
- Germany: The estimated total pay for a Social Media Manager is €47,134 per year in the German area, with an average salary of €43,943 per year.
- France: The average salary in France for a social media manager is €39,240 per year. The range of salaries starts at €34,000 per year and can go up to €47,000 per year.
- Spain: The average salary in Spain for a social media manager is €31,073 per year. Salaries start at €24,000 per year to €56,000 per year.
How Much Do Freelance Social Media Managers Make?
According to the freelance platform Upwork, launching a social media campaign costs between $4,000 and $7,000 and can reach $20,000 per project.
To go further, here’s a list of the different costs involved in a marketing campaign.
- Blogging or social shares cost between $400 and $1,200
- If you are looking for images and graphic design, the price is between $200 and $950
- A campaign creation will cost between $300 and $1,000
Pro tip: If your budget is limited, you could also think about using free online tools to create content for social networks.
Factors That Affect Social Media Management Costs
Of course, the cost of a social media manager is not the same for everyone. It will depend on different factors, such as seniority, experience, and commitment to the project. Here is a list of elements that can influence the salary.
Years of Experience
Years of experience will play a big role in salary. In fact, according to Payscale, a US entry-level social media manager with less than a year of experience will earn an average of $41,053 per year. From 5 to 9 years of experience, the average total compensation is $63,108 per year. For the most experienced, such as 10 to 19 years, the salary can reach $67,000 per year.
Managing Paid Ads
Paid advertising is a very effective way to promote your business, whether it is a product or a service, and increase reach and engagement.
You just need to make sure that you have the budget to do so, as the use of paid advertising can quickly become very expensive. So be sure to factor them into your budget and set benchmarks early on to evaluate their relative success.
Number of Active Channels
Another factor that influences social media management costs is the number of channels on which you publish, monitor, and create content.
Pro tip: Each channel performs differently. Rather than being present on every possible platform, you need to determine where your primary audience spends the most time on social networks, then focus on those channels.
Level of Engagement
Another important point when defining your budget for your social media campaign is the level of engagement you want with your customers.
Indeed, responding to your customers’ comments and messages is essential and will largely depend on the size of your audience. The higher your follower count is, the more you need to follow messages and be reactive.
Pro tip: To deal with this situation, ask your social media specialist about tools that integrate with your social accounts to help you track and collect messages and comments in real time. Your response time will be significantly reduced, and your customers’ overall engagement will grow.
How to Easily Manage Your Social Media With Publer
Publer is a powerful social media management software that allows you to connect to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok & Telegram, so that you can schedule and manage content across all these channels.
Here are some of the Publer features, but to learn more click here.
- Link in Bio. Draw attention with one unique link on your Instagram Bio.
- Calendar View. View, create and organize all your upcoming social media posts.
- Analytics. Collect your social media analytics and export PDF reports.
- Curate Posts. Create and preview your social media posts in real time.
You can also use Publer through your mobile phone. The easy-to-use interface lets you switch between workspaces, social channels, scheduled, posted, drafted & failed posts.
Key Takeaways
As you can see, the salary of a social media manager depends on many factors.
- On average, a Social Media Manager working in the United States makes $54,368 per year.
- A social media manager costs less in Europe (an average of 31 073 € per year in Spain).
- For a short-term project, you can hire a freelancer (the cost of a social media campaign is between $4000 and $7000).
- Several factors influence social media management costs, such as years of experience, choice of paid advertising, number of channels, and level of engagement.
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