From Social Media Headhunter, here’s one professional opinion about salary ranges for different kinds of social media professionals. Since the author is in the business of placing social media pros in new positions, I’d say there’s very little reason to doubt these figures.
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, advertising, conversions, sales).
Enterprise Architect – $120-$250K – This is a very rare find – it’s for companies looking to completely 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.
