Every few years, NISM reviews the content of our certified social media strategist (SMS) exam. Part of the process is a job study – an opportunity to check in on what employers are looking for in the field of social media, what changes may have occurred, and ultimately what social media professionals should be thinking about when they consider their career options.

Job Study Design

This year, we took a slightly different approach to our research. In addition to a survey of social media professionals, we also included salary information from a variety of sources. Because previous readers indicated an interest in more in-depth salary information and survey participants often opted out of sharing their salary details, we gathered information from a variety of sites, highlighting multiple parts of the United States and different job levels.

We also included a summary of our findings from our Social Media Hiring Trends research from 2018. As always, we’re interested in hearing from industry professionals willing to share their expertise, so we wanted to pass on what HR professionals shared about the topic of hiring – specifically about reviewing credentials on resumes.

Interesting Findings

We’re happy to report and not surprised to find that that amount of work in social media continues to rise and that we are seeing more strategic work is being requested along with tactical, platform-specific work.

• 42% of survey participants reported using SMART goals and 69% align social media work with company goals.
• Community management – responding to comments and engaging with your audience – continues to be an emphasis with 60-70% of participants to rank it as highly important (no matter their role in social media).
• We also saw in increase in time and importance given to actions likes research, reporting, and compliance – all indications that social media professionals and employers are continuing to view social media as a field that requires informed, trusted experts to make critical decisions for the organization.

Download our latest job study here and share what changes you’ve seen in the social media job marketer in the comments below.

Author: Amy Jauman

Dr. Amy Jauman, SMS, is the Chief Learning Officer at the National Institute for Social Media and author of the Comprehensive Field Guide for Social Media Strategists. Amy is also one of 58 members representing 12 countries in the inaugural class of the Prezi Educator Society. Previously she was the Social Media Director for Women Entrepreneurs of Minnesota (WeMN) and she currently serves as the marketing director for the Minnesota Chapter of the National Speakers Association. She is also an adjunct professor in the St. Catherine University Business Department and the St. Mary’s University of Minnesota MBA program.

*Want to see the full 2016 Job Study Report? Download it here.