Social media jobs on the rise: 240,000 active talent and growing
From content strategists to content creators and from community managers to influencer marketing executives, several social media-related jobs have been growing in recent times.
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With the influx of affordable smartphones and cheap data plans, the addiction to social media among Indians has continued to escalate every passing year. As per a study, an average Indian spends roughly three hours daily on social media. Consequently, companies, irrespective of their size, have begun leveraging social media to engage with their consumers for brand recognition, increased sales, customer engagement, etc.
According to specialist staffing company Xpheno, the current count of active talent in social media-specific roles is more than 240,000, and this pool has annually grown by 8% - 12% over the last five years. However, with subdued hiring activity in this space, the job openings are only 4,000, the Bengaluru-based company told Storyboard18.
'Types of social media jobs'
A slew of job roles have opened up across industries in the social media space. Varun Satia, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Kraftshala said that roles like social media creators, content strategists, content creators, copywriters, editors, scriptwriters, community managers, and influencer marketing executives are some of the roles which have been growing in recent times.
"Since companies have become more mindful of their brand perception, they are allocating their social media budgets to influence customers' decisions", Shantanu Rooj, founder and CEO at Teamlease Edtech added, "Consequently, social media has opened up numerous career opportunities, such as SEO specialists, data analysts, creative director, UX designers, etc".
According to Xpheno, the top industry with respect to social media job roles is- Advertising Services (45,000 professionals), followed by IT Services and IT Consulting (32,000), Software Development (15,000), Marketing Services and Media (13,000).
'Social media jobs salary'
Shincy Morris, Business Head - Direct Hire at Xpheno said that Cost-to-company (CTC) varies depending upon the job role, company location, sector, and pedigree of talent. "A common compensation range would hence be incorrect to draw," Shincy said.
As per the data by Sekhar Garisa, CEO of foundit, a fresher's salary in the social media space may range from Rs 2 lakh-Rs 4 lakh in startups; between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh in IT and media industry; and between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 6 lakh in the FMCG sector. At the mid-level, the salary packages may also vary in different sectors, such as Rs 5 lakh- Rs 8 lakh in startups; Rs 6 lakh- above Rs 10 lakh in the IT industry; Rs 8 lakh- Rs 12 lakh in the FMCG sector, and Rs 7 lakh- above Rs 14 lakh in the Media & Entertainment industry. For senior-level posts in social media job profiles, annual salary packages in startups could vary between Rs 9.53 lakh - Rs 15.86 lakh; in the IT industry Rs 13 lakh - Rs 24.8 lakh; in the FMCG sector Rs 15.88 lakh - Rs 25 lakh, and Rs 16.9 lakh - above Rs 30 lakh in the Media & Ent industry, respectively. Notably, some organizations, that pay outside these ranges, do exist and the above figures cannot be solely used as a benchmarking.
According to Teamlease Edtech founder Rooj, the salary of a 'Digital Marketing Professional' may vary from Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh at entry level, and at senior level, it could be between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 15 lakh annually. An SEO specialist may earn an annual remuneration between Rs 3-4 lakh at the entry-level and between Rs 10 and Rs 12 lakh at the senior post. For the Content Manager's job profile, the fresher's annual salary could be between Rs 3- Rs 5 lakh; Rs 5-Rs 8 lakh at the mid-level post, and Rs 9 lakh to Rs 10.5 lakh at the senior level, respectively.
'Social media job skills'
A career in social media demands a diverse skill set that blends creativity, analytical thinking, and technical expertise. "For content creators, user-centricity, ability to identify interesting ideas, curiosity to dig deep and write interesting scripts, the skill to visualize how the content will eventually look, and finally understanding of video editing, music, and aesthetics become important. For social media managers, project management, working with stakeholders, data analytics, and strategic planning are critical," Satia from Kraftshala said. Additionally, understanding SEO is critical to ensuring content reaches a wider audience, increasing visibility, and driving organic traffic by improving search rankings, founfit.com Garisa said.
'AI impact on social media jobs'
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing social media job roles. A lot of routine tasks have become automated in this space. Xpheno's Shincy said that AI may play a significant role in jobs with 'low cognitive load activities' such as monitoring channels, collating data, measuring reach, etc. However, the AI-driven tools will facilitate the smooth analysis of real-time data, crafting personalized data, extracting insights and trends, and responding to customer queries, among others.
"The impact of GenAI is increasing in the creative roles space but the demand and value for native human intelligence will remain high and will at best become AI-assisted for speed and scale," Shincy added.
Rooj emphasized that social media job roles are not just about tasks but require an understanding of psychology to interpret AI-generated insights, target ad strategies, and enhance customer experience. "The key is to leverage AI tools to help social media marketers increase productivity and performance across social media platforms".
Subhashree Dutta, Managing Partner, The/Nudge Institute called AI just a 'tool' that cannot become replacement for human judgment as relying solely on it can lead to homogenization of the content. "It can enhance content, but human touch is essential for unique brand voices", Dutta added.
