Reference taxonomy
Social media job titles, role by role
Every social media job title we track, with a dedicated page for each role covering seniority, reporting lines, responsibilities and the skills employers ask for. Use the comparisons when two titles are used interchangeably and you need to know the difference.
Start with the full Job Titles Guide or the Salary Report.
Entry Level
- Social Media Coordinator0-2 years • reports to Social Media ManagerThe Social Media Coordinator is the entry point into the profession. This role is primarily executional, supporting day-to-day publishing, scheduling, and community management tasks under the direction of a more senior team member.
- Content Creator (Social)0-3 years • reports to Social Media Manager or Creative LeadThe Social Content Creator focuses primarily on the production of content assets, including video, photography, graphics, and written copy for social media channels. Unlike a Coordinator, the Content Creator's primary skill set is creative and production-based.
Mid Level
- Social Media Manager2-5 years • reports to Senior Manager, Strategist, or DirectorThe Social Media Manager is the most prevalent role in the profession. A Social Media Manager owns the day-to-day strategy and execution for a brand's social channels, balancing content creation, community management, reporting, and increasingly paid social oversight.
- Social Media Copywriter2-4 years • reports to Social Media Manager or Creative DirectorThe Social Media Copywriter specialises in writing for social channels, crafting captions, scripts, ad copy, community responses, and campaign messaging. This is a specialist creative role at the intersection of brand strategy and creative writing.
- Community Manager1-4 years • reports to Social Media Manager or Head of CommunityThe Community Manager is the human voice of a brand on social media, responsible for building, engaging, and moderating online communities. This role is distinct from a Social Media Manager: the focus is on relationships and conversation rather than content strategy or publishing.
Senior Level
- Senior Social Media Manager4-7 years • reports to Social Media Director or Head of SocialThe Senior Social Media Manager takes on broader strategic ownership and team leadership responsibilities. They are typically responsible for multi-channel strategy, cross-functional collaboration, more complex reporting and attribution, and mentoring junior professionals.
- Social Media Strategist4-8 years • reports to Director or Head of MarketingThe Social Media Strategist is a senior specialist role focused primarily on strategy development and audience insight, rather than day-to-day execution. Strategists design the frameworks, channel plans, and measurement approaches that others execute against.
- Paid Social Manager / Specialist3-7 years • reports to Head of Performance or Social Media DirectorThe Paid Social Manager is a specialist role focused entirely on paid social media advertising, including campaign planning, audience targeting, budget management, creative testing, and performance optimisation across Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and other paid channels.
- Social Media Analyst2-5 years • reports to Social Media Director or Insight ManagerThe Social Media Analyst specialises in data collection, measurement, and insight generation. This role translates raw social media data into actionable recommendations for strategy and creative teams.
Leadership
- Social Media Director8-12 years • reports to CMO, VP Marketing, or CDOThe Social Media Director holds strategic and operational ownership of the entire social media function. They set the vision, define the strategy, manage large teams, control significant budgets, and are responsible for demonstrating the commercial value of social media to the business.
- Influencer Marketing Manager4-8 years • reports to Social Media Director or Brand DirectorThe Influencer Marketing Manager owns the brand's influencer and creator partnership strategy. This role manages the identification, contracting, briefing, and performance measurement of influencer campaigns across all tiers, from mega-influencers to nano-creators.
Executive
- VP of Social Media12+ years • reports to CMO or CEOThe VP of Social Media operates at an executive leadership level, typically within large global organisations. They are responsible for social media strategy across multiple markets, brands, or business units.
- Chief Social Officer (CSO)15+ years • reports to CEOThe Chief Social Officer is an emerging C-suite title that recognises social media's strategic importance at the highest level of an organisation. A CSO has responsibility not just for marketing social media, but for the organisation's social media presence as a whole, including employee advocacy, executive profiling, social commerce, community strategy, and crisis management.
Specialist Roles
Role comparisons
Side-by-side breakdowns for the titles most often confused with each other.
- Social Media Manager vs Social Media Strategist
- Social Media Manager vs Community Manager
- Social Media Manager vs Senior Social Media Manager
- Social Media Coordinator vs Social Media Manager
- Social Media Strategist vs Social Media Director
- Social Media Director vs VP of Social Media
- VP of Social Media vs Chief Social Officer (CSO)
- Paid Social Manager / Specialist vs Social Media Manager
- Social Media Analyst vs Social Media Strategist
- Influencer Marketing Manager vs Social Media Manager
- Content Creator (Social) vs Social Media Coordinator
- Social Media Consultant vs Social Media Strategist
- Social Media Copywriter vs Content Creator (Social)
- Community Manager vs Influencer Marketing Manager
More SocialDay reference guides
- The Sauce newsroomDaily social media, platform and creator economy reporting, plus the trending stories and tools our community is using.
- Job Titles A to ZA page per social media role, plus side-by-side comparisons for the titles that get used interchangeably.
- Salary ReportPay benchmarks by role, seniority and market across social and creator teams.
- Career LadderThe five stages of a social media career and what each level is expected to own.
- KPI FrameworkThe metrics that matter by objective, and how to report them to a board.
- ROI GuideHow to calculate and prove the return on social media investment.