Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PROJECT PAPER TITLE PAGE 1

Social Media Marketing research project paper Title page

Researching the outlook for Social media marketing and specialists

Sabrina S. Distad

Salt Lake Community College

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Abstract

For my research paper I chose to write about social media marketing. I have a particular

interest in this position from my sister in-law and one of my cousins. My sister in-law Jillian

works for an awesome company in South West Florida that goes around exploring new events

and happenings in the community and keeps their followers up-to-date with Facebook and

Instagram. My cousin Wendy manages all social media and marketing aspects for my other

Cousin Scotts 5 restaurants. (You may have heard of them, Pago, Finca, Trestle Tavern, East

Liberty Tap house and Hub and Spoke Diner.) She handles all newsletters, social media sites,

review sites and marketing for the businesses. All the marketing for the restaurants is done online

and through the restaurants social media outlets like twitter, Instagram and Facebook. My

interest sparked from the love and passion that Jillian and Wendy have for their careers and it

made me want to learn more about the potential and possibilities for me to make this a career as

well. Through this paper, I hope to explore the outlook and career path associated with social

media marketing and specialty. I hope to gain a better insight to this career and industry to better

help determine if it is an industry that I want to pursue and explore more opportunities in for

myself and my future.

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When exploring the outlook for social media marketing and specialists the information

that is available is difficult to find and seems to differ quite a bit. Finding peer reviewed sources

was almost impossible when looking for outlooks and career paths in this industry and finding

sources that werent simply opinion based on whether social media can even be considered a

career, turned out to be slim. I was able to find 5 good sources including the personal interview

with my cousin Wendy. I was able to gain some knowledge and information on the job itself and

what the duties actually entail. First, the terminology. Social media marketing, social media

networking, social media specialist and social media advertising are all positions that are

somewhat similar and intertwined and connected. One position is usually doing a number of

tasks and fulfilling a number of different roles. For example my cousin Wendy who covers all

positions related to social media and the networking done through it for 5 small businesses.

When looking at the education required to get started with the social media industry,

research shows conflicting information. In the personal interview I conducted with my cousin

Wendy, she states that experience is more relevant and necessary for opportunity and growth in

positions in this industry. (Evans, 2017) Wendy has a bachelors degree but states that the

experience that she gained while working as the editor of The Washington Post, was what

made her the person for her current positon and not her education level. However, the

information represented in the articles I researched showed otherwise. In the article (Torpey,

2016) a minimum of a bachelors degree is required with courses in business, public relations

and communications being highly recommended. This article also agrees that experience is

necessary and recommended to getting your foot into the industry and recommends internships

or relevant courses to gain useable knowledge. In the article (Bureau of Labor statistics 2016) a

minimum bachelors degree is also required for most positions in advertising and marketing.
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Average salary for these positions also varies as well, the median annual wage for

advertising and promotions managers was $100,810 and the average wage for market managers

is $131, 180 in May 2016. (Bureau of Labor statistics 2016) However in the article (Torpey

2016) who also states that they got their information from the Bureau of labor statistics for public

relations specialists, their information states that their median annual wage was $56,770, higher

than the $36,200 median for all workers. (Glass door 2017) shows a national average of $38,100

being an average annual salary.

Day to day duties for these positions can vary as well. In the interview with Wendy, she

states depending on what company you work for and what their needs are, you could be doing a

variety of different tasks. Her day to day duties include things such as posting images of

specials or upcoming promotions for the restaurants. She composes bi-weekly newsletters to

send out to a mailing list informing subscribers of the specials or events in the restaurants and

surrounding areas. She will respond to reviews and emails from customers inquiring about

questions or complaints. She responds to comments on images shared on social media. She

shares images on social media. She handles all the websites and their maintenance as well. She

really handles so many outlets and sources of communication and does multiple positions all

under one Social media specialist title. (Evans, 2017) In the article (Torpey 2016) the research

states that day to day duties include interacting with the public in multiple ways. One minute you

could be facing criticism and the next positive feedback. Constantly monitoring a brands

reputation and keeping up with all media platforms and events is all-consuming. The paper

(Montalvo 2011) also explains the different positions and duties such as brand awareness, brand

reputation and blogging being day- to- day duties.

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Though the information varies and the details, duties and salaries differ company to

company, it seems as though social media networking, marketing and specialty could be a good

potential career choice. According to (Torpey 2016) because of the use of social media platforms

and their popularity the opportunities for employment in these fields may be vast but hard to

come by. In the article (Bureau of Labor statistics 2016) the expected growth for employment

opportunity is expected to rise 9% between 2014- 2024. This is more than the average for all

occupations. Though in my opinion, the uncertainty and wide range of details that vary may be

something of concern to keep in mind when pursing this industry.

When thinking of how I would fit into a position in the social media industry, I think that

I would do really well at it. I currently am able to manage multiple personal platforms and am

able to maintain clean image while doing so. I think that having the opportunity to explore

current events, happenings and people in my community could be really awesome and beneficial

not just for my personal interests but also to help my community stay informed and up-to-date.

When summarizing my research on social media marketing and the opportunities within, I think

that my results are inconclusive. I am unsure if this is a career that I plan on fully pursuing or

not. The large differences in pay range for example is something of concern and I feel as though

some additional research may be in order to see if courses in specific areas may help narrow

down opportunity and growth. All in all, I think that social media and the employment

opportunities within are something of interest and to keep an eye on.

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Citations

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-
17 Edition, Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers.
On the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions-and-marketing-
managers.htm (December 17, 2016).

Evans Wendy. Personal interview on July 12, 2017. Social media marketer for Hub and Spoke,
Trestle Tavern, East Liberty Tab House, Pago and Finca restaurants.

Glass door website for career information and salaries- Social Media Specialist last updated July
22, 2017 https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/social-media-specialist-salary-SRCH_KO0,23.htm

Montalvo, R. Social Media Management. International Journal of Management & Information

Systems (IJMIS), 15(3), 91-96. (2011) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.19030/ijmis.v15i3.4645

Torpey, Elka. "Social media specialist," Career Outlook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
November 2016. https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2016/youre-a-what/social-media-
specialist.htm