"So You Want Me to Be a Social Media Manager, Videographer, Graphic Designer, Copywriter, and Therapist for $42K?"

The social media job description said "manage our social presence." What it didn't mention was that you'd also need to be a:

• Video producer who can create "something like that viral TikTok" with your iPhone 8

• Data analyst capable of explaining why the CEO's nephew's post didn't get as many likes as he expected

• Graphic designer proficient in "making it pop" (whatever that means)

• Available 24/7 because "what if something goes viral over the weekend?"

• Crisis manager when the scheduled post coincides with a national tragedy

And all for the competitive salary of "exposure" and "great experience."

The Wild West of Social Media Job Descriptions

Let's be honest: the social media industry is the professional equivalent of the Wild West, complete with snake oil salesmen promising "instant virality" and employers expecting you to lasso the moon with a piece of string.

Job descriptions range from comically vague ("handle all things social media") to dystopian ("must be available outside business hours to respond to comments"). One actual listing I saw required "proficiency in all Adobe products, videography, photography, copywriting, crisis management, PR, SEO, and a 'passion' for the industrial valve industry."

For $17 an hour.

What We're Actually Worth

Here's a radical thought: specialized skills deserve specialized compensation.

When a company hires a videographer, they expect to pay videographer rates.

When they hire a graphic designer, they expect to pay graphic designer rates.

When they hire a copywriter, they expect to pay copywriter rates.

But somehow, when all these skills are bundled under "social media," companies develop sudden-onset amnesia about market rates.

They expect:

• Strategic planning

• Content creation across 5+ platforms

• Community management

• Paid advertising expertise

• Analytics and reporting

• Crisis management

• The ability to predict algorithmic changes

• Graphic design and video editing

• Copywriting that converts

• Photography that engages

• A cheerful attitude about working weekends

All for the price of an entry-level position that "really values work-life balance" (narrator: they did not value work-life balance).

The Standardization Revolution We Desperately Need

Here's what a standardized social media industry might look like:

1. Clearly defined roles: Social Media Strategist, Content Creator, Community Manager, and Social Media Analyst are DIFFERENT JOBS requiring DIFFERENT SKILLSETS.

2. Transparent compensation bands: Junior Social Media Managers make $X. Senior Social Media Strategists make $Y. Stop making us awkwardly dance around salary expectations like it's a bad first date.

3. Realistic scope definitions: Managing three platforms with two posts per week requires X hours. Adding video requires Y more hours. It's math, not magic.

4. Standardized performance metrics: No, Linda from accounting, 2% engagement IS actually good for a B2B company selling industrial lubricant.

The Freelance Fee Frontier

Let's talk about the freelance world, where pricing is even more of a beautiful disaster:

• New freelancers: Charging $15/hour because they're "just starting out" (meanwhile, devaluing the entire profession)

• Mid-level freelancers: Quoting $500/month for "full service" because that's what the client "has in budget" (translation: working for approximately $3/hour)

• Veteran freelancers: Finally charging $2500+/month but still getting emails saying "My nephew will do it for $200"

The truth? A properly run single social channel with strategy, content creation, community management, and basic reporting should START at $2,500/month. Add video production? That's another $1,000. Want paid social management? Add 20% of ad spend or a minimum of $500. (These costs are ballpark - we need to have a deeper convo about this.)

And for the love of all things holy, stop charging by the post. Your expertise isn't worth less because the client only wants three posts a week instead of five.

Dear People Hiring Social Media Help

A special note for businesses looking to hire freelancers or agencies:

• That $300/month package? They're either using AI for everything or servicing 40 other clients simultaneously. Your account gets approximately 7 minutes of attention per week.

• "We'll post every day on five platforms!" means "We'll recycle the same content everywhere with zero strategic thinking."

• If they promise instant results or guarantee follower growth, run. Not walk. RUN.

• When a freelancer or agency quotes you $2,500+ per month, they're not "expensive" – they're actually doing the job properly.

• The phrase "my competitor has 10K followers, I want that too" is not a strategy. It's a wish. And wishes cost extra.

What you SHOULD expect:

• A thorough onboarding process that includes defining goals, audience, and success metrics

• Content calendars created in advance

• Regular reporting tied to actual business objectives

• Strategic thinking, not just pretty pictures

• Professional boundaries (no, they won't respond to your 2AM text about a post idea)

The agency charging $5K/month isn't ripping you off. The one charging $500/month for "full service" is – either by delivering subpar work or by eventually disappearing when they realize they're working for pennies.

What You Can Do About It

If you're a social media professional:

• Stop accepting "all-in-one" roles without appropriate compensation

• Clearly define your specialties and charge accordingly

• Educate clients and employers about realistic workloads

• Share salary information with peers (it's not illegal, despite what HR wants you to believe)

If you're hiring social media talent:

• Decide what you ACTUALLY need

• Be prepared to pay for specialized skills

• Recognize that "doing social" isn't one job

• Understand that your nephew who "has Instagram" is not, in fact, qualified

The bottom line? Social media isn't free just because the platforms are. Neither is the expertise required to use them effectively.

Until we collectively demand standardization, we'll continue being asked to be Swiss Army knives in an industry that expects brain surgery precision with butter knife compensation.

Are you with me? Because my LinkedIn comments are open, and my DMs are ready for the revolution.