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Media Specialist Job Description

Publish: April 2, 2021

Author: StrongerTeams Editorial

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Media Specialist Job Description

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A Media Specialist works within a marketing department or a creative agency to develop digital content and coordinate marketing and advertising activities.

The role requires media editing skills, project management experience, and an ability to work to tight deadlines.

What Does a Media Specialist Typically Do?

A Media Specialist plans, develops, and runs digital media campaigns that support an organization’s marketing initiatives.

The role’s tasks might include:

Liaising with the marketing and sales teams to align promotional activities
Planning digital media campaigns based on marketing and sales goals
Overseeing content creation
Running digital media projects from inception to completion
Maintaining web and social media presence
Managing budgets and ensuring a return on investment
Monitoring innovations in the digital media environment

Liaising With the Marketing and Sales Team To Align Promotional Activities

The marketing and sales teams invest heavily in campaigns, initiatives, and promotions and require the support of digital media to ensure supportive content is published at the right time.

Liaison between sales, marketing, and a Media Specialist takes the form of monthly planning meetings in which plans are presented, ongoing campaigns monitored, and past activities reviewed.

A Media Specialist ensures a full understanding of each upcoming activity and plans supporting content accordingly.

Planning Digital Media Campaigns Based on Marketing and Sales Goals

Online campaigns can extend across numerous media, including:

Blogs
Posts
Podcasts
Websites
Press releases
Social media pages

Each marketing channel addresses a different demographic, and a Media Specialist plans campaigns or initiatives using the most appropriate ones to reach the target audience.

Campaign planning involves understanding the brief, setting targets for reach and engagement, choosing the most powerful media, conceptualizing content, and developing a campaign calendar.

A Media Specialist oversees the planning process and ensures that all the stakeholders are aligned with the targeted outcomes.

The final phase of the planning process involves presenting the plan to the marketing or sales team to ensure it supports their activities as effectively as possible.

Overseeing Content Creation

Content—in the form of text, audio, video, or web presence—is created by external resources in each field, and a Media Specialist coordinates their efforts.

The role encompasses overseeing every aspect of the content creation, including choosing video actors or voice artists, editing scripts and written content, deciding on web layouts, and photoshopping images to ensure that everything is in line with the campaign mandate.

Cost is a major factor in any campaign, so Media Specialists only outsource work that cannot be done in-house and complete as much as possible themselves. This requires skill in many disciplines and the ability to multitask while respecting tight deadlines.

Running Digital Media Campaigns From Inception to Completion

Successful digital media campaigns require expert project management skills to ensure that all the elements are coordinated and executed perfectly.

Working in close collaboration with the marketing and sales departments, a Media Specialist makes sure content is delivered on time, publication dates are met, and the correct media are published on the respective platforms.

Maintaining Web and Social Media Presence

Separately from campaign activity, a Media Specialist is responsible for a constant flow of new content to the organization’s website and social media platforms.

The content must be varied and consistently engaging while maintaining corporate identity or brand values. A Media Specialist becomes the voice of the company through regular posts, videos, podcasts, and releases.

Managing Budgets and Ensuring Return on Investment

Media costs can escalate rapidly, and a Media Specialist controls marketing spend to make sure that it does not decimate budgets.

As a support function to the marketing or sales activities, digital media should also generate measurable returns, such as increased brand awareness, first-time product buyers, or improved brand loyalty resulting in higher sales volumes.

A Media Specialist monitors these sales and marketing metrics to ensure an adequate return on investment and applies corrective action if results fall below expectations.

Monitoring Innovations in the Digital Media Environment

The digital media world is highly innovative, and change takes place rapidly. A Media Specialist stays up to date with the latest global trends and investigates their viability for the organization.

Media Specialist Salary

A Media Specialist’s average earnings fall between $43,000 and $55,000 a year in the U.S., with the median being $48,838.

What Is the Media Specialist Pay Difference by Location?

Job location has the following effect on a Media Specialist’s earnings:

City	Average Salary
Boston, MA	$53,606
San Francisco, CA	$59,472
New York, NY	$57,236
Washington, D.C.	$52,963
Milwaukee, WI	$47,087
Austin, TX	$46,792
Seattle, WA	$52,021
Denver, CO	$48,115

What Is the Media Specialist Pay Difference by Experience Level?

Experience in the role affects a Media Specialist’s earnings as follows:

Experience Level	Average Salary
< 1 year	$45,761
1–4 years	$47,790
5–9 years	$48,639
10–19 years	$49,169
20+ years	$49,169