As you get to know me, you’ll find that I’m very open.. But in turn, I expect the same in return. So when I saw this question posted by a friend at the Community Manager Facebook Group I sent him a PM with the info I had gathered.

David Yeo (Singapore) wrote on Sep 28, 2007 at 11:38 PM

I’d like to find out what is a fair amount to pay for a community manager ? I reckon it varies with places and the amount of work to perform.

I researched this last summer & had some numbers for him. But then others have been wanting them, so I thought it easiest to post the info here. Please comment if you have numbers that you believe are more reflective of the marketplace.

For the web strategist position, I have seen $80 - $120 k/yr on Jeremiah Owyang’s blog. For consulting work another friend told me that the rates range from $50 - $400 /hr.

Talking about rates of pay is sticky business, I realize that. So I’ll add the factors that I think need to be taken into account:

• A Community Manager is responsible for a proportion of what a Web Strategist does. This will vary widely depending on the position.
• Location - another big factor. I’m working remotely which is of a lot of value to me, but will add costs for my periodic travel to the home office. My cost of living is lower in rural MN.
• Size of company & point of adoption - I think this affects the value they place on the position
• Salary vs contracting - If you’re contracting, you need to ask a % more to compensate for:
  • paying all of your FICA here in the US
  • health & life insurance benefits, 401k, paid vacation & sick leave, etc
  • home office costs.
• People come from different backgrounds - IT vs Marketing & experience
• Jeremiah O. has a list of these types of positions but I’ve found very few list salaries.
• These positions go by a number of names which makes it hard to research them on salary websites.

What am I forgetting? These numbers have been helpful to my sister & I. Job satisfaction rates really high for me & that’s for another post.