March 21, 2011 86 Comments

Social Media Jobs Outlook

I woke up thinking about the future of jobs in social media, and I have some thoughts on the matter. I’m not an expert in these matters, and this is coming all from observation and anecdotal gathering of information, and not from stats. All that said, I think things will be interesting in the next few years.

Self and Entrepreneur Level Work – I think people doing social media for their own projects will continue growing. Same with entrepreneurial social media (meaning as part of something else). People making projects that make them money will continue to use social media to produce these projects. Also, people who are using social media just for fun will continue to grow (but also shift away from those avenues that take time and effort to create).

Small Business Social Media – I believe the biggest growth potential for social media is in small business, but it will be had through a shift out of consulting/education and into service products. In other words, small business owners will pay people for the benefits granted from social media. For instance, a small chain of restaurants might pay for someone to build them a campaign manager for Foursquare, and/or perhaps a managed Facebook presence. I think it’ll be less about the small business people wanting to engage themselves (in the majority) and more about them wanting services that emulate those results.

Midsized and Large Business Social Media – Here’s where the biggest changes happen. I think that smaller social media consulting opportunities will dry up fast over the rest of 2011 and into 2012. I think that existing agencies have enough of the DNA figured out, and that they’ve hired in enough of the rockstar players from 2008 and 2009, so that the little guys courting the big guys is going to be a much harder sell. I think that as businesses (especially B2C) all pursue “influencers” and try to better understand what that will really do (and not do) for their businesses), that we’ll see a push even further into sexy data, into using the marketing data that unstructured data gathering has brought to us all, and that analytics tools and people who know how to drive them will be the next sexy thing.

I Could Be Wrong

I could be wrong, but that’s the sounds I hear from my travels and conversations with the industry. You’re still finding plenty of people interested in what you’re talking about, and you’re still finding smaller contracts all around, but I think that some of the biggest movements in these areas has happened, and that what’s left is primarily the straggler opportunities, at least insofar as how we’ve been practicing social media to date.

I’m looking out into the future to see where I’m going to fit and how I can best help people. This information above is what I see.

Now, could you go and do it a totally different way? Hell yes. And I hope that you do.

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  • http://twitter.com/nuttynupur nuttynupur

    Yes, it’s a job for me in the sense I spend time, effort, and hope to get somewhere. Monetary pay is round the corner, hopefully:) Till then, self satisfaction and approval works for me!

  • http://twitter.com/nuttynupur nuttynupur

    Yes, it’s a job for me in the sense I spend time, effort, and hope to get somewhere. Monetary pay is round the corner, hopefully:) Till then, self satisfaction and approval works for me!

  • http://zachcole.com Zach Cole

    Great points across the board here, Chris. Large agencies have scooped up a great deal of the A-grade social media and digital talent out there. Those coming in the next few years with serious skills will be faced with a smaller demand for their talents because positions will either be filled, or not open due to the average employee picking up the basic – intermediate social media marketing skills that many people have today.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=698061081 Gayla Taylor

    It amazes me the constant changes that have taken place over the 12 years I’ve been at this. It’s getting more difficult to detect the waves and trends of future Internet opportunities. It stinks for the little guy but the time is coming when everyone will need to have a powerhouse of skills and talent. Even those looking to run a PR campaign in 140 characters or less.

  • http://blogs.sas.com/sascom Alison

    The one demand that will remain after all other changes shake out is the need for good, quality content. There will always be a strong demand for experts who can share their knowledge on print, and for editors who can help those experts communicate clearly.

  • Jeremy Powers

    As large companies depend on large “digital interactive” agencies, more people are going to complain that the social networks are becoming too sales-oriented. I already know a half-dozen people that were once HUGE fans of Facebook that are bailing. (as consumers)

    I think you might be right, Chris, but I sincerely hope not. I have seen social sites help build communities. Nobody “hangs” at the local used care dealership, though, and that is increasingly how the networks feel.

  • Jeremy Powers

    As large companies depend on large “digital interactive” agencies, more people are going to complain that the social networks are becoming too sales-oriented. I already know a half-dozen people that were once HUGE fans of Facebook that are bailing. (as consumers)

    I think you might be right, Chris, but I sincerely hope not. I have seen social sites help build communities. Nobody “hangs” at the local used care dealership, though, and that is increasingly how the networks feel.

  • Anonymous

    I think that social media will always flourish because it is not some kind of technology that you can replace anytime; there’s a human factor in it and social media will always evolve around our experiences. My question now is: When will social media reach a saturation point? Yes, businesses pursue influencers relentlessly- but has anyone challenged the views of these experts? I’d love to see that coming.

  • http://www.marketingplanguide.com John F. Hunt

    I believe there is a divide between the strategical positions (those who know how to properly implement social media) and the tactical positions (those who actually do the work). That later will most likely, and already is to much degree, being outsourced to low-wage countries. Right now the big difference is the knowledge gap – how to implement. With the speed of information dissemination on the net this too will be comoditized soon.

  • Chrisw1460

    Man, Chris…you’re getting hammered on this one. Although I’m not happy about it, I have to agree with you to a point.

    I’m a one-man social media operation targeting small businesses, and I’m hitting some SERIOUS obstacles. Small biz owners ‘know’ they need to be involved socially (like they ‘knew’ they needed a website), but they don’t have the time to generate the content, and they don’t have the budget to hire a generator.

    For the small agencies and independents like me, I’m thinking there’s going to be a shift into industry-specific sub-contractors. These people/small agencies will handle the planning AND generate content. Sounds like fun.

  • http://www.myadguy.com Ray Martin

    In the smaller agency and local business world I’m seeing businesses and agencies contract out some of these projects just like they have partners for radio, print, or TV advertising, they also have companies or people who do their Internet Ads or social media. I think there are still opportunities for boutiques or specialty shops who specialize in social media to be successful especially in the local business arena.

  • Thomas

    “I think that existing agencies have enough of the DNA figured out.”

    Maybe in terms of agencies that are specializing in social, but I’m not so sure about the big ad agencies. When agencies treat social media like advertising, that’s when they don’t have the DNA figured out. I think the agencies have a lot to learn.

  • http://www.mynotetakingnerd.com/blog Lewis LaLanne aka Nerd #2

    When you said this Chris, “…be less about the small business people wanting to engage themselves (in the majority) and more about them wanting services that emulate those results…”

    …I was like, “Yup.”

    It’s been my experience that most small business owners have a tough enough time managing all they need to do, without social media in their lives. Throw it in the mix and it damn near breaks their back. Especially if they’re technophobes or… really insecure about their writing.

    This is why “Done 4 You” in this category is music to a person’s ears if they can trust that you know what you’re doing and can give them the results they want… mo customers, giving them mo money, mo often.

    Thanks Chris for bringing your opinion to this topic! I love soaking it in.

    • Anonymous

      I worry though that the Done 4 You model will miss out on the voice of the business, and will be nothing more than a PR/Ghost writing campaign, which will ring as hollow as any traditional ad campaign. How do you think the Done 4 You model will be able to solve problems and engage customers meaningfully?

  • http://www.mynotetakingnerd.com/blog Lewis LaLanne aka Nerd #2

    When you said this Chris, “…be less about the small business people wanting to engage themselves (in the majority) and more about them wanting services that emulate those results…”

    …I was like, “Yup.”

    It’s been my experience that most small business owners have a tough enough time managing all they need to do, without social media in their lives. Throw it in the mix and it damn near breaks their back. Especially if they’re technophobes or… really insecure about their writing.

    This is why “Done 4 You” in this category is music to a person’s ears if they can trust that you know what you’re doing and can give them the results they want… mo customers, giving them mo money, mo often.

    Thanks Chris for bringing your opinion to this topic! I love soaking it in.

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  • http://markharai.com Mark Harai

    Hey Chris, I find your prediction on small business social media an interesting one.

    Don’t you think a small business owner who is passionate about their craft and has the ability to carry that passion to the social web has a big advantage over the competition?

    It’s pretty hard to emulate genuine passion… but if it can be done, I guess you’d be the guy to figure it out : )

    There’s so much opportunity for small businesses to dominate just about any niche if they took the time to understand and learn the social web.

    Just my two cents – cheers Mr. Brogan : )

    • http://ariherzog.com Ari Herzog

      The key words is “if they took the time to understand and learn the social web,” which, to my experience is less than par. Most smaller organizations don’t know, or don’t care, about taking time. That’s why there are so many inactive Twitter/Facebook accounts.

      • http://markharai.com Mark Harai

        Good morning Ari (morning now anyhoo)

        I agree with that. I don’t see any long term business sustainability for those business who don’t learn social. Mobile and location based apps are only going to widen the use of social and change how local business is won and maintained.

        But, the point I was making has to do with businesses who do ‘get it’ and implement their social web strategy with the same passion that got them started in business in the first place vs. those who outsource that activity to others to get it done for them.

        I think the first group will have the edge here. I also believe leading SMB’s will recognize this sooner than later and jump in with gusto. Any good SMB is competitive. They’re in business to win. The social web is a big advantage for savvy business owners right now.

        Looking forward so to seeing how that new commenting app works out for you.

        Cheers!

    • http://ariherzog.com Ari Herzog

      The key words is “if they took the time to understand and learn the social web,” which, to my experience is less than par. Most smaller organizations don’t know, or don’t care, about taking time. That’s why there are so many inactive Twitter/Facebook accounts.

  • http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/socialdiary/2005/01_18_05/socialdiary01_18_05.php Alfonso Fanjul

    I think that existing agencies have enough of the DNA figured out, and that they’ve hired in enough of the rockstar players from 2008 and 2009, so that the little guys courting the big guys is going to be a much harder sell.

  • http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/socialdiary/2005/01_18_05/socialdiary01_18_05.php Alfonso Fanjul

    I think that existing agencies have enough of the DNA figured out, and that they’ve hired in enough of the rockstar players from 2008 and 2009, so that the little guys courting the big guys is going to be a much harder sell.

  • http://twitter.com/MarketingLetter Dr. Angela Hausman

    I think you’ve left out a very important shift in employment in social media. I think the days of everyone hanging out a shingle and saying they’re a social media guru are over — and that what’s going to fuel the shift in larger businesses moving away from small entrepreneurial businesses. Frankly, most of these small businesses don’t have the expertise to play with the big boys because they don’t have the marketing skills. The economic downturn and explosion of social media have combined to make anyone with a Facebook profile think they can do this. I’ve even seen a guy whose an accountant saying he’s a social media company. And, I’m not the only one saying this. Forrester Research made the same statement in their 2011 predictions.

    Social media takes a deep understanding of marketing concepts, sociology, and technical skills. Normally, entrepreneurs have 1 of these skills (although our accountant probably has NONE). Savvy entrepreneurs should be working to combine their talents with others who have complimentary talents. I DON’T think the big firms right now have a lock on the big boys. I think many of them are getting it wrong because they don’t have the right combination of skills, yet. There’s still room for folks willing and able to create a team.

    Angela Hausman
    Howard University
    http://hausmanmarketresearch.org

    • http://footprint2pointo.com Fran

      You are correct when it comes to all the larger companies, but there is a ton of small business that are needing the social media for there local market to stay on top, so I think there will always have some work for this area. I believe you will have to keep up the pace when it comes to the type of social media platform your using to be on top of your game and be able to deliver value for your client

  • http://www.online-business-virtual-assistant.com/ Virtual office assistant

    I would agree with you about the bigger companies and small business still need social media for developing. We are Virtual assistant service providers and have just started using social media for our business development and we hope to get more out of it.

  • http://www.online-business-virtual-assistant.com/ Virtual office assistant

    I would agree with you about the bigger companies and small business still need social media for developing. We are Virtual assistant service providers and have just started using social media for our business development and we hope to get more out of it.

  • Claire

    I think that there are many jobs available today in social media. This article focuses on jobs that will be available in the future, within the next few years, but from what I have heard and been exposed to, I think that the jobs are here now. There will most likely be an increase in available jobs as time goes by, but the jobs and importance of social media in business are here now. Businesses are becoming more and more involved in social media, such as creating and using company facebook sites and twitter sites. A lot of companies are seeing the improvement and success of using these technological tools to communicate with consumers as well as employees to benefit and improve their business.

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  • Kent Paul Dolan

    And so the 92% service sector jobs economy is going to thrive by creating still more service sector jobs? I suspect moving way back to a 60% production jobs economy is the only way the US will survive as a nation or as an economy.

    YMMV

    xanthian.

  • http://www.ukelectricalsupplies.com/zip-heaters.htm Zip Heaters

    It will be of great interest to see just how this industry develops and how many jobs are created in agencies in the times to come.

  • http://www.tracks360.com/ Wireless Tracking

    I see this as very much a short term kind of thing and short term industry until other wise proven.

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