Are Social Media Experts a Thing of the Past?

Social media has become a huge part of people’s everyday life. We’re updating statuses on Facebook, tweeting on Twitter, checking in on Foursquare, and connecting on LinkedIn. If you aren’t, then you’re living under a rock. But these sites aren’t just for personal usage, but professional as well. Social media has become a great and easy way to promote and market almost anything on the internet.

With social media technology on the rise and developing so quickly, many jobs were created for those who had specific knowledge in the business. But with the world becoming more accustomed with the technology, some of these job titles may not be needed anymore. The job functions may not become irrelevant, but they may simply be absorbed into other positions once companies become more comfortable with social media.

Mashable’s article, The Future of the Social Media Strategist, asked many individuals in the social media field to give their opinions on the matter using Twitter and Quora. Beate V. Kittelsen, a social media manager at Eniro gives her outlook on the subject.

“The job descriptions social media manager/strategist/consultant and so on are used because the social media is still new to the majority of all businesses. I believe that after this paradigm shift we will have new media/technology manager/strategist/consultant whose role will be to hunt trends, test and join new things, and adapt this to their company or customer at the right time.” – Beate V. Kittelsen

So, what can one do to not become a thing of the past? Stay on top of your game. Be aware that social media is becoming easier for people to use and you should take of advantage of it while you can. Know what you are doing and push your way to the top. Establishing yourself as an executive, and a knowledgeable one, will allow you to have more say and control on your future.

You can also teach others about social media and how to use it. Even though people are becoming more familiar with social media, they still don’t know all of the tricks and secrets that could be used. Utilize your skills and inform others about the wonders of social media.

Mashable also has an article for succeeding in social media – 7 Tips for Succeeding as a Social Media Strategist. This article gives great tips for getting ahead in a social media job and staying there.

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Resources:

Swallow, Erica. (2011, January 15). The Future of the Social Media Strategist. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2011/01/14/social-media-strategist-future/

Swallow, Erica. (2010, December 8). 7 Tips for Succeeding as a Social Media Strategist. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2010/12/08/social-media-strategist/