Wanted: Workers with social media marketing skills

Social media literacy has become essential for companies and individuals to get by in today’s world. Companies depend on email, web-based advertising, and texting and are tapping as harnessing the power of social media channels like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsAPP, and Instagram to tell their stories, elevate their brands, sell products and services — and recruit new hires.

“Everyone is brand-building on social media. Online presence is so important,” said Lou Lesperance, vice president of Strategy and Revenue at Lifebrand, based in West Chester, which recently created the first accredited social media accountability e-course.

Social media expertise is among the top four in-demand skills identified in a recent report titled “How Skills are Disrupting Work: The Transformational Power of Fast-Growing, In-Demand Skills,” by Burning Glass Institute, the Business-Higher Education Forum, and Wiley.

A curious thing has happened to the pay footprint for those in social media, said Matt Sigelman, a coauthor of the report and president of Burning Glass Institute, based in Philadelphia. The institute works with educators, employers, and policymakers to develop solutions that build mobility, opportunity, and equity through job skills.

Social media started out as an entry-level job, with workers using their ability to communicate with customers and stakeholders in real-time, no matter the channel. From there, the role evolved to analytics, gleaning what posts draw the most engagement and to leveraging strategies to build relationships with customers.

Company success is based on consistent brand message, storytelling, and positive client experience.

Experienced social media workers end up doubling their pay in eight years, Sigelman said, earning $120,000-plus, only slightly less than jobs requiring cloud computing skills, the report found.

Job titles related to social media include: social media strategist, search engine optimization, web designer, copy writer, UI/UX designer.

This same salary trend held up for people with product management skills. Those job titles include IT project managers, business continuity planners/analysts, data engineers, construction managers.