The sector of online marketing that will see the fastest growth in the next five years is social media, says Forrester Research. It’s expected to grow at an annual rate of 34%.
A UK recruitment company, Major Players, warns that this rapid growth may be stunted by a lack of social media knowledge in the talent pool. Candidates with social media experience make up only 2% of the talent pool, says Mark Begley, Major Players’ head of digital and creative. “An increasing number of companies have expressed their need to find highly skilled people to help build their social media capabilities and provide effective return on investment.”
Companies need to invest in social media training advised Begley.
The situation in the US is no different: The PRSA Counselors Academy recently identified mastering social media skills as one of the top 3 issues for PR professionals in 2009 and 2010.
“Mastering social media skills is definitely a priority requirement,” says Betsy Berkhemer of Berkhemer Clayton, a retained executive search firm based in Los Angeles that handles senior level assignments in corporate communications, marketing and public affairs. “There is a demand for these skills and executive level individuals are scrambling to get up to speed. And social media is evolving and changing so rapidly it’s a bit like getting onto the onramp to the Indianapolis 500.”
Companies may have their eyes on the social media prize, but the “2009 Edelman Trust Barometer” found that as a source of company information, a company’s own website is seen as more credible than business blogs, personal blogs, social networking sites and advertising.
The Digital Readiness Survey from iPressroom, Korn Ferry and PRSA, notes that the fact that organizational communi¬cators see social networking, micro-blogging and blogging as more important than actively managing the content at their own corporate website – partic¬ularly when people find company websites more credible than social media channels — may indicate a fundamental gap in judgment with respect to online communications planning.
Is it an either or choice? It shouldn’t be.
There is ample evidence to show that the majority of people are active on social media sites and that they expect companies to interact with them there. So mastering social media skills and developing a strategy is necessary. But understanding the importance of the corporate website is just as important.
Understanding search engine optimization, how to develop a web content strategy based on listening to your customers and watching your analytics should be included on that list of skills to master in 2009 and 2010.
You want your site to be seen as the originator of your content. For example if you distribute a social media press release through a wire service you should publish it on your website first. That way the search engines credit you as owner of the content – you get the ‘Google juice.
A social media newsroom (on your own domain name) is one way to integrate and gather all your social media content on your website. It makes it easy for a site visitor to find your social content, your profiles and the places they can interact with you online.
