In a socially distanced year, businesses witnessed firsthand what a crucial role social media plays in connecting brands with their customers. For some brands, 2020 was all about trying new things on social, while others prioritized engaging the communities they’d already built.
This year also confirmed just how important social media marketers are—and the many hats they’re expected to wear. When they aren’t creating content or managing communities, social marketers serve as a brand’s first-line of defense against trolls and critics when brands make a misstep.
For many social marketers, 2020 was filled with burnout and stress. But it was also filled with valuable learnings marketers can apply toward their future strategies. Above all, 2020 reinforced how vital social media marketers are to an organization’s success. From becoming an integral part of marketing teams to getting the recognition they deserve from their peers, here are nine predictions for what 2021 has in store for social marketers.
1. You’ll embrace a more strategic role
Without social media, brands would have struggled to stay connected with its audience in 2020. Jenn Crim, the Acquisition Marketing Manager of social media at Opry Entertainment Group, is confident that social media and those responsible for it will become definite must-haves for brands.
“I see the role of the social media manager becoming absolutely essential in 2021. Our work has always been on public display, but in a year where social has become many companies’ main line of communication with their customers and audiences, social media managers have moved from being in the room to being the ones leading the room. If you’re not empowering your social media manager, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to best communicate with your audience and trusting them, you’re in for a rude awakening”
https://twitter.com/jenncrim/status/1337523938914611203
2. You’ll find new opportunities for growth
As leaders continue to learn about social media, social marketers can spend less time explaining what they do and more time on growing their strategies and careers. Jayde Powell, Head of Social and Community at Sunwink, believes this will result in greater role clarity and an expansion of the social media marketer’s career path.
“The role of the social media manager is very ambiguous and, in my experience, has been defined differently at every company. Marketing leaders are still learning about the skills and requirements necessary to hire social media marketing talent. Brands are now seeing the value of both organic and paid social media marketing, which means more talent is being hired. The hope for the future is that there will be a more clearly defined career path for social media marketers.”
having a boss that gets social >>>>
— jayde i. powell (@jaydeipowell) November 20, 2020
