12 “it” social and content careers to watch for in 2014

2013 has been quite a year for the startup community and social and technology-related businesses in particular. In just a few months, Twitter went public, Google Glass showed up on our train route to work, and YouTube hosted ‘live’ music video awards.

Clearly, social media (and all the content creation that comes with it) is a hot place to be. If anyone was asking a few years ago what “social media” was, now they’re building whole departments around it.

What’s next? To find out, I asked a panel of successful entrepreneurs from the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), the following question:

What do you think will be the new “it” social- or content-related job in 2014 for startups and why?

Here’s what they had to say:

1. Google+ Expert

The year for Google+ in social is 2014. As Google+ further influences search results (recent research shows it has the highest correlation with search rankings out of any technique) and as people begin adopting it professionally, knowing how to spark Google+ engagement will be an exciting opportunity for social media gurus, ninjas or whatever fun term they are using these days.
– Trevor Sumner, LocalVox

2. Expert Storytellers

Consumers are an emotional bunch, and we’re drawn to great brands with fantastic stories. Startups will start hiring experienced storytellers who will help propel their brands to new heights through a combination of thought leadership, social media prowess and wordsmithing.

Growth among businesses such as Contently, Skyword and Scripted demonstrates that businesses (big and small) are starting to pay attention to the power of storytelling.
– Danny Wong, Blank Label

3. Content Creator

Content creation is becoming a vital part of the success of a growing company. Founders, executives and decision makers don’t have time to consistently create quality content and then properly distribute it. We’ve already seen an increased demand in leaders needing services to build their credibility through content and social channels.
– John Hall, Influence & Co.

4. Content Manager

There is so much to be said about the importance of high-quality content, yet many small business owners fail to grasp it. The savvy small business owner will invest the funds for a content manager to ensure that his or her message (and brand) are getting out there effectively.
– Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

5. Instagram Consultant

The new “it” social media content job will be an Instagram consultant. Instagram is a versatile platform that can be used in both professional and personal environments, and it has become widely used to connect to consumers in an engaging visual medium.

There are so many jobs out there now that revolve around social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and now, it’s Instagram’s time to shine. Brands are becoming more and more interested in this exciting social platform, so people with proven Instagram expertise will be hot commodities in the coming months.
– Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

6. Content Marketer

This position will blend creative design and writing. Fun infographics and other designs tend to perform very well on social media and also help simplify complex concepts, such as breaking down statistics.

As a writer, they’ll need to be able to generate helpful blogs that, when shared, generate good inbound traffic. People crave new content all the time, and somebody within your team will need to keep up with the pace. The famous Oreo Superbowl tweet, though done right, is so last year!
– Andy Karuza, Brandbuddee

7. Google Glass Specialist

Google Glass is no doubt going to create many new opportunities in 2014. Even if it flops, it will still produce tens of thousands of specialized jobs for social media managers and content developers.
– Phil Laboon, Clear Sky SEO

8. Digital Content Optimization Specialist

We’re increasingly turning content into a science. I think there will be more focus on content optimization based on data-fueled actionable insights.

Having good content alone is not enough. Whether it’s created or curated, you need to provide a foundation for it to succeed. So, a digital content optimization specialist might be what we’re looking at in the future.
– Fabian Kaempfer, Chocomize

9. Augmented Reality Social Manager

I’m starting to see a big trend with augmented reality mobile apps. Within those apps there is a huge social play with advertising, engagement and customers using the app. I definitely foresee a future need for an augmented reality social manager who would monitor conversations and advertisements and engage brands and consumers.
– Andrew Vest, Preferling

10. Content Hacker

I think a new job combining content creation and growth hacking will become very popular in the startup world. Every startup is engaging in content marketing, and in the future, it’s going to take some creativity to succeed in that.
– Ben Lang, Mapped In Israel

11. Social Growth Hacker

Less technical than social savvy, the 2014 growth hacker is pivotal for startups looking to acquire cost-effective customers and users. They can jump from Instagram to copywriting and from A/B testing landing pages to email marketing, and they will make it look easy.
– Derek Flanzraich, Greatist

12. Director of Content

I have meetings with people whose titles include the word “content” every day. Any forward-thinking company understands the ROI of these roles and are reallocating budgets from traditional advertising to content creation and distribution. These positions are new or freshly created, and most have been recently promoted or hired.

Branding a community through content contains several things that need to be managed (e.g., your blog, blogger outreach, sponsored content, video production, etc.). The ROI is outstanding.
– Sarah Ware, Markerly