Obsessed With Social Media? Why Not Get Paid For It!

A new study by the University of Florida reveals a social media skills gap. Businesses want to incorporate social media into their marketing and recruiting, but lack qualified personnel to use it to the fullest.

Are you one of the millions of people who obsessively check their Facebook and other social media pages?

Do five minutes without a peek at your Twitter feed stress you out?

Now, a study arrives showing your social media addiction could be your next brilliant career move.

More companies than ever have recognized the importance of social media—for anything from marketing and advertising to recruitment and hiring. A social media expert is now accepted as a valuable asset, one that can directly affect the bottom line.

Today’s MSM online infographic—How Your Social Media Obsession Can Become a Career—comes from the University of Florida. It uses research on social media trends, predicting job growth in the industry by 2018 to be around 13 – 24 percent.

The biggest takeaway: an estimated 30 percent of business brands are not using social media well, due to the lack of employees with relevant online skills.

Of all businesses with a strong social media presence, 85 percent report increased market exposure, with 70 percent committed to expanding their online “footprint.”

A business needs to know the different uses for social media platforms. They will succeed by using the differences in each one to its greatest advantage.

For example, a shorter tweet—with 100 characters or less—will actually have higher participation rates than one closer to the 140-character limit.

Of course, as someone who spends time on Twitter, you probably already knew that.

Pinterest is also becoming an online powerhouse, especially for changing browsers into buyers. More than two-thirds of online consumers found a product they wanted to buy after visiting Pinterest.

However, only 25 percent of Fortune 100 companies have a Pinterest account.

More than anything else, this should be a wake-up call to entrepreneurs. There is a definite demand for social media experts. Companies are just waiting for the right person (or people) to fill that need.

Identifying the newest trends, especially with social media, could take your passion (or obsession) and get paid for it. Remember, that is how great fortunes are made!

Infographic after the jump…