Social media needs more talent at the mid- to senior-levels

I get emails from friends and colleagues around the Minneapolis-St. Paul, where I live and work, and they are looking for the same person: That mid- to senior-level digital/social media counselor/director with deep experience in marketing and some experience in digital and social media.

Except they don’t exist—at least not in big numbers. And that has huge consequences for corporate America. Here’s why:

Kids may be leading your social media work

This isn’t true across the board, but more often than not, the digital and social media teams I’ve seen at big and small agencies are built with junior-level talent. I’m not judging these younger pros. In many cases, these junior-level folks are smart as can be. But they are still kids with a handful of years of experience.

A lack of social strategic thinking

I’m not saying the junior-level folks are incapable of strategic thought. Like I said, they’re smart as hell in some cases, but they’re also inexperienced. Hey, we were all inexperienced at one point. That has a downside, though. We need more mid- to senior-level folks who understand business and marketing strategy and can integrate digital strategy seamlessly.