Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2010, when social media management was a new profession. Its prediction that company websites would become obsolete and social networks would turn into business networks should be read in that context.
With the arrival of new technologies, social media and every company’s need to be present online, come new business ideas and future jobs. And being present online doesn’t just mean having a website, since these days we take it for granted that any company has one. So what businesses are emerging around social media?
Facebook currently has more than 500 million users worldwide, and Twitter, though I don’t have the exact figures, must be very close. This isn’t a passing trend. Social networks will keep growing and offering new services.
What’s more, very soon we may well see websites become outdated for businesses, with all administrative tasks handled through social networks and products posted on pages provided by the networks themselves.
I’d go as far as to say that social networks will end up becoming “business networks”. That said, as things stand today, I myself have trouble making Twitter pay, and I don’t consider myself at all clumsy with these technologies. I understand from other bloggers and website owners that they have the same problem, even though we know Twitter generates hundreds of thousands of euros in profit for many companies that give it proper attention.
Where the business and the new jobs are
Medium-sized and large companies already employ people whose only job is to bring the company into social media, making sure it attracts potential customers and all kinds of future clients through these channels.
Their job is to update content daily, attract users, widen the circle of friends and readers, and get the most out of social media.
Over time, companies will hire specialist firms to handle this work. Through these firms, they’ll be able to grow their user base and keep those users informed about their offers and services.
So the business idea we’re proposing is that you set up a “social media public relations” company, because it’s a business opportunity that’s coming sooner than you think.
And let’s not forget the companies already out there that help websites rank in search engines through SEO.
You shouldn’t ignore how much interest large companies are showing in trying to master social media. That alone tells you it’s part of the future of business, and given the business and the opportunities it represents, we need to be ready to take advantage of all its variations.
Welcome to the world of entrepreneurial ideas.
Further reading
- Business ideas: services for other companies
- Advantages of starting a business in times of crisis
- The entrepreneur’s mindset, according to Donald Trump
- Business ideas: services for the home
- Business ideas related to clothing
Featured image: Martin Grandjean, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
