15 Essential Digital-Focused Roles Your Company Will Need to Fill

It’s a bit of an understatement to say that technology has revolutionized every facet of the business world. One of the most important byproducts of the digital age is a rapidly changing job market. Though technology has made certain occupations all but obsolete, it has also created a wealth of new career paths that didn’t even exist a decade ago.

From mobile app developers to social media strategists, the future looks bright for individuals with skills and experience in the digital realm. Fifteen members of Forbes Agency Council discussed some newer, digital-focused positions that they believe will become more important to agencies in the coming years.

1. Digital Knowledge Manager

I think Duane Forrester has it right: Digital knowledge management will emerge as one of marketing’s most important responsibilities. With the rise of more intelligent systems, the importance of ensuring your company’s information is accurate will be even more critical. Too many businesses have yet to make digital knowledge management a priority. There’s a lot of opportunity for improvement here. – Gyi Tsakalakis, AttorneySync

2. Hybrid Content Marketer

The hybrid content marketer has become one of the most popular jobs that agencies are looking for. Marketing automation specialists are invaluable, which means companies are delivering and creating content in more ways than ever. Once you have all this content going out, you need marketers who understand data and analytics to make actionable decisions. – Brendon Schrader, Antenna

3. Software Developer

Since companies are relying more on data and their marketing than ever, more are relying on developing a great software application. High-quality software development has become crucial to meet customer demands in a digital, tech-savvy world. Having analytical skills and software development skills will give you an advantage in the near future. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS

4. Influencer Marketing Manager

With people encountering thousands of ads online each day and actively installing ad-blocking solutions or simply blocking ads out of their head, advertisers need to find alternative channels – ones where people pay attention. Influencer marketing managers combine art and science and will become essential in the marketing operations of many major companies. – Gil Eyal, HYPR!

5. Interactive Developer

As we shift from 2D video to more immersive technologies like 360-degree video, augmented reality and virtual reality, interactive developers will be in even greater demand, and ones who understand the importance of storytelling to these experiences will be crucial. We’re already seeing the rise of the UX writer, someone who can write clean, universal content for websites, apps and interactive experiences. – Sarah Mannone, Trekk

6. Multilingual Content Specialists

As brands continue to promote across cultures, countries and language barriers, they will need content specialists who can create amazing copy that not only makes sense to the intended audience, but also connects with them using local idioms, customary phrases, and colloquialisms that project a brand’s voice to a local audience. – Aaron Henry, FOUNDRY512

7. Analytics Specialist

Tools exist to turn the loads of data we are gathering into usable information we can learn from, but an analytics specialist is necessary to turn that information into valid, simplified recommendations that we can implement into our strategies. This person needs to love research, numbers, automation, algorithms, and needs to be very familiar with our marketing plans. – Ahmad Kareh, Twistlab Marketing