Tech Boom Is Creating A Paradise For Marketers In San Francisco
San Francisco is generally viewed as the innovation center for new technologies, and as global demand for tech grows, so does the industry.
As of December 2014, San Francisco has more workers than ever before—nearly 40,000 more than during the 1999-2000 tech boom — and its 3.8 percent unemployment rate makes it one of the most employed cities in the country, handily beating the California and national averages. The tech industry is front and center in this trend: it has created more than 30 percent of all private sector jobs in San Francisco since 2010.
This growth creates a need for tech marketing professionals who can help to attract buyers, create demand, and ultimately, drive sales. As more tech companies emerge, crowding the marketplace, the need to differentiate businesses through effective marketing becomes paramount. Perhaps that's why marketing specialists are the sixth fastest-growing occupation in San Francisco, growing by roughly 4.1 percent each year, according to the Employment Development Department (EDD).
Yet, in spite of more supply, demand for marketers seems to consistently remain higher — a quick scan of job listings reveals thousands of unfilled marketing jobs in San Francisco — and companies are finding it difficult to attract and retain candidates in a hypercompetitive environment. Salaries are expected to rise as much as 12 percent for top talent, which is impressive, considering marketing managers in San Francisco currently grab a median salary of $161,000, according to the same EDD report.
Non-tech marketers are benefiting as well. While tech is San Francisco's fastest-growing industry and the one that employs an ever-increasing percentage of the city's population, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that annual growth of non-tech private jobs in San Francisco has been steadily increasing since 2010. Consumers and businesses across the spectrum are making purchasing decisions across more channels than ever: in-store, online, on mobile, through social media, broadcast, billboards, print, and more, making marketers increasingly vital revenue generators for all types of businesses.
Aaron Endré is the founder of a San Francisco-based marketing and public relations firm that serves the needs of B2B and enterprise tech startups. He can be reached on Twitter at @aaronendre.
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.