Our top 10 skills needed for today’s marketers

Marketing is an exciting industry and one that is growing exponentially today. For those looking to enter, and thrive, in this burgeoning sector there are 10 essential skills to focus on.

1. Communication skills. The heart of marketing is communicating a well defined message to a specific audience in the right tone. Skills that can be essential here include speaking, presentation and writing, as well as being able to work with technology and visual tools to communicate better.
2. No fear of spreadsheets. Working with spreadsheets is a regular part of marketing work today so some basic skills are required. They can be used for anything, from SEO keyword planning to reviewing campaign metrics.
3. Inbound marketing capability. While outbound marketing can be disruptive and is often rejected by today’s consumers, inbound marketing focuses on being informative and relevant, meeting customer need and being helpful in order to convert and nurture qualified sales leads.
4. A sound understanding of data and metrics. It’s essential for marketers today to be able to integrate data into decision making. That means having a good grasp of the basics of analytics, as well as tools such as Google Analytics and Marketo. Being able to identify and understand metrics and how they relate to business KPIs and marketing campaign goals will be key.
5. Understanding digital advertising. In particular, being comfortable with Google Adwords and remarketing can be a huge advantage.
6. A good grasp of audience and sales. The customer for a B2B marketer will be very different to that for a B2C marketer. Plus, every organisation will have a unique audience with a distinctive set of characteristics and individual need when it comes to sales process. It’s essential to be able to recognise and focus on these individual features, rather than attempting to apply a generic approach.
7. Wordsmith skills. Content marketing is a key weapon in the modern marketer’s arsenal, including understanding web publishing. However, what can really distinguish an individual marketer is the ability to also create fantastic content that drives traffic, converts leads and tells an effective story.
8. Being comfortable in the digital world. For example, today’s marketers need to have a good grasp of social channels, platforms, apps and how to leverage different devices to reach consumers.
9. The “why” and the “how.” For anyone looking to get further than a basic role in marketing it’s necessary to be able to apply critical thinking and problem solving to a situation. For example, understanding why a specific tool, method or platform is working and – if it isn’t – how to evolve the situation to get the necessary results.
10. Ongoing learning. The digital marketing world moves on quickly and the only way to stay on top of change is with continuous learning. This could encompass anything, from lead generation and content strategy to advertising and analytics.

For today’s marketers, these 10 skills are essential when it comes to getting ahead and forging an exciting and satisfying career. Our Essential Marketing Skills course goes through the whole process of marketing goods and services, from the creation of a product to ensuring that customers will come and buy more from you in the future.