MARKETING SKILLS

The world of marketing is constantly evolving and changing at such a rapid pace that it’s no longer possible to have a clear overview of the industry. And so the question that is most frequently asked is: what are the marketing skills needed to work in this field?

The digitization has completely transformed the way we communicate and this has had several consequences, the first of which is the demand for new skills to work in marketing.

Do you want to become a skilled and experienced marketer? Are there areas in which you need to excel? What kind of training do you need to choose in order to have a career in this field? In this guide, we’ll try to answer these questions and explain what the most requested marketing skills are. Of course, with a certification and a degree obtained from a professional course, you can more easily find your way into this profession. Check out the Digital Marketing Course.

 

 

Marketing skills: a mix of traditional and innovative

It cannot be said that the marketing knowledge that was needed ten years ago to enter this specific field is completely irrelevant today. However, something has changed: traditional marketing and communication skills must be combined with those related to the digital world. If you want to embark on a path in today’s marketing, it’s therefore necessary to perfectly combine skills considered more traditional with those that are purely technological.

Professional marketing skills: not just technical knowledge

In addition to having to learn the numerous skills typical of the marketing field, it’s necessary to develop your own abilities, such as curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, decision-making skills, and team working. It’s precisely these personal skills on your CV that allow a professional to rank among the best and to be chosen among many.

Skills for Working in Marketing: Econsultancy Research

The British company Econsultancy conducted a study to understand which marketing skills were necessary to succeed. Following interviews with important international marketing managers, they found an answer by dividing fundamental marketing skills into three groups: soft, hard, and vertical.

Soft Skills

Soft skills are those related to one’s personal sphere, the so-called personal abilities on which it is possible to then build the rest, thanks to the acquisition of certain knowledge typical of the industry.

soft skills

• Adaptability;
• Identifying opportunities and devising a strategy accordingly;
• Passion for work and a desire to grow professionally;
• Being extroverted and able to work in a team;
• Being able to face uncertainties and find solutions;
• Scalable and open-minded thinking;
• Assuming risks resulting from adopting a certain strategy.

These skills are part of marketing skills. If already possessed, they allow you to have a strong advantage and over time to aim for a more coveted position like that of a manager.

Hard skills

Hard skills indicate those skills considered technical that are needed to be able to carry out this profession, and they are the following:

• Customer service management, i.e., the relationship with the customer, being able to accommodate their needs and solve any problems raised;
• Data analysis, i.e., being able to read and interpret the enormous amount of data coming from digital channels;
• Mastery of technology and constantly staying up-to-date on various technologies.
• Planning strategies, using the collected data to achieve business objectives.

 

Every Online Marketing Professional has specific hard and soft skills.Take the test to find out which ones you possess!

 

Vertical skills

Vertical skills are the most in-demand skills these years and a person who wants to succeed in marketing must absolutely learn them. Here’s the complete list of these fundamental skills:

• Mobile marketing skills: being aware of all the strategies and logics applicable to mobile;
• Content marketing skills: the digital world is based on content, which, through multiple channels, is the main means of creating engagement with users, communicating the brand’s strengths, acquiring authority in its reference sector, increasing leads, and sales. Knowing how to write high-performing content has become one of the most important skills. In fact, most successful campaigns have been able to tell a story that has remained well-remembered by customers because they have been able to identify with it;
• Web analytics skills: every marketing campaign must be measured, and this means being able to analyze data collected through various means (social networks, newsletters, websites). Monitoring user behavior helps to better understand your audience;
• Social media skills: being able to manage social networks and use each of them in a targeted way depending on the target audience. In addition, it is essential to know the advertising component of social media, that is, being able to create paid campaigns to gain visibility and improve engagement.

New web marketing skills

In addition to the skills emerged from the research conducted by Econsultancy, a more recent Forbes article has added others: SEO, HTML/CSS, WordPress, video, UX/basic design skills, SQL. Below we will try to explain what these new marketing professional skills are.

SEO

SEO allows you to rank among the top search results, and is therefore essential because most likely you have never gone beyond the second page of Google. A good marketer must therefore have a good mastery of SEO, especially if they want to obtain a good position without having to resort to advertising.

HTML/CSS

A good marketing campaign requires that there is, as we said before, a part focused on content marketing and therefore on the creation of content for various channels, including blogs, newsletters, and websites. Having a knowledge, even if minimal, of programming languages can help in the construction of content and collaboration with graphic designers.

Video

Video is increasingly widespread in modern marketing because it represents the most viewed content on the web, thanks especially to the advent of live streaming typical of social networks.

UX/Basic design skills

Knowing the basics of User Experience is important for a marketer, even though it will probably be another specialist who takes care of this aspect. This does not mean being able to use software perfectly, but it means being able to create the customer experience process for clients at least on a piece of paper.

SQL

In the case of SQL, it is about learning a database programming language and it is a more difficult skill compared to those previously analyzed. Knowing SQL means better understanding data analysis as it allows you to better understand the database and extract information in a way that makes it effective.

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How to become a modern marketing technician

Modern marketing can be divided into three macro areas that are able to define it completely and that must correspond to what a person must acquire to become a good marketing technician:

• knowledge of modern marketing: learning about marketing, concepts and guiding principles through study
• skills of modern marketing: the fundamental skills in the world of marketing, which are acquired over time, practice and professional experience
• mentality of modern marketing: the guiding behaviors and attitudes necessary to be able to build a career in marketing. The right mentality is also essential to deal with the possibilities that digital has to offer.

The mentality of modern marketing

In addition to professional marketing skills, it is really essential to have the right mentality to be able to carry out this profession, and this means putting the customer at the center of one’s mentality. The value of the customer thus becomes the cornerstone of every organizational function: from marketing to sales, from product to IT to customer service. Only in this way can a marketer specializing in any area, from branding to product, advertising, research, or analysis, become a true modern professional, such as the Marketing Communication Manager.

Last November, Econsultancy launched a model that defines marketing in the digital era, called the Modern Marketing Model (M3) to address the broad range of skills and approaches essential for modern marketing. M3 derives from three fundamental principles, which are:

• Customer-centric: modern marketing puts the customer experience at the heart of all objectives. This means that marketers must collect, analyze, and apply data insights throughout the customer journey in a continuous and dynamic cycle.
• Integrated: modern marketing is a blend of classic and digital disciplines. This implies that marketing practitioners must not only have deep knowledge of a sector and/or channel but also be able to integrate them to achieve goals and improve the customer experience.
• Agile and innovative: modern marketing is responsive and agile, thanks to the strategic and effective use of technology to create personalized experiences. This means that marketing professionals must master technology and data to reach people.

 

 

The role of Marketing Manager and Web Marketing Manager

What are the marketing manager skills? The marketing manager must be able to analyze the demand for a product with the goal of increasing it through the development of campaigns and promotional strategies targeting a specific audience. In particular, the activities that must be carried out are: planning a product promotion project, defining the economic plan of the project, launching distribution and sales, and monitoring the project’s progress. The marketing manager supervises all phases of a marketing campaign.

The web marketing manager has the same duties as the marketing manager, but the strategies he/she develops serve to promote products and services on the web, through effective digital marketing activities. The first activities he/she carries out are: conducting market research, analyzing the sector, monitoring the competition, and studying customer behavior. Depending on the objectives to be achieved, he/she then develops an online marketing plan.

How to acquire web marketing skills

Do you want to become a really good marketer? Then remember that learning is essential. Those who undertake this profession usually have a degree in Communication, Marketing, Management, and Economics.

Conclusions

Now you will have a clear idea of the marketing skills you will need to acquire to work in the world of marketing. Knowledge, skills, and mindset are the perfect mix to be successful.

To become a capable and expert marketer, you must always be curious, eager to learn, and have a positive approach to change because the marketing world is constantly changing.

Stay up to date, participate in events that will allow you to meet industry professionals, and enroll in courses that can explain what the most effective techniques to use in marketing strategies are.

If you are unsure how to acquire immediately applicable skills in a professional context, request a consultation with an expert