Marketing Skills You Need to Acquire In the Next Two Years

Marketing is at the forefront of our fast-changing society. Everywhere you go there are aspects of marketing you are likely missing. From the products you buy to the services you utilize, there is a large amount of marketing that plays a key factor in the choices you make.

The truth is, the world will always need marketing. There will always be products to sell, services to promote, and ideas that need to be explained. Each year, the need for marketing grows and businesses increasingly need creative marketing solutions in order to grow their market share. Almost every business employs some degree of marketing to their business plan. Regardless if you desire to be a marketing professional or are looking for tips to capture a new audience, gaining and implementing these transferrable skills will help you.

Whether you are a current marketing professional or an individual looking to expand your knowledge in the marketing field, we have outlined key skills you need to develop over the next two years:

1. Critical thinking and problem-solving

Inside every profession, it is important to develop critical thinking skills that lead to effective problem-solving.  It is imperative to understand complex information and then create strong inferences in order to develop actionable steps. The actionable steps consist of problem-solving skills where you have determined the problem, identified opportunities, and evaluated possible courses of action.

In the marketing world, the most innovative marketers are able to employ critical thinking skills that identify successes and potential opportunities inside their company.

2. Storytelling

Oftentimes, individuals will support a brand due to resonating with the brand’s story. Marketing executives are tasked with being the great “authors” of the company they work for. The most successful brand executives are often the best at creating a captivating brand message and voice for a business.

Compelling storytelling is the operation in marketing where individuals or businesses attempt to create intriguing content for their audience through a mix of truths and narratives. These stories can be found through advertisements, short-form videos, testimonials, website design, social media posts, vlogs, blog content, etc. This form of marketing attempts to evoke emotional appeal between the audience and the business which can help generate a stronger relationship between the two.

3. Teamwork

It is often said that “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” The same applies to marketing. There is a reason brands often utilize a marketing team for their marketing efforts instead of a single individual.

Individuals who work in marketing for a company often collaborate with many different departments in order to properly develop and meet company objectives. Having strong interpersonal working skills opens the door to new perspectives and ideas you may not have considered before. For example, the social media team for a company typically is constantly subjected to rounds of feedback, adjustments, and re-adjustments before gaining final approval on almost every single thing they post. It’s imperative for those to take feedback well and understand different perspectives while working toward a common goal.

4. Analytics

As mentioned, marketers create the story for a business that eventually becomes part of a marketing campaign. However, often times it is the data that determines if the campaign succeeds or needs adjustment. Data and analytics are critical components that help drive effective marketing campaigns. Marketing teams are tasked with determining which campaigns are exceeding expectations and which campaigns are potentially underperforming. Reviewing analytics also allows the marketing team to ask themselves key questions such as:

“Which marketing channels provide the greatest ROI?”

“Which campaigns provide the highest amount of lead generation?”

“Based on the data, what are potential areas for improvement inside this marketing campaign?”

Although there are an infinite amount of marketing skills you can work to develop and learn, these key skills will help you to find success in your marketing endeavors.

Our team of marketing professionals has an extensive list of marketing skills we would be happy to share with your company in order to develop a plan on how we can move your marketing skills forward.