According to many Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs), people with digital marketing skills are in high demand this year. There are a wide variety of positions available in this field, including digital product and marketing managers, content specialists, digital acquisition and retention specialists, data and insight analysts, social media strategists and communications specialists. Whether you’re already working in the field, or just getting started, there are some specific skills that Marketing Managers, Content Specialists, SEO/PPC Specialists, and UX Design Specialists require.
Marketing Managers
ROI (return on investment) is the marketing manager’s primary objective. To achieve a high ROI, they must demonstrate extensive knowledge of all digital tools available, what their functions are, and how they can specifically and measurably benefit the business. Additionally, they must continually seek out new information about upcoming trends and new applications and their potential uses. Communication skills, both within the organization and externally, are essential. In fact, being able to present information to the board confidently and effectively is so important that many companies have instituted role-playing programs for employees to practice their communication skills.
Content Specialists
Content specialists must be able to curate and disseminate information across a broad spectrum of social media platforms. The industry needs great writers who can contribute their talents to e-mail marketing and social media to increase positive interaction with customers and create brand loyalty. Other skills that are desirable for content specialists to have are CMS (content management systems) software experience, some basic design experience, and knowledge of content strategies. To increase your skill set in this field, industry experts recommend creating your own blog on WordPress to showcase your writing talent. Since most people prefer blogs that also feature great visuals, learning some basic PhotoShop skills is also highly recommended.
SEO/PPC Specialists
Two of the technical skills necessary to become an SEO (search engine optimization) specialist are canonicalization and knowledge of XML sitemaps. If you are new to marketing, you can learn more about these concepts here. Many managers expect their SEO specialists to know PPC (pay per click) advertising as well.
In addition to experimenting and increasing your skills by creating and optimizing your own website, you can visit Hubspot and Google Analytics which both offer free basic online certification programs of two of the most important tools used by specialists.
UX Design Specialists
Some of the most sought after and highly paid specialists in the industry are UX (user experience) designers, who design business websites to maximize ease of use by customers as well as integrate new features that boost customer satisfaction.
Do you work in the marketing field? Do you agree with this list? What skills do you think are in demand? Let us know in the comments!