Marketing is a much more complex and demanding career-path than many people think it is, and it requires high-level skills and the ability to constantly multi-task.
Here are my top 5 marketing skills that you need in order to survive in this industry...
Creativity - This could be in the literal sense of designing promotional products, as well as coming up with campaign ideas; both require creativity as you need to be able to visualise the entire concept. When I am trying to generate ideas for a project, I like to get back to basics with a pen and paper and write out or (very badly) sketch some ideas. I am by no means an artist, but it helps to get ideas flowing, and the end result often looks very different to my initial thoughts. I then use programmes (usually Canva) to play around with ideas and ultimately produce the visuals needed.
Strategy and Analysis - By this I mean that you have to think strategically in terms of your campaigns, whilst also being able to analyse the results, see what works and what doesn't, and adjust the strategy accordingly. Whilst they could be seen as two different traits, I strongly believe they go hand-in-hand and as such, need to be closely associated together. It is also worth noting that every business needs to have a Marketing Strategy where they plan their marketing for the business, which can be broken down by month/year, which will help with both the planning and analysing phases.
Communication - This is key; verbal and written communication is an absolute must-have in marketing. You need to be able to explain your ideas to colleagues and execute them professionally in your work, in order to produce the most effective results, whilst adapting your language to suit different audiences; the ability to communicate appropriately is essential.
Project Management - There are many different aspects to marketing that you may be involved with, including designing promotional materials, social media, adverts, podcasts, press releases, etc., and you will need to be highly organised to manage your workload effectively. Project management skills are fundamental to this as you will plan, monitor and deliver numerous on-going projects on time and within budget.
Social Media - This has become such a big and important part of marketing that it is now crucial for anyone in this industry to be able to use and understand social media. Each social media platform is different, with its own capabilities and limitations, and it is generally accepted that most businesses will have some prescence online, usually on multiple platforms. Most small businesses will only be on two or three platforms, as anything more than that becomes unrealistic to manage, but creating content can be time-consuming and generating new, fresh ideas is not alwasy easy! It is such a big sector now, that some businesses have roles specifically for social media managers to focus solely on it.
And not forgetting the one final trait you'll need... a sense of humour! As long as you can take a moment every now and then to breathe and laugh at some of the ridiculous time-scales, budget ideas and bonkers campaigns that some businesses have, you'll be ok.
What else do you think is essential for a marketer to have/be?
Check out my blog about Key Dates in 2024 to help your marketing planning, and here are My Favourite Marketing Apps that might help you too!
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