5 Reasons to consider a life as a T-Shaped Marketer
Editor's note: We have updated this post, ten years after Simon Swan originally wrote it, to highlight what we have always felt is missing from the concept... the need for strategic marketing skills. The team at Smart Insights has created a new infographic to highlight these skills: The Strategic Digital Marketer.
At their heart, the Strategic T-shaped marketer is someone who has excellent skills and experience in developing strategies that align digital marketing tactics and investment with the needs of the business. Contrast this with the original visuals shown below which focus solely on tactics. Don't get us wrong, these best practices are vital to success in modern always-on lifecycle marketing . However, to help unify digital marketing with the needs of the business and the customer, consideration…
Basic marketing principles may remain the same but the digital marketing skills and tools you need to thrive in the workplace are constantly evolving. How can tomorrow's digital marketers future proof their marketing skills?
Preparing for a job in the marketing world tomorrow will be vastly different than it is today. While the basics of marketing may be the same, the digital marketing skills and tools you need to analyze, create, and implement marketing campaigns continue to evolve at breakneck speed.
If this seems overwhelming, don't worry, we have resources in place to help you. Why not start by reading up and finding out more about what digital marketing means today.
Why are digital marketing skills important now? In the March 2023 CMO survey, 46.4% of respondents ranked 'labor/skills shortage' as their top- or second top-ranked challenge over the next 12 months. In other words, there’s a huge gap…
7 strategies, tactics and tips to stand out. Plan your first 100 days on the job, as a new starter, to make an impact in your marketing career
Starting a new job can be tough. In the first 100 days on the job, not only do you have to contend with the technical side of your role but also your new employer’s culture, politics, processes, and people.
The Trading Economics United States Job Openings report in March 2022 stated that US job openings hit a record high:
The number of job openings in the US rose by 205,000 from a month earlier to a series high of 11.549 million in March of 2022, above market expectations of 11 million, as work shortages persisted.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Job vacancies rose to a new record of 1,318,000…
A digital marketing team management tool to help marketers of any level make long-term professional development plans for their career
Whether you are looking to plan your future career or are managing a team, it’s worth having an idea of the latest career opportunities in digital marketing.
That’s why we’ve created our Digital Careers Family Tree, so you and anyone on your team can see potential career paths and establish the training needed to reach the next level of career progression.
[si_guide_block id="21593" title="Digital marketing job description templates and role definitions" description="This guide provides a range of practical job description templates for 15 key digital marketing roles to support companies in the recruitment of digital marketing specialists to resource digital marketing activities within their team structure."]
One of the joys of the digital workplace is how many disciplines that can fall under an individual…
Andy Dorling, General Manager of the DMA’s Institute of Data & Marketing discusses some of the key skills that marketers and business leaders identified as being important to marketing teams and business success in the future.
The future of intelligent marketing will not just be dependent on organizations investing in the latest technological advancements or adhering to regulations like the GDPR. It will require skilled marketing teams to innovate, interpret data, engage with customers, and communicate the latest trends to senior management to develop effective marketing strategies.
Perhaps even more importantly, it will require business leaders that acknowledge the importance of having a diverse, skilled workforce and who are willing to invest in career development for a range of technical and soft skills.
[si_guide_block id="83709" title="Download our Business Resource – Digital Marketing Centre of Excellence best practices" description="This guide will inform how to launch, manage and improve a digital CoE and…
Three key insights from the UK Government’s latest report on employers’ demand for digital skills
Regular readers of Smart Insights know all too well the importance of having an up-to-date digital skillset. In today’s age of the internet and social media, it’s become more important than ever for employees to have a sound working knowledge of digital in an ever-growing digitized economy.
The UK government has recognized the need for a digitally literate workforce in our modern economy and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport commissioned a report, conducted by Burning Glass Technologies, to provide an overview of digital skills demand and to help inform the development of evidence-based digital skills policy.
[si_guide_block id="117459" title="Download our Free Resource – Marketing careers and skills development workbook" description="Our guide shows you how to map out your personal short-term and long-term goals, become more productive in…
Just like other avenues of learning, there are many ways you can approach upskilling your marketing team
If you’re reading this post, chances are you know how beneficial upskilling can be to your team’s results.
But how exactly do you go about upskilling your team?
[si_guide_block id="117459" title="Download our Free Resource – Marketing careers and skills development workbook" description="Our guide shows you how to map out your personal short-term and long-term goals, become more productive in your day-to-day work, identify your key motivators and analyze your digital marketing skills."/]
Just like other avenues of learning, there are many ways you can approach upskilling. For instance, you will need to consider factors such as:
Upskilling budget
Availability of trainers
Proximity of trainers
Your business needs
Your team needs
Your team members’ preferences
Skills to be learned
There are even more factors that may come into consideration once you decide to start upskilling your team.
Fortunately, there are…
Five approaches to develop your problem-solving and decision-making skills
As marketers, we’re confronted with different types of questions, data, and challenges regularly. Whether it’s reacting to a negative PR story, reviewing the performance of a digital marketing campaign, or weighing up different creative options, we need to make decisions that could impact our organization in both the short and long-term.
Although marketers need to develop a strong set of technical skills, there is an equally important need for a rounded set of softer skills. One of the most crucial skills needed for effective decision-making is critical thinking.
[si_blog_banner_cta]
At its core, critical thinking is about making clear, reasoned judgments. Whilst this in itself sounds straightforward, like many things it’s easier said than done as we’re all susceptible to a wide range of personal assumptions and cognitive biases. When…
Practical steps marketers can take to enhance their curious instincts
Marketers are a naturally curious bunch and are keen to learn new skills to improve their marketing performance. To work in such a varied, multidisciplinary field, you have to be interested in everything from trends and consumer behavior to analytics and creativity. However, even marketers can get stuck in their ways. Depending on the organization in which you work, the business culture or ways of working, barriers can stifle or prevent curiosity from flourishing, which researchers at Harvard Business School believe prevent organizations and individuals to be at their best.
Merck is one organization that has taken it upon themselves to lead the way in cultivating curiosity. According to Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck:
“In the pursuit of human progress, the single most important trait is curiosity – the desire to learn, explore,…
Stay calm, slow down and refocus your marketing priorities to tackle the current COVID-19 challenge
The world of marketing is a busy, hectic and uncertain one at the best of times. From the changing nature of consumer preferences to the evolution of new technologies and digital channels, over recent years marketers have had to adapt to changing circumstances and make the most of new opportunities.
In addition to these micro-challenges, the last ten years since the financial crash of 2008 has posed several macro challenges, too. The nature of work itself has become very different, with a steady rise in contracting and freelancing, remote working and even changes to employment rights. All of these factors have meant that marketers have had to become more resilient and adaptable.
Enter COVID-19...
The recent coronavirus outbreak has tested workers across all sectors in new and unprecedented ways. At the time of writing, the…
