Five skills (other than a creative mind) you need to work in marketing
Marketing has been around as long as humans have been selling things. However, successful marketing still eludes many.
Traditionally a marketeer was someone who was creative with words and imagery, but with the advancements in technology as well as our increasing knowledge of the psychology behind selling, companies need more than just creative minds for their marketing campaigns.
Seen as a female- oriented industry to work in, marketing is fast becoming a science instead of just an art form.
Here are the top five skills needed to succeed in this competitive industry – aside from a creative mind.
1) Analytical thinking
Yes, having a way with words is important when creating a marketing strategy, however, it’s what you do with the results that matter in order to inform the next campaign- and this is where analytic thinking comes to the fore.
Thanks to the likes of Google Analytics and phone call tracking businesses are able to monitor the success of their campaigns, who they should be targeting and how to maximise their return on investment, they just need people to be able to understand the data received.
2) Understanding people
A large part of a successful marketing campaign is using psychology to persuade people to buy your product or service. Having the skills to understand not only who your target audience is, but why, what and when they buy all plays a pivotal role.
There are various psychological techniques that can be employed, but it’s finding the one that resonates the most with your target audience, and this is where having an understanding of how people operate comes in to play.
3) Business and commercial acumen
Business and commercial acumen cannot be taught, it’s an innate trait that you either have or don’t. It’s possible to read up on business trends and forecasts, but ultimately, it’s a gut instinct that can’t be defined.
This undefined quality sets good marketeers apart from great ones and can help get you ahead in the competitive world of vying for a market share.
4) Organisation and planning
Developing campaigns or producing strategies requires good time management skills and the ability to prioritise your workload effectively. In a high-pressured environment where daily events can affect a campaign it’s important than you act quickly and efficiently.
5) Communication
According to Ironpaper, the number one skill you require to succeed in marketing is strong communication skills across a number of key areas. Not only is it important that you are able communicate effectively with your audience, but that you can communicate within your team. They too need to understand your vision, as well as having the confidence to express their own concepts.
This doesn’t mean there’s no space for creative minds, in fact, creativity is a cornerstone in great marketing, but it’s not the be all and end all. Marketing is about moving with the times and understanding what people want and we have incredible technology at our fingertips to help harness this.
Photo by CoWomen
