2. Storytelling
Storytellingis how you distill complex thoughts, data, or other information about a brand, product, or service into something that is digestible to your audience.
Writing, video production, photography, and graphic design are common storytelling media, and it’s good to master one or more of these; even better if you can combine them to create an integrated campaign across platforms. But the most important piece is the hook, and that’s where storytelling skills are paramount.
“If you’re trying to run a cohesive campaign, then you need to have a hook,” said Berman. Whether it’s a specific product or service, a current sale or promotion, or a routine communication to stakeholders about the value of their investment, “A hook communicates to your reader why they should care about this thing.”
3. Communication
It goes without saying that marketers must communicate with customers, acting as a liaison between the audience and the brand. But learning internal communicationis also critical, whether it’s among team members or with company leadership when presenting the value of campaigns or resources needed. You must understand the needs of various parties and act as a kind of translator between them.
“Any organization has limited resources,” said Berman. “It's important to communicate why you're doing something and why somebody else should rally towards it. Nobody likes sales, but everybody's in sales. In order to advance, you're going to have to sell your ideas. You're going to have to put yourself forward.”
4.Project Management
Any marketing campaign can involve a lot of cooks in the kitchen at once, but a major cross-functional project requires an even more specialized skill set. In addition to personal time management, someone has to be the switch operator who keeps all the trains running on schedule.Project managementmeans managing a calendar for various parties, prioritizing and delegating tasks, and collaborating with other marketing functions, contractors, and company leadership.
5. Strategy
“Marketing strategyis the ability to look forward and understand where you can or can't affect change and put resources against those areas,” said Berman. It means using metrics and data analytics tools and data analysis skills to build a long-term plan for success by allocating resources where they can be most effective.
6. Leadership
Goodleadershipmeans empowering others with the freedom to set and achieve their goals while solving problems that benefit both themselves and the organization.
“What I try to do in the leadership role is work with people on a quarterly basis to dig into what their goals for the quarter are,” said Berman. “Then I check in and say, ‘Hey, how are you doing? What kind of resources do you need?’ For me in my role as a leader, this is how I try to get people to do their best work and be their best selves.”
7. Understanding Key Marketing Functions
There is no single channel or marketing area that drives all revenue. Search engine optimization, email, affiliate links, paid advertising, social media, and more all contribute to the bottom line. Copywriting, design, email, content marketing, PR, reporting, analytics, creative, interactive branding: Know what each component is and does, and what value it brings to the overall strategy. To achieve company goals, all boats must be pulling in the same direction, so to speak, and a slip in any channel can affect the success of all.
8. Copywriting
There is no substitute forgood writing. Even with the rise of video, podcasts, and social media for online marketing, strong, emotionally evocative writing remains a core skill for any marketing role.
“People want more and want to be spoken to like a human being and written to in a relevant, meaningful way,” said Berman. “A good copywriter will understand how to sound like a real human and not like a computer's writing the value proposition. Good copywriting is the key to authenticity.”
9. Problem-Solving
Analytics andproblem-solving go hand-in-hand. When a strategy isn’t working, data is the key to adapting. For example, if revenue takes a hit, the organization needs to figure out why that is and what to do about it. Maybe the website isn’t getting enough traffic. Maybe it’s getting traffic but customers aren’t converting. Maybe your audience’s wants and needs have changed, and you must adapt your products or services to match.
In this field, customer expectations and the digital landscape are constantly changing. Problem-solving and adaptability are the only way to keep ahead of the curve.
10. User-Experience
Customers buy products and services they feel good about. That emotional response is driven byuser experience (UX). If customers arrive at a company’s website only to be assaulted by pop-up discount spinners, or if the entire page is an action button, it can quickly drive users away.
At the other end of the spectrum are brands that have taken the time to listen to their target audience: What are their values and background? What problem is the company trying to solve for them? If the product is good and the price is right, then it won’t take dirty tricks to make a sale.
“The magic of UX is to get people to take your desired action in a way that feels natural and authentic,” said Berman. “It leads them down the path that they want to go down without forcing it on them.”
Start Building Your T-Shaped Skill Set
With these 10 skills, you’ll be well on your way to building a strong T-shaped skill set that can open doors to marketing opportunities.
edX courses can help you learn the general and digital marketing skills you need to land your first marketing job and launch your career. Whether you want to start out deep or broad, remember that there’s no “right” or “typical” career path in this field, so pick a skill that interests you and dive in.
