5 Crucial Marketing Skills You Need to Succeed

Keeping up with the frenetic pace of digital marketing is a daunting proposition for anyone these days. In order to be truly successful and thrive in such a complex landscape requires dedication to fundamental marketing skills.

Many of these skills have their foundation in traditional marketing. However, the unifying principles that elevate them above what worked in the past are the increasingly technical and highly measurable quality inherent in today’s digital marketing. These skills are all predicated on ROI and include; Digital advertising, social media marketing, content development, website design and development, and mobile marketing.

1) Digital Advertising

The rapid evolution of digital advertising across increasingly proliferating marketing channels requires marketers to consider more than ever before. Besides being aware of what those channels are, you must become adept at utilizing advanced targeting technology to reach the intended customers and finally, be able to leverage the massive quantities of customer data that digital advertising generates.
Specific marketing technical skills include:

• SEO/SEM – search engine optimization, link building, keyword research
• Pay-per-click analytics
• Digital business analytics
• Digital project management

2) Social Media Marketing

Successful marketers in 2017 and beyond will dedicate increasingly more time and resources to their social media strategies. You must be hyper-aware of social media trends, how to utilize new features, and learn to navigate the intricacies of individual platforms. Many of the same skills you bring to the table in a digital advertising context will apply here, but specialization is key. What works on one network will not necessarily be successful on another.

3) Content Development

“Content is king” is a popular mantra for a reason – with the sheer number of brands and options presented, consumers need to find a reason to engage. While marketers must create engaging content, it is more important to have systems in place for developing, distributing, and analyzing its impact.

Traditional skills in marketing will come into play, but you must marry those skills to the current marketing landscape which is all about targeting and measuring. In addition to content management skills, there are many overlaps with digital advertising and social media marketing skills, especially in digital project management and analytics.

4) Website Design & Development

Even as social media platforms and apps chip away at website’s complete dominance of digital marketing, brands must be able to present a superior user experience. Your website must be able to ensure a user’s journey is in tune with your brand’s content strategy and business goals. Your website is the backbone of your enterprise after all.
To do this successfully requires an alignment of these marketing technical skills:

• UX design
• Front-end development
• Web Development
• Product Management

5) Mobile Marketing

As this report in Marketing Land declares, 65% of all digital media time is spent on mobile. As that time increases, desktops have become secondary platforms. While desktops aren’t going anywhere just yet, it is imperative to shift to a mobile-first strategy in regards to accommodating real-world customer behavior.

Top marketing skills still apply but must be adjusted somewhat to adapt to the nuances of the mobile environment.
Development of the following marketing skills will go a long way towards ensuring success in this critical area:

• Mobile design
• Mobile development
• E-commerce analytics
• Web traffic analytics

Contact Lucid Advertising Today!

While it isn’t necessary for anyone marketer to master all of these skills, being cognizant of the role these skills play and how they fit into the overall scope of your business goals is imperative. When you need expert assistance in executing those goals, employing an online marketing firm like Lucid Advertising is an excellent solution. Contact us today for solutions to your digital marketing needs.