In the second blog of our Marketing For The Future series, we’ll be exploring the evolution of marketing and the way team skills have adapted over time to keep up with developments in the industry. Just like any industry, sales and marketing have undergone significant changes over the years, and continue to do so. From the advent of the internet and shift away from print advertising to the difference between in-house and agency marketing teams – we’ll be exploring the marketing team skills you need to hone for 2023 and beyond.
Marketing in 2023 is a far different field than it once was and incorporates more moving parts than ever. Over the past few decades, we have experienced the dawn of social media, advanced search engines, and digital advertising. Print marketing made way for digital methods, and the plethora of marketing sub-sectors and specialisms continued to grow. More recently we have welcomed advancements in TikTok marketing, artificial intelligence, and the metaverse. With so many innovations in such a short space of time, it’s anybody’s guess how the field of marketing will look in a few years, or even a few months. As such, marketing professionals ought to be both willing and prepared for change in the industry. After all, change is inevitable.
There’s no need to fear the fast-approaching advancements in the marketing sector. Here are three ways you can stay up to date and achieve success in the era of technology:
We’ve established that marketing team skills have developed quickly over the past years and decades, and don’t anticipate for this to stop anytime soon. This is why upskilling is so vital for modern marketing teams. Upskilling is actually the top priority for 59% of business leaders which means that if you’re not upskilling and routinely reviewing your marketing team’s skills and capabilities, you’re falling behind your competitors. Here are a few upskilling areas to consider:
We can’t upskill if we don’t know what advancements are taking place! That’s why it is so important to constantly stay updated on innovations and trends in the marketing sector. Always have a close eye on reputable news outlets, especially those in the specific industries your marketing team focuses on. Not only will this allow you to scope out opportunities for investment in your team and technologies, but you’ll become a greater authority that your clients and peers can come to for insightful marketing advice and knowledge, thereby increasing your credibility.
Lastly, don’t be afraid of the value of automation. Many marketing teams may fear relinquishing their power to technology, worrying that their campaigns will lose a ‘personal touch’. However, automation can be valuable to your team by providing you with the time to upskill. What’s more, in all likelihood you’re already using automation in some form or another in your day-to-day life. That ‘out of office’ email? Automated. Your voicemail service? Automated. Examples of modern marketing automation include:
As marketers, we spend much of our time encouraging consumers to invest in products, experiences and themselves. We really ought to take heed of our own teachings and start investing in technologies to aid us in embracing marketing for the future. It’s no secret that the latest marketing technologies come with a hefty price tag – however, the long-term financial benefits of these technologies can more than pay for the upfront cost.
Take SEMRush for example, the all-in-one marketing insights tool that the team at DGT use day-in, day-out. SEMRush membership doesn’t come cheap, but the return on investment we’ve achieved with the help of this technology has been invaluable. Our content marketers use it to carry out advanced keyword research, our campaign managers use it to pinpoint topics of interest, and our broader team uses it to track our search engine rankings. All of this allows us to demonstrate greater value to our clients, track our own progress, and help us achieve our ultimate goal – to generate demand. And it’s not just SEMRush that this investment mindset is applicable to. Many marketers use advanced CRM, scheduling, and AI copywriting tools to assist in daily tasks and provide marketing insights. As a result, marketing teams can ensure they are always up to date with the latest technologies whilst simultaneously saving time on otherwise difficult or menial tasks, giving them more time to learn and upskill.
It is no secret that modern marketing teams often consist of a variety of specialist staff, with each being responsible for the success of a specific marketing format. This is even applicable to us at DGT. We have our own Social Media Manager, a dedicated Content Specialist, and our go-to staff for our queries on SEO, PPC, and everything in-between. However, staff members focusing on just one sub-division of marketing isn’t conducive to a collaborative work environment. Nowadays, marketers need to have at least some level of awareness of all modes and practices across the industry, and how they can impact or be impacted by their owned channels. Skill sets are all inextricably associated, creating a web of skills and capabilities. So, although marketing teams may have their ‘go-to’ experts on specific marketing topics, individuals need to broaden their scope of skills in order to be of optimal value to their team.
With the trajectory of the marketing field constantly welcoming new technologies and advancements, we anticipate that marketing teams for the future will need even more specialist roles for artificial intelligence and metaverse marketing. More traditional digital roles will also evolve to encompass these new technologies. For example, traditional copywriters may find that a significant part of their role in the future will be learning AI cues and editing AI produced content as opposed to pure content creation. This means utilising the abundance of information available to us such as webinars, tutorials and online courses to stay informed in the meantime so that when these developments come about, you’re equipped for change. It’s also part of the reason we made our Marketing For The Future series – to keep marketing professionals across various disciplines up to date with the cutting edge of marketing technology and trends that will most likely inform their strategies in the near future.
Marketing team skills have adapted significantly over the past few years to keep up with developments in technology, which has encouraged marketers to broaden their scope away from specialisms and into becoming multi-disciplinary whizzes. With so many new technologies to wrap our head around, it can be difficult to stay up to date. That’s why the DGT team have created our Marketing For The Future series! It’s your one-stop shop for regular marketing insights that we anticipate will shape the future of our industry.
Interested in exploring the future of the Metaverse, or want to understand the value of content automation? DGT is here to help you understand the latest developments in marketing so you can propel your growth. Want to know more about DGT and how our skills can help your teams thrive? Fill out the form below:
Posted by Jenna C on Thursday 22nd June 2023
