The marketing industry is incredibly diverse, ranging from content and brand marketing to digital marketing and market research. Therefore, there are several ways in which you can put your skills and talents to good use. Here, we look at some of the most crucial skills that a marketer needs to master.

Creativity

In marketing, creativity means that you can generate original ideas, communicate unique messages and execute campaigns in an inventive way. Creativity also helps you to build a memorable brand and outsmart your competition with new and exciting solutions.

Marketing utilises various forms of creativity. For example, content marketing requires a way with words or artistic skill. Content marketing has become huge over the past few years. Countless companies now use blogs, social media and video content to promote their products and build a following. For content creators, artistic or design-based creativity is an essential part of their marketing arsenal.

However, even if you’re not a design whizz, your creativity is required in other areas too. Devising captivating campaigns and business approaches involves a level of imagination and a drive to generate original ideas.

You can unlock your creative potential through brainstorming ideas, reading books and studying the work of marketers you admire. Pursue ideas that spark your interest and see where they take you!

Communication

People talking at work

Communication is what marketing is all about. Whether working with colleagues, pitching to clients, talking to customers or feeding back to creative teams, effective communication is essential at every stage. You need to speak clearly, listen carefully, write confidently and make sure that your ideas are conveyed appropriately.

But it’s not simply verbal and written communication that’s important; body language is too. Stand up tall when communicating with others, make eye contact and make sure you dedicate your full attention to the person you’re with.

Confident communication will mean you run clear and impressive campaigns and have a well-functioning team.

Negotiation

Negotiating is a valuable tool that can be used in so many aspects of marketing. It is a strategic discussion that resolves issues and leaves all parties feeling satisfied with the result. Whether vying for budgets or trying to win over potential clients, you need to make a compelling case, and this is done through negotiation.

Not all of us are natural negotiators but don’t worry, you can learn. Any marketing course will teach you to research, review and make an argument backed up by top-notch evidence.

Teamwork

Marketers rarely work alone. A marketing campaign can involve product designers, market researchers, sales teams, advertisers and other stakeholders. Therefore, it’s essential that you work well as part of a team. It’s also vital that you can work with multiple teams since your marketing efforts may involve several stakeholders and companies.

To work well in a team, you need to be organised, a clear communicator, personable and reliable. Although working as a team can be stressful at times as you juggle multiple views and opinions, it can also be incredibly rewarding. You will work with incredible people, meet exciting individuals and form relationships that last for years.

Organisation

With emails, messaging apps, phone calls and meetings all piling up, organisation is a key tool for marketers. You need to be able to juggle creative briefs with campaign pitches and maybe some event planning too. You never know what may come your way when you’re a marketer, so you need to be prepared to deal with it all.

To-do lists and organisational software can be a fantastic addition to a marketing team. List making apps such as Any.do or project management tools such as Asana and Monday.com offer cheap and effective ways to stay organised.

IT

Digital marketing is an integral part of modern marketing campaigns and so a level of IT competency is vital. Microsoft Office, email and communications tools will all be a part of your everyday tasks. If you’re more creatively focussed, then the Adobe suite will be a valuable addition to your skillset. If you are more analytically minded, you will need to master Google Analytics, Facebook Analytics, and other CRMs.

Computer and phone

Analytical ability

Analytics are sets of information that give an insight into how a marketing campaign is performing. Therefore, by analysing the data with a keen eye, you can create actionable insight that will direct the campaign and drive profitable results.

Tools such as Google Analytics may seem intimidating at first but you can learn how to use them by studying a college course or working through online tutorials.

Business acumen

Marketing is the face of a business and so you need some basic business acumen. Can you devise campaigns driven by measurable, profitable results? If you miss the key business objectives, then your campaign may fail before it’s even begun.

Luckily, business knowledge is easily taught and is a core component of any marketing course. Even if you’re entirely new to the industry, studying marketing will equip you with the business know-how to build profits, grow organisations and delight customers.

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to begin or advance your career in marketing? At Central Australian College, we have marketing courses suitable for absolute beginners and seasoned professionals. Our highly-skills trainers also have years of professional experience and are passionate about creating the marketers of the future. Contact us today to find out more!