Marcomm has evolved rapidly over the last several years as it has grown and adapted with the digital age. The traits of a great marcomms expert have shifted significantly, and not everyone in the field has kept up. As a communications recruiter, we all too often see promising candidates that are just a little behind the times on the demands of digital marketing today.
Luckily it’s not too late to catch up. Today’s marcomm leaders need a strong mix of soft and hard skills to both execute in their domain and manage those under them effectively do the same. Now is the time to invest in your marketing communications manager skills!
7 Ways to Move Your PR and Communications Career Forward
Consumer expectations and modern media are evolving and becoming more sophisticated at a frantic pace. The world of public relations and corporate communications is changing along with them, though not always keeping up. Forward-looking professionals in these fields who can see what’s changing can take advantage of the chaos to get the attention of public relations recruiters, grow their careers, and provide more value to their employers. As marketing communications recruiters, here some of the emerging traits we’re seeing clients looking for from their communications candidates. Click here to develop expertise in one or more of these categories to secure your career’s future and get access to as many job opportunities as possible.
These aren’t all the traits that make a good marketing communications professionals. But they’re some of the most basic—and most essential:
1. Broad Communication Capabilities
The communications half of marcomm all too often gets lost in the rush of digital marketing today. But in a lot of ways, it should be a priority for those in manager roles. I guess “Commark” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
This means communication is a KEY component of the job. As a communicator, you must be able to tell a story to your customers (B2B or B2C). You need to be clear, concise, and able to prompt an emotional response.
Your most effective communications strategies will focus on benefits rather than features. Move beyond the technical capabilities and share how your product will practically improve customers’ lives. Communication is an essential skill for almost any of today’s marketers. But you in particular must lead by example with your effective and compelling words.
More on the importance of professional communication skills, and how to nail the basics.
2. Creative Thinking
In the information age, there is a staggering selection of digital media for consumers to experience at any given moment. You’ll have to be creative in how you break through the noise and garner attention for your brand.
This will make your messaging standout, and your target market to perceive your message much better. This is easier said than done, but the best way to begin is by examining your brand and products from a holistic perspective.
But to do that you’ll have to understand your target audience and products comprehensively, whilst preparing a specific communications strategy. Find innovative ways to relate to your audience and you’ll be rewarded.
Learn more about the science behind holistic creativity: Click here
3. An Analytical Mind
Digital marketing’s grandest advantage over traditional marketing is that feedback is quicker and more useful. It reduces the uncertainty of the effectiveness of your communications strategies, from which platform is most effective to what message draws the most conversion.
In traditional marketing, when you purchase a billboard for advertising, you will never know the exact number of customers that saw your ad or acted on it. With digital marketing, this information is easily accessible in real-time, giving you the option to adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
As a marketing communications manager, you should be comfortable handing statistics and be able to translate your analytics into insights. You must understand your results in order to strategically improve your marketing.
4. Tech Fluency
The digital marketing world is changing rapidly. It seems like every week a new gadget or software or strategy emerges that promises to revolutionize marketing. From emerging social networks to new Google search algorithms, marketing communications managers have to be tech-savvy and keep up. And it’s increasingly not enough to simply be familiar with these tools and trends. Increasingly your role demands you be able to actively use them (or at least direct others to do so).
Need help keeping up with the flurry of technology coming your way? Try following industry blogs.
As the digital world evolves, your marketing communications manager skills and knowledge must evolve as well. Technology is creating an increasingly fragmented marketplace. There are more channels and marketing tools than ever before to choose from. Picking the right ones could make or break your future growth. There’s still room for traditional PR, but expect targeted, personalized messaging strategies enabled by digital tools and media to become increasingly prominent. Test to find out what mix works best for your brand. Here’s what you need to know about modern communications in an increasingly digital age—and what to do about it.
5. Teamwork
More than some other fields of marketing, marcomm has been able to operate in a relative silo compared to its counterparts. But today’s communications managers must be able to collaborate with others not only in marketing but across the company as well to be effective. This skill is one of the most desired soft skills for today’s employers. To be a manager that can work in a team, you must be able to:
- Listen to your team and be open to suggestions;
- Ask for input on ideas and make them feel comfortable to share them;
- Give constructive criticism by identifying weaknesses and helping them improve;
- Guide them on paths to reach the company’s goals.
6. Life-long learner
There is no question that marketing will continue to expand and grow at an exponential rate. Marketing communication managers will be tasked to keep up with customer trends, new technologies, and best practices. Those who rely on past methodologies will risk their market shares and fall behind competitors.
The core skill sets marketing communications professionals should maintain is being a life-long learner. There is no one formula that will be forever green. Simply subscribing to marcomm outlets will keep all managers updated with the latest trends.
While each company has different marketing goals and different funnel elements, today’s marketing communication managers need to ensure that their employees have the acquired skills that enable them to utilize AI to produce results. This will result in managers being up-to-date on new technologies and being able to train their team on the matter. An effective marketing team starts with a great leader.
7. Storyteller
Storytelling is a fundamental human journey that promotes stronger connections through communication between the company and its customers. As marketers, we should constantly want to know more about the environment in which we live, the products we promote, and the customers we attract. A company’s stories should convey both knowledge and meaning. By connecting with your audience on an emotional level, it gives your customers a different entry to your brand.
These may seem obvious or abstract, but often the best way to be a team player is to treat your team how you would like to be treated. This differentiates you as being more than a simple boss, but a leader in your organization.
More Reading Recommendations from a Communications Recruiter
Why Integrated Marketing Communications Is More Important Than Ever
Over the past few weeks I have seen two different examples to help augment and justify my preoccupation and belief in always presenting and delivering a cross-channel message to consumers. More.
3 Marketing Communication Strategies to Increase Your Impact
Marketing communications have been challenging business owners, startup founders, entrepreneurs, and marketing directors alike since the term was dreamed up decades ago. Who to target, how to do so as well as when and where to do it are all critical questions that must be answered before beginning any outreach campaign. More.