TOP 5 IN-DEMAND MARKETING SKILLS IN 2023
Are you interested in making a career switch to marketing and want to focus on the most in-demand marketing skills in 2023? You’re in the right place. In this article, I’ll let you in on the current skills you can pick up this year and some courses to enroll in to help you become a sought-after marketing talent.
Ready? Let’s Begin!
1. Data Analysis and Visualization
Data analysis is the process of collecting, cleaning, and presenting data so that patterns and trends can be seen. This can be done with several tools, such as spreadsheets, statistical software, and machine learning algorithms.
On the other hand, data visualization is the use of charts, graphs, and maps to visually present data. It is an important part of the analysis process because it makes data easier to understand.
Why is data analysis important?
The 21st-century brand wants to find new ways to attract new customers and run data-driven marketing campaigns. With the digital revolution in full swing, organizations now have access to a huge amount of information about consumer behavior, interests, and interactions.
They want to use this information to improve their marketing campaigns, connect better with their customers, and drive more sales. And by analyzing this data thoroughly, they can make wise judgments and become a stronger brand than their competitors.
What do data-driven marketers do?
As a data-driven marketer, you have to help your client track the performance of their marketing strategies, quickly figure out which techniques need optimization, and make recommendations to improve their ROI.
For instance, if your employer owns an e-commerce store and wants to increase website traffic and sales, you want to be able to figure out their loyal customers, popular products, and the channels that drive more traffic to their site. With such data, you’ll be able to create strategic marketing initiatives in the future.
This means you need to know how to use Google Analytics and other analytical tools like:
Spreadsheets: like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are used to organize and analyze data. They allow you to filter, sort, and pivot data, as well as create simple charts and graphs. But if you want to run a complex analysis you can learn how to work with SQL.
SQL (Structured Query Language): is a programming language that is used to manage and manipulate data stored in relational databases. SQL is a must-have skill for any data scientist or analyst because it lets you query, filter, and combine data from large datasets.
Visualization Software: such as Tableau, allows you to create interactive charts, graphs, and maps to visualize and communicate data. Aside from Tableau, there are many other options available, including Google Charts, D3.js, and Matplotlib.
Now that you know the importance of data analytics tools and the tools that can help you get the job done, you can read more and teach yourself data analytics. But if you prefer being taught by someone, here are some courses you can sign up for:
Data analytics courses for marketers
1. Marketing Data Analysis Using Excel
Platform: Udemy
Rated 4.5
Level: Beginner
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Marketing Data Analysis
- Data Analysis using Excel
- Analyzing real-time marketing research data with pivot tables
- Analyzing real-time marketing research data with pivot charts
- Hypothesis testing of marketing data using the Chi-Square test
- Know how to rank the variables and run rank correlation in Excel
2. Data Analytics Methods for Marketers
Platform: Coursera
Rated 4.8
Level: Beginner
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- How to plan and forecast your marketing efforts across different channels
- How to use marketing mix modeling and attribution to optimize your efforts
- How to evaluate and optimize your sales funnel
3. Data Analytics for Marketers
Platform: IDM (Institute of Data and Marketing)
No ratings
Level: Advanced
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Identify which statistical methods are most useful to marketers
- Maximize the effectiveness of the data you hold
- Use predictive modeling techniques and segmentation methods
- Identify and interpret the key elements of your statistical output
- Use the findings appropriately and effectively to inform future strategies
2. Content Creation and Storytelling
What’s the importance of content creation and storytelling?
Engaging and valuable content is to marketing what blood is to a human. Through valuable, relatable content, you can attract, engage, convert, and retain customers. Plus, position your brand as a thought leader in the industry, build brand loyalty, and encourage repeat purchases.
While valuable content helps you do all of that, storytelling helps you build your brand’s identity and connect with consumers on an emotional level.
As a content creator, you have to create and share stories that bring a brand’s message to life and produce content that is relatable, believable, interesting, and shows what makes them unique.
In addition, you want to include the following in your skillset;
Content creation and storytelling skills
1. Research: This is the ability to source quality information from reliable platforms, evaluate it, put the pieces of data together, and make sense of it. To add to that, the job market needs marketers who can conduct effective research, share current information, and back up their claims with facts.
2. Writing: A good writing skill is a basic skill you need to create interesting and useful content. Your ability to write in a clear, concise, and organized way will help you create content that is easy to digest.
3. Design: Employers are on the lookout for content creators with an aesthetic sense because they understand that it takes more than text to produce captivating content. Visuals like images, screenshots, infographics, and memes spice up your content and make it interesting to read. So if you want to increase engagement and readership, you have to understand design, or at least have an idea of what color psychology, color theory, composition, and typography mean. Lest I forget, learn how to work with design tools like Adobe Photoshop, Canva, Visme, and Venngage.
4. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Driving traffic to a website has never been more valuable than it is right now. With so many new businesses popping up all the time, established ones are willing to shell out serious cash to gain more visibility online. While you’re hoping to get the cash, your part is to understand what it means to optimize a website for search engines. Stuff like how search engines work, keyword targeting, link building, content formatting, and technical SEO are what you must know to help a client drive traffic to their site. Additionally, learn how to work with all or one of these SEO tools: SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Console.
5. Video Production: It’s no news that video has become more popular than other types of online media, which is a good thing for video editors and skit creators. You can pick up the challenge to learn the inside-out of filmmaking, editing, audio editing, and visual effects. Rather, learn how to use tools like Capcut, InVideo, Clipchamp, and Canva, they have beautiful and creative templates you can edit and work with.
6. Project Management: As a creator, part of your job is to plan, organize, and carry out projects efficiently and effectively. This means you have to understand how to set goals and objectives, create timelines and schedules, coordinate with team members and stakeholders, monitor progress, and make adjustments as needed. Being able to manage your content creation projects effectively will help you stay on budget, meet deadlines, and deliver high-quality content that meets the needs of your audience.
7. Design Thinking: Design thinking is a problem-solving method that begins with you identifying what a problem is before creating solutions to resolve them. A solution is not limited to a digital or tangible product, it can be content, video, speech, or anything that addresses a problem. By applying the principles of design thinking, you can create more effective and interesting content that fits the needs of your audience. Also, by building your design thinking skills, you have a higher chance of coming up with new and innovative ideas for your content.
8. Critical Thinking: This is the ability to look at information and ideas objectively and decide what to include in your content based on what you know. If you critically think through your content creation process you can identify and analyze any biases, assumptions, or fallacies in your thinking or the data you have gathered. With your critical skills on point, you can create more accurate, informative, and persuasive content, which gives the impression that you are an expert at what you do.
Here are some courses you can sign up for to improve your content creation and storytelling skills.
Content and storytelling courses for marketers
1. Storytelling Marketing Mastery 2023 | Building Your Brands
Platform: Udemy
Rated 4.4
Level: Beginner
Pricing: Check the Site
What you’ll learn:
- Discover how powerful a story can be when integrated into your marketing campaigns!
- Find out what style of story-telling will resonate with your core audience and motivate them to become part of your tribe!
- Uncover the different styles of story-telling and how to choose the best one for your business easily
2. HubSpot’s Content Creation Courses
Platform: HubSpot
No ratings
Level: Beginner
Pricing: Free, Check Site
What you’ll learn:
- How to create content that aligns with your purpose or mission
- How to tell stories that are stimulating and give your target audience something to believe in.
3. The Power of Creative Storytelling
Platform: School of Marketing
No ratings
Level: Advanced
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- The resurgence of storytelling as a powerful marketing tool
- The ingredients of storytelling
- The process of creating your story
- Tips on becoming a better storyteller
Next up is social media marketing, which was the very first thing I learned in marketing.
3. Social Media Marketing
Why social media marketing is still a relevant skill
In the past few years, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, and TikTok have become more important marketing tools as businesses use them to connect with customers. This has given businesses a great chance to reach a large and interested audience.
What do social media marketers know?
As a social media marketer, you have to analyze your competitors and come up with a strategy and plan before heading on to create and share interesting content that your target audience can relate to. Afterward, track and optimize the performance of your social media campaigns. To stand out, know how to use different social media platforms for marketing purposes and stay up-to-date on the latest social media trends and best practices.
Here are the major skills every social media marketer should have:
1. Strategy Development: Build your expertise on goal setting, audience research, targeting, and creating content that resonates with the target audience.
2. Community Management: Community is now a big thing in marketing, so if you can build and successfully engage with an online community you’re a gem. This means your communication skills and ability to resolve customer complaints and issues must be on point.
3. Advertising: It is necessary that you understand how to create compelling ad copy, master advertising and targeting options of at least 3 social media platforms, and improve ad performance.
In addition to the skills I listed above, you also need to be good at content creation, graphic design, video editing, analytics, and customer service. To kick off your social media marketing career, you can sign up for any of the following courses:
Social Media Marketing Courses
1. Social Media Marketing Mastery 2023 | Ads on 10+ Platforms
Platform: Udemy
Rated 4.4
Level: All Levels
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Understand everything about Social Media Marketing!
- Create highly optimized and high-quality paid ads on all Social Media platforms.
- Instagram Marketing A-Z and how to monetize the social platform.
- Twitter Marketing Strategies for LASER-focused ads.
- MASTER YouTube marketing, including layout, content creation, and video ads!
- Optimize your LinkedIn profile and use LinkedIn ads to grow your business.
- Use Web 2.0 blogs to further expand your reach with SEO and content marketing.
- Social media marketing posting automation via IFTTT.
- The power of Pinterest-promoted pins and ALL the Pinterest Marketing strategies we implement for our clients!
- Use Google Business to benefit your local business and help your Search Engine Optimization.
- Become a Facebook Ads Expert!
2. Social Media Marketing Certification Course
Platform: HubSpot
No ratings
Level: All Levels
Pricing: Free, Visit the site
What you’ll learn:
- Developing a Social Media Strategy
- Social Media Listening and Monitoring
- Building a Content Strategy for Social Media
- Extending Your Reach on Social Media
- Using Social Media to Build One-to-One Relationships
- Introduction to Social Media Advertising
- Measuring Your Social Return on Investment
- Essentials for Continued Success with Social Media
3. Advanced Social Media Marketing Training
Platform: Market Motive
No ratings
Level: All Levels
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Social Media Foundations
- Advanced Social Media Marketing
- YouTube and Video Marketing
- Facebook Marketing and Advertising
- Social Media Tools
- Advanced Content Marketing
- Advanced Web Analytics
We’re almost there! Now let’s look at the sister that feeds off social media marketing
4. Influencer Marketing
Importance of Influencer Marketing
If a business wants to reach a specific subset of consumers, using influencers as brand ambassadors can be an effective strategy.
However, brands need help to make sure they’re collaborating with the right influencers and that their marketing efforts reflect the brand’s core values and mission. That’s where you come in.
To help your client get the best at influencer marketing campaigns, here are some skills to catch up on:
1. Partnership Building and Identifying Influencers: Reaching the right people is crucial for the success of your influencer marketing campaigns. You will need to bring in your research skills to identify individuals who can drive your target audience to pay attention to your brand. Always work with influencers whose personalities or results connect with your brand’s identity.
2. Creating and Running Influencer Marketing Campaigns: After identifying the right influencers, the next step is to develop a campaign that will appeal to your audience and drive them to take action. This means you have to plan extensively, coordinate the campaign, and create the content your prospect can relate to some point in your campaign you might need some adjustments and it is up to you to figure that out earlier enough. And don’t forget you will always have to track and analyze your campaigns.
Here are some courses you can sign up for to get a good hang of influencer marketing.
Influencer Marketing courses
1. Influencer Marketing Strategy
Platform: Coursera
Rated 4.4
Level: Intermediate Level
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Influencer Marketing Strategy
- Content Marketing Strategy
- How To Find Influencers.
- How To Engage Influencers
- How To Measure Influencer Marketing
- Influencer Campaigns
2. Influencer Marketing Course
Platform: Great Learning
Rated 4.56
Level: All Levels
Pricing: Free, Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Finding the right influencer
- Creating content
- Promoting the content
- Measuring results
3. Influencer Marketing Certification
Platform: Meltwater Academy
No ratings
Level: All Levels
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Introduction to social influencer marketing
- What is influencer marketing
- How to use influencer marketing
- Developing your campaign
- Getting your campaign off the ground
5. Customer Experience
Importance of Customer Experience
In today’s market, where customers hold the power, excellent customer service is critical. If you want to build trust, attract new customers, and turn them into loyal brand advocates, prioritize giving them an awesome experience across your touch points.
Let’s say you’re working for a SaaS company, and your goal is to increase customer retention. From the onboarding of the user to the time when you ask them to refer others it should be a seamless process all the way.
Your users should find it easier to get their job done and when they have issues resolve them as soon as possible.
As a matter of fact from the first contact with your business to post-purchase aim to deliver a wow experience.
To become a customer experience specialist these are the must-have skills:
1. Customer journey mapping: Learn how to map the customer’s journey from the first time they meet you to after they’ve bought something from you. This will help you find specific points where customers are frustrated and fix them.
2. Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of others is a priceless skill. You can use this skill to improve the quality of interactions with customers and connect with them better.
3. Design thinking: Through design thinking, you can gain a thorough understanding of the user’s requirements, then iterate and test solutions to see which ones work best to solve your client’s problems. In addition, you also need to build your communication and critical thinking skills.
Here are some courses you can sign up for to earn a certification in customer experience:
Customer Experience Courses
1. Customer Experience Certification (CXS)™ Certification
Platform: CX University
Not Rated
Level: All Levels
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Customer Experience Strategy
- Customer Centric Culture
- Organizational Adoption and Accountability
- Metrics, Measurement, and ROI
- Experience in Design and Improvements
- Voice of the Customer, Customer Insight, and Understanding
2. CX Certification
Platform: Forrester
No ratings
Level: All Levels
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Maturing The CX Function
- Collecting & Analyzing Data For Customer Insights
- Using Journey Mapping To Embed Customer Insights
- Designing Experiences Users Want
- Enabling CX With Technology
- Elevating CX Measurement
3. Customer Experience (CX) Course
Platform: Digital Marketing Institute
Rated 4.8
Level: Intermediate
Pricing: Check the site
What you’ll learn:
- Customer Experience: Agility and the Changing Nature of Customers
- Designing CX: Placing the Customer at the Center
- Optimizing CX: Authenticity and Involving Customers
- Measuring CX: Data, Metrics, and Visualization
The Essence of Acquiring The Latest Marketing Skills (Wrap-Up)
Businesses want to stay ahead of the curve and be more competitive and profitable in their industry.
This places a lot of demand on marketers who can drive sustainable results. If you can master any of the skills I’ve mentioned earlier and keep abreast with the latest marketing trends and techniques, you’ll be the go-to person for businesses.
Now that you know what skills are in demand this year, which will you focus on or begin with? Let me know in the comment section below.
