6 ‘Must-have’ skills to start a successful career in Marketing
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Common skill sets that will help set you apart when it comes to a career in marketing
Sure, we may be writing with a little bias here, but marketing and branding are two of the most exciting and dynamic fields to work in right now – except for maybe a dentist at an aquarium or Elon Musks’ publicist…
A role in branding and marketing offers plenty of opportunities to be creative, work with diverse teams of people, and (hopefully) make an impact. At Spinks Creative HQ, this got us thinking – what does it take to get started in these fields?
Shall we have a go at working it out? Go on then…
- Creative Thinking
One of the most important skills you need to have to succeed in marketing and branding is creative thinking. For want of a better cliche, you need to be able to ‘think outside the box’ and frequently come up with new and innovative ideas, and be willing to take risks.
Creative thinking will help you stand out from the crowd and find unique solutions to marketing challenges – we love thinking outside of the box at Team Spinks, and apparently tired cliches too.
2. Communication
Marketing and branding are all about communication, and storytelling – the ability to pierce into the hearts and minds of your target audience. Yes, you need to be able to communicate effectively with your audience, but also with clients, team members, and many people in between. This includes both written and verbal communication, as well as the ability to listen and understand other perspectives. Great campaigns rely on great communication.
3. Analytical Skills
The numbers don’t lie. These days, a big portion of marketing activity is driven by data. You need to be able to analyse data, identify trends, and use that information to make informed decisions. This includes understanding metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), engagement rates, and conversion rates. Combine this with your creative thinking abilities, and beauty meets brains in a really exciting way.
4. Strategic Thinking
Sure, we’ve talked about how being creative is a must, but if we’re all flair and no practicality, we won’t last long…
You need to be able to see the big picture, understand the market, and develop strategies that align with business objectives as well as know how to market to them through storytelling. This includes identifying target audiences, developing messaging, and creating campaigns that resonate with consumers.
5. Tech-Savviness
Yup – we cannot escape the tech. Marketeers need to be able to navigate various digital platforms, understand the latest trends, and use data to make better, more informed choices.
This typically looks like social media, Google Analytics, SEO etc, but also includes graphic design software, coding cheat sheets and more.
6. Adaptability
The marketing and branding landscape is constantly evolving. To be successful in these fields, you need to be adaptable, willing to learn and confident enough in your ability to mix things up to see how results can improve.
This means staying up-to-date with industry trends, embracing new technologies, and being willing to pivot when necessary – creative thinking meets critical thinking (ooooooh).
7. Collaboration
7? I thought you were going to give us 6? You cheeky devil.
In true agency fashion, we’re demonstrating the ability to give more, to exceed expectations but importantly, to possess the ability to collaborate with others. Marketing and branding are team sports. You need to be able to collaborate effectively with others, including designers, copywriters, social media managers, and more.
What does true collaboration look like? This means being open to feedback, sharing ideas, working together to achieve a common goal and at Spinks Creative at least, going the extra mile to make sure our work is as best as it can be.
Sure, working in an industry like ours is hard work, but with hard work comes great reward. Starting a career in marketing and branding requires a mix of creativity, analytical skills, strategic thinking, tech-savviness, adaptability, and collaboration – if you possess these skills and are willing to work hard, you’ll go far. Next stop, Saatchi and Saatchi (they’re a pretty big deal in our game)…
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