“An amazing invention, but who would ever want to use one?” These were the words US President Rutherford B Hayes said when he was first shown a telephone. Perhaps it was because he did not have a clue how effectively it would replace telegram, which was more or less equivalent to instant messenger back then. Ever since it was patented by Graham Bell in 1876, it saw numerous twists and turns in its development and marketing.
It was primarily marketed for the sole purpose of business communications and using it for socializing was looked upon as rather frivolous and inappropriate. The invention was indeed revolutionary, but it still was more or less on the shelves until the end of the century. It occurred to them many years later that the telephone had far more potential. In the early 1900s, the telecom industry took off only when the telephone started being used for informal communications, which brought it to every home in the western world.
They had one big challenge, marketing something that does not have a market. It was easy to identify why the initial strategy had failed. There was no scientific marketing strategy. It was in fact, reverse engineered. The strategy was tailored to fit the plausible applications of telephones in the near future. Additionally, every marketer’s success lies on the one thing they ignored: Customer Perception. After all, customer is the king of the market.
Over the years, the business of marketing has evolved from merely being a facilitator of sales to include activities like identifying customer needs and pursuing innovations to meet them. Extensive use of data and social media engagements has become prevalent across industries worldwide. Right from finance to hospitality to automobile, every industry heavily relies on these social media platforms to enhance the marketability of their products.
It is certain that marketing will continue to evolve by changing its form and styles as time moves on. However, the basics will remain the same. It does not matter if you are selling a rocket or matchboxes, you will need a strong grip on the fundamental emotion of marketing to remain in the front in the long run.
So, what are the skills every marketer should possess?
In an industry where you are likely to be pulled down by intense competition, how do you climb up to success? Here are a few skills/edges that will take you to the top:
- Be a product guy
According to an Econsultancy study, “the information-rich environment enabled by the internet is transforming marketing into something way more than anybody could imagine. In simple terms, marketing is on the verge to become the new R&D.”
Marketers should have a passion for the product they sell. They need to be quick learners and have a decent grip on the product characteristics and technical specs. Marketing managers cannot educate their consumers without being educated themselves. A proper integration of the R&D department with the marketing department is of utmost importance while considering the need for customer education.
- Grasping the technology
The internet has practically transformed every industry today. Most customers these days make informed decisions about their purchases, just like business executives. Therefore, marketers have dive into the innumerous possibilities available in the electronic platforms.
Relying on intelligent software tools can help them organize their data and align their strategy with market conditions. Every person in need out there is a potential customer. That does not necessarily mean a marketer has to become a thirsty bloodhound. In fact, customers can be educated about the product and industry through blogs, technical content, etc. Inbound marketing has become an independent subject by itself.
- Teamwork
Marketing managers should keep a clear focus on the unity and coordination of their team and ensure that contributions are recognized and rewarded. A healthy team spirit enhances creativity and morale of the organization as a whole.
According to a study, project management software enhances team communication to the maximum. Therefore, it is essential to adopt a robust marketing project management software for marketing managers to coordinate the activities of their teams and track their progress.
- Creativity
Marketing always involves innovation. To be on top of the ladder, the marketer should always look for novel ideas and approaches to reach the customers and be established in the market. What Apple did on its first launch of the Macintosh Computer is the quintessential approach to being creative in marketing. There is a touchdown in a Superbowl game and the screen went dark for 2 seconds and the famous “1984 ad” came on the air. It claimed Mac that will tell, “Why 1984 will not be like 1984”. It instantly went viral that too in a pre-social media era and the Mac was a huge success.
- Interpersonal Communication
What is the first image that pops up when you hear the word ‘marketer’? A warm guy with sleek hair and a wide grin on his face, who can keep on chattering for many minutes before you yawn? A marketer should essentially be a good communicator. The ability to convey all about the product while listening to the customer’s responses can never be overemphasized. After all, the role of a marketer is to help the organization to fill in the gaps between the customer demands and the existing product lines.
- Analytical Skills
As we discussed, it is an era of information technology and leveraging on it is essential to carry yourself forward.
According to a SAS study, “data analytics help organizations harness important data and use it to identify new business opportunities. This leads to smarter business moves, higher profits, more efficient operations, and happier customers.”
So, it is important that target customer databases should be regularly studied, and budgets and marketing plans should be tailored accordingly. Numerous project management tools available for running data analytics and data visualization are increasingly employed by marketing professionals.
- Be an experimenter and a continuous learner
Today’s marketer should always have a thirst for knowledge, keeping abreast with the latest developments and studying tech and management journals. There are always theories and hypothesis by great management thinkers and philosophists. That should not keep the marketer from experimenting. Iconic marketing ideas are not executed after thorough formulation and evaluation; they are born out of experiments.
Adopt These 7 Marketing Manager Skills to Perfect Project Execution!
A marketing manager with the seven skills mentioned in this blog post can do wonders with their organizations’ marketing campaign. Also, they will be great leaders for their marketing teams.
But, along with the skills, it is important to use the right technology to manage and implement all strategies perfectly. That’s why it is important to deploy a marketing project management software, that helps in achieving all your marketing goals with ease.
Author Bio
David is a technical writer, his works are regularly published in various papers and top-notch portals. His rich experience in Project management domain helps him offer insightful and fresh perspectives on improved efficiency in workflows across organizations. His informative works on similar lines can be viewed on ProProfs Project.
