As businesses continue to adapt to the rapidly changing digital landscape, the need for skilled digital marketing professionals is at an all-time high. With the rise of advanced technology and the growing importance of personalized customer experiences, companies must build a digital marketing team prepared for the next decade.
Let’s take a deep dive into emerging job roles and the technical skills required to excel in digital marketing and explore strategies to stay ahead in 2023.
Increased Demand for Digital Marketing Talent
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way businesses operate, leading to a significant shift in consumer behavior.
As a result, companies have been forced to adapt and focus on developing their digital marketing strategies. This has created a surge in demand for digital marketing talent, with the US alone facing a shortage of 230,000 skilled professionals.
One of the key shifts in customer behavior has been the expectation of a seamless, personalized experience across all touchpoints.
To meet this demand, companies are focusing on hiring digital marketers with omnichannel marketing experience who can leverage consumer data to create a more personalized experience.
The rise of social media, communication, and e-commerce apps has further increased the demand for professionals with these skills.
Hiring Trends and Challenges Across Industries
As the demand for digital marketing talent continues to rise, companies are competing to attract skilled professionals.
Draup’s analysis of top hiring companies in the digital marketing domain reveals that tech and retail companies are leading the way in hiring digital marketers. However, the pharma, BFSI, and telecom industries are facing intense competition for digital marketing talent from these companies.
Pharma companies, in particular, are encountering specific hiring challenges, with 58% of companies seeking over-specialized talent. Meanwhile, 61% of companies feel that increased hiring from tech companies creates a significant challenge in finding and recruiting talent.
Despite these challenges, the demand for digital marketing talent continues to grow, making it a highly sought-after skillset in today’s job market.
Emerging Job Roles and Skills in Digital Marketing
Emerging technologies have given rise to new job roles in digital marketing. These roles require a unique combination of technical and creative skills and can provide companies with a competitive edge.
According to a report by LinkedIn, data analysis, UX design, and mobile development are some of the fastest-growing skills in the digital marketing industry currently. In fact, data analysis and UX design have seen a growth rate of over 80% and 50%, respectively, in the past five years.
Other in-demand job roles include Marketing Intelligence Analysts, marketing automation experts, data strategists and scientists, etc.
To be successful in these roles, individuals need to possess a cluster of advanced technical skills such as:
- SQL/Query Languages
- Python/R
- Front-End Programming
- Data Analysis
- Applied Statistics
- Web Traffic Metrics
- AI/ML Algorithms
- Cloud Computing
These technical skills will become increasingly important as digital marketing becomes more complex and data-driven. According to recent research, the digital marketing analytics market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.3% from 2021 to 2028, indicating that the demand for these roles and skills will only continue to rise.
Ways Companies Can Stay Ahead in 2023
Companies should focus on reskilling & upskilling their employees in advanced digital skills to build a team prepared for future changes.
Strategies for building a future-proof digital marketing team include:
- Investing in training programs for current employees to upskill in emerging technologies such as AI/ML, cloud computing, and big data platforms.
- Encouraging cross-training among employees to develop diverse skill sets and fill skill gaps within the team.
- Hiring professionals with advanced technical skills in emerging areas of digital marketing, such as AI and machine learning specialists, data analysts and scientists, etc.
- Creating a culture of continuous learning and innovation within the team to stay ahead of the curve.
- Embracing new technologies and trends in digital marketing, such as voice search optimization, chatbots, and virtual and augmented reality.
- Developing a data-driven marketing approach, leveraging customer data to personalize the customer experience and drive business growth.
- Building a diverse team with a mix of technical and creative skills to bring a fresh perspective to marketing strategies.
- Staying agile and adaptable to changes in consumer behavior and market trends and continuously evaluating and adjusting marketing strategies to stay competitive.
By doing so, companies can ensure they have a skilled and adaptable digital marketing team to keep pace with the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape.
Draup’s Talent platform leverages machine learning to curate data and provide real-time insights on talent trends, external market insights, and data-driven reskilling strategies. With the ability to analyze over 16 million data attributes daily, the AI-powered platform is a valuable tool for HR leaders looking to stay ahead.
