Who to Hire and How: Next-Generation Skills for Tomorrow’s Marketing Department

07 May 2024

Step into the future of marketing with us as we explore the next-generation skills shaping the way marketing campaigns are designed and run and how you can recruit and retain talent with the ability to take your marketing department forward. From artificial intelligence to search engine optimisation and beyond, we'll uncover the keys to success in attracting, retaining, and using these transformative skills within your business. Welcome to the forefront of modern marketing.

 

Emerging Marketing Skills

 

Staying ahead of the curve means understanding the next-generation skills changing the face of marketing. From AI to SEO and digital marketing, knowing which of these emerging abilities you need to attract and retain in your business is crucial for success. 

 

Let's explore some of the skills that are going to be essential in tomorrow’s marketing departments:

 

AI and Machine Learning

 

Using AI and powerful machine learning algorithms, marketers can analyse vast amounts of consumer data, giving them greater insight into their customers' behaviour, preferences, and motivations. With that information, they can then craft personalised, automated campaigns and predict trends for more effective marketing and improved ROI.

 

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

 

With most consumers beginning their purchasing journey online, SEO and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) expertise is crucial for ensuring brand visibility in search engine results, driving organic and paid traffic, and increasing brand credibility. 17% of marketing leaders say that changes to how search engines rank content is one of their biggest challenges so strong SEO skills and an ability to keep on top of updates is in-demand. 

 

Digital Marketing 

 

Digital marketing allows marketers to reach targeted audiences across various online platforms, engage with customers in real time, measure campaign performance accurately, and adapt strategies swiftly to changing market trends. Spending on digital marketing grew by over 12.5% last year, meaning it’s the area of marketing that businesses are investing in most heavily. However, there is an ongoing shortage of digital marketing skills, making candidates with digital marketing skills highly sought after. 

 

Data Analytics 

 

Marketing activities generate large amounts of data, but little was used to inform future campaigns in the past. Now, data analytics and interpretation extract actionable insights from complex data sets, allowing marketers to identify patterns and trends, optimise their strategies based on consumer behaviour, and make data-driven decisions to drive business growth.

 

Content Creation and Curation

 

We live in a world where content competes for consumers' attention. Without high-quality, relevant, and engaging content that resonates with target audiences’ campaigns can get lost in the noise. Marketers with the skills to create and curate such content across multiple channels can build brand awareness, establish thought leadership, and drive customer engagement and loyalty.

 

Attracting and Retaining Top Talent with In-demand Marketing Skills

 

Here at Stopgap, we’ve been helping businesses find and retain marketing candidates with cutting-edge, next-generation skills for over three decades. We’ve created an in-depth guide to help you refine your recruitment but below are our quick tips for attracting talented marketing professionals.

 

1.    Building a Strong Employer Brand

 

Your employer brand strategy is the first step to attracting candidates with next-gen marketing skills. The right brand will appeal to tech-savvy and forward-thinking professionals. You can create an appealing employer brand by:

 

•    Showcasing a positive company culture that fosters innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning

•    Demonstrating a commitment to investing in employees' skills and career advancement

•    Using digital platforms and social media channels to share authentic employee stories, testimonials, and behind-the-scenes insights for a glimpse into the company's culture and values

•    Actively engaging with industry communities to establish yourselves as thought leaders and an employer of choice within the marketing sector

 

2.    Delivering a Positive Candidate Experience

 

Candidates with these in-demand next-generation skills are not only looking for rewarding roles but also for companies that embrace new technologies and ideas and that prioritise their experience throughout the recruitment process. Create candidate experiences that build trust and strengthen your reputation by:

 

•    Streamlining the application process, removing unnecessary steps, and ensuring a user-friendly, intuitive experience from end to end

•    Communicating transparently and personalise interactions, showing respect for candidates’ time and a genuine appreciation of their talents

•    Providing opportunities for candidates to engage with your company beyond the formal interview process

•    Seeking feedback and committing to improving your recruitment processes based on that feedback

 

3.    Rethinking Traditional Recruitment Processes

 

Attracting and retaining candidates with next-generation skills often means rethinking the traditional recruitment process. Traditional interviewing methods can fail to capture a full picture of a candidate’s expertise, particularly regarding new technology and soft skills in marketing. 

•    Implement skill-based assessments to evaluate candidates' abilities in specific next-generation skills such as AI or digital marketing

•    Use new technology, tools, and platforms to screen CVs and analyse candidate data to identify top talent efficiently and objectively

•    Provide training programs, workshops, or online courses to upskill existing employees and attract candidates with a willingness to learn and adapt to new technologies

•    Promote a diverse and inclusive workplace culture that welcomes candidates with different backgrounds and experiences. 

•    Implement blind hiring techniques, diverse interview panels, and inclusive language in job postings to attract a broader range of talent.

 

 

4.    Benchmarking Your Salary Offering

 

Making sure that your salaries and benefits are in line with industry standards ensures that you remain competitive when attracting and retaining new skills, especially when those skills are in high demand. Benchmarking also helps maintain employee satisfaction and reduces turnover by demonstrating that the company values and rewards its employees fairly. 

 

Explore Stopgap’s latest salary insights.  

 

Stopgap have been placing people in great marketing roles since 1993. As the first UK recruitment team to specialise in marketing, agency, creative and digital, we’ve always been at the cutting edge. If you are looking for fresh new talent with exceptional skills that will take your business forward, we can help. 

 

Send us your brief today.