By Helena Alcoverro, on 21 April 2023
Digital marketing is a dynamic and energetic profession that encompasses multiple disciplines and is constantly evolving. Marketers wear a lot of hats and simultaneously face a lot of challenges and tasks in different areas. Although defining what it takes to be a good marketer can be hard, we asked 5 CMOs what they look for in marketing professionals, and having analytical capabilities, communication and writing skills, being naturally and actively curious and knowing how to work as a team are some of the key points. Keep reading to find out the rest!
1. Analytical Capacity
In digital marketing, we are always working with data and research. Therefore, a professional in this field has to be comfortable with metrics and know how to interpret them.
Digital marketing initiatives must always meet the company's goals. Therefore, a good marketer has to look beyond isolated data and identify key performance indicators (KPIs), i.e. metrics that indicate whether or not the global goals are being met.
Multiple factors influence marketing campaigns, which means there's a seemingly endless amount of data available. Because of this, it's crucial to know how to isolate different variables and find the key to optimizing each marketing action.
2. Communication
Digital marketers seek to build a connection between brands and users. Understanding a brand’s target audience and knowing how to communicate with them in a meaningful way is essential. A digital marketer is also responsible for maintaining the tone of the brand and for transmitting honesty and clarity at all times. Many brand reputation crises are nothing but simple communication failures.
Whether they have to explain a new strategy, share the results of a campaign, or give a presentation, strong marketers tend to be strong communicators. Being able to communicate well within your own team and with clients is important when considering how to be a good marketer.
3. Writing
Whether firing off a social media post, writing a blog entry, or even drafting a simple email, marketers need to have strong writing skills. Many marketers dabble in some form of written content creation, so being able to clearly and effectively write is an essential skill. This is also important for internal and corporate communications, especially when it comes to campaign planning and reporting.
4. Visual Editing
Video content and photos are key ingredients of a brand's communication strategy. Therefore, most digital marketers are expected to know at least the basics of video and image editing. This is especially key for social media marketers and content marketers.
5. Creativity
Technical skills are essential, but so is having that "spark" that helps create unforgettable campaigns.
Much of your success in digital marketing is based on how well you capture your audience’s attention. A good digital marketing professional has to be able to think outside the box and come up with creative and unique ways to communicate and solve problems.
6. Teamwork
Marketers rarely work alone. Whether you work in a team or you’re the only marketing professional at your organization, a marketer needs to know how to be able to work in a team. Even the sole marketer at a small business has to be able to work collaboratively with other departments to get tasks done and accomplish goals.
With a marketing department that consists of several people specialized in different disciplines like content marketing, SEO/SEM, and audiovisual content, collaboration and coordination between everyone is absolutely essential.
7. Curiosity
The digital marketing sector is always growing and evolving. Marketers never know what new platform or trend they'll find in the next week, next month or next year.
This is why some of the most important qualities of a marketer are curiosity, resilience to change, and the desire to continue learning. With this type of mindset, every day in the career of a digital marketer is a new professional adventure.
8. Relationship Builder
Being able to build relationships with prospects and clients is a critical skill for success. Growing and maintaining a network gives marketers an edge to secure the best business deals and contacts.
9. Understanding Customers and Markets
To get a solid understanding of markets and customers, marketers have to conduct market research. This is what helps brands gain an understanding of why people opt for certain products or competitors. It also helps them decide on product, price, promotion, and place, otherwise known as the marketing mix. Being aware of your competitors and your own standing in the market is essential to creating successful strategies for your brand.
What Types of Marketers Are CMOs Looking For?
To find out what a CMO or hiring manager is looking for when selecting digital marketers, there's nothing better than asking these people directly. That's why, on Cyberclick's Spanish podcast Respuestas de Marketing, we asked our guests "What is a good digital marketing professional to you?" Here's a selection of their answers.
(These answers have been translated from Spanish into English and some sentences have been edited for clarity.)
Juan Carlos Muñoz, Director of Digital Marketing & CRM at Volvo Cars
“Put yourself in your client's shoes. How would you like a company to relate to you through marketing?
It's common sense, but be curious, think about how to do things differently and make things better.”
Javier Casado, Managing Director at Grupo Planeta
“A good digital marketing professional, beyond just having digital marketing skills, is a person who is constantly learning, isn't afraid of change, and is adaptable.”
Jaime Bisbal, CMO/CGO at BBVA
“A person who is strategic and has the ability to execute. That gives you peace of mind in knowing that if you assign a project to them, they will know how to handle it from start to finish [....] Another key thing is that they understand the metrics needed to improve a project and know how to get the most out of it.”
Laura Ros, General Manager of Volkswagen Spain
“We need people who are very innovative, creative, entrepreneurial, but who also have a lot of analytical capabilities and the ability to synthesize. We are talking about the world of data, which often contrasts analytical capacity with creative ability, and we look for people who combine the two.”
Lucía García, Former Marketing Operations Manager at Badi
“I believe that here the key is to be a 7 in various marketing disciplines but to be a 10 in project management because to run a website or an app, there are many moving pieces. I think it's important to know more or less all disciplines well, whether it's SEM or SEO, but the key is knowing how to coordinate them to get them all going at the right speed.”
