Today, digital and technological advancements are changing the way people look at skills. A modern world now dictates a new range of skills generally referred to as "soft skills." In fact, when it comes to digital marketing practitioners, soft skills have become a more valued skill set. So, let’s take a look at what are these high demand soft skills and what is the importance of employers' ideal mindset in the modern marketer.
Hard Skill vs Soft Skill: Which is more important?
The truth of the matter is that hard and soft skills work together to build an exclusively symbiotic set of skills that the modern marketer needs.
There was a strong pull towards technical skills for a while, as digital marketing began to develop. These skills included understanding how social media platforms function, discovering useful SEO strategies (white hat only please), and understanding the cryptic PPC world.
However, the hard skills from the technical side of the industry became less critical as content began to dominate digital marketing more and more. Instead, a new string of skills started to dominate the most influential digital marketers' talents, including:
Creativity – Digital marketers are now expected to have a more creative mindset that will allow them to contribute innovative ideas and evaluate problems efficiently to help address the many challenges of modern marketing as it is no longer enough to properly operate technology only. This also means it’s important to possess a creative spirit that can transform a phrase with a keen understanding of the well-written word's power.
Resourcefulness – As they become more imaginative, their analytic minds excel. Resourcefulness adds to this innovative mindset, encouraging individuals to become more forward-thinking in their approach to accessing and using reliable data sources for more knowledgeable and insightful in-depth analysis.
Adaptability – Today's marketer never knows what could come down the pike, so it is a must to be able to make fast adjustments and adapt to new needs. This is both for marketing strategies as well as marketing tactics.
Collaboration – The marketer's modern mindset needs to acknowledge the significance of collaboration. Generally, few departments are working together to gain revenue, market share and the all-powerful supporters that help create leads in a company. From sales to R&D and advertising to high-level executives, buy-in, collaboration, and shared experience – these are the new game of digital.
Leadership – Within an organization, thought leaders must exist to lead effectively and empower colleagues with fresh ideas, mutual valuable experiences and a hunger for change.
These industry changes create opportunities for development and learning. Marketing professionals who find themselves lacking the skills needed, but then do not know how to develop, are often challenged. Such soft skills are often less tangible and cannot actually be taught, especially if it's being an intuitive writer or having a more artistic mind. This calls for individuals who are self-motivated learners to adapt their skills to work in an evolving landscape more effectively.
Learning itself is the opportunity you need to embrace now, as it helps you to be better prepared to focus on developing your own soft skills. You can become more adaptable by developing appreciation for the innovative process and learning to incorporate this new way of thinking into your strategy. In turn, this adaptability will allow you to embrace thinking out of the box to tackle digital marketing with a more curious view.