Sometimes marketing can seem like an unending stream of keeping up to date on the latest “thing.” From the latest social media apps to the AI of everything to the newest measurement tools, it can be a never-ending battle. That said, a few skills are timeless and necessary for every marketing professional. These so-called “soft skills” are often pushed down the list on job applications and performance reviews – but these are the very skills that allow you to achieve your professional goals.
Many of the soft skills necessary in marketing aren’t surprising and include:
- Communication: The ability to effectively communicate with audiences, both internally and externally
- Creativity: The ability to create fresh ideas and connect with audiences through creative copy and images
- Empathy: The ability to understand the needs, emotions, and pain points of audiences
- Problem-solving: The ability to identify and resolve issues
- Analytical skills: The ability to analyze and interpret data to measure the performance of marketing campaigns
- Collaboration: The ability to work well with others
- Resilience: The ability to deal with setbacks, criticism, and failed campaigns
- Cultural awareness and inclusivity: The ability to be sensitive to and inclusive of different cultures
- Storytelling: The ability to tell compelling stories that inspire action
However, certain skills that are key to success in different roles may be surprising.
Product Manager: Leading without Authority
As a PM you manage the expertise and resources of your company to deliver the best product to the right customers. At the same time, most PMs do not have line authority in the R&D, Product Development, or Sales departments. Getting a product launched or improved requires a good depth of communication, empathy, and leading without authority. This last skill is especially tricky but arguably the most important aspect of the role.
Leading without authority requires developing relationships, recognizing your stakeholders, understanding stakeholder issues, and aligning your priorities with all of the above. In particular, product managers must bring the voice of the customer to internal stakeholders and advocate for customer needs while being sensitive to the capabilities of the organization and demands on different departments.
For more information on becoming a successful product manager, visit: 5 Tips for Career Success in a Matrix Environment; How to Influence without Authority in the Workplace
Events Manager: Negotiations
Planning and promoting events requires someone who is organized, flexible, and detail-oriented. One soft skill that is sometimes overlooked for this role is that of negotiator. Events are expensive and highly visible. Making your company’s resources go further is a skill that can help you move to a more senior role and gain visibility from upper management.
Being a skilled negotiator can save your company from unexpected costs and allow resources to stretch further by looking for add-ons that are a win-win for the venue and the organizer. In addition to proactively negotiating for your company’s best interests, negotiating skills are a must when things don’t go as planned. In the case of cancellations or unavoidable events, knowing what and how to ask for concessions can make or break a budget.
For more information on event planning, visit: Event Planning and Negotiations: Best Practices and Most Common Mistakes
Marketing Manager: Holistic Outlook
Crafting an appealing message about your products and delivering it to the right audience is the ultimate goal of a Marketing Manager. One aspect that can be overlooked in the process is understanding how your audience experiences the delivery of your message. While the Marketing Manager may have crafted an appealing campaign that is optimized across multiple delivery channels, he or she must be able to put themselves in the place of the audience to ensure they are receiving the messaging as planned.
If the audience sees a corporate social media post in the middle of posts from friends and relatives, how relevant will it be to them? If the campaign is one of a dozen offerings on the company website, will the integrated marketing plans have the expected influence? Understanding the media environment of the audience outside of the marketing message is a key skill to making sure it is delivered with maximum impact.
To learn more, visit: How to Determine the Best Marketing Channels for Your Products
Marketing Operations Manager: Adaptability
The Marketing Operations Manager makes sure all the software, channels, and platforms work together to deliver messaging to a company’s audience. Part IT, part project management, part marketing strategy, this position keeps things operating in a multi-front environment. While this position requires managing contracts and implementing new software, being adaptable to the speed of change may be the most important soft skill for a marketing operations manager.
The Marketing Operations Manager must understand the benefits of current MarTech including websites, e-commerce, email, social media, SEO, SEM, video production, podcasting, AI integration, and more. A Marketing Operations should also be on the lookout for the latest technology and understand how to bring it into an organization. This requires a flexible mindset that is not afraid to move from the status quo and is willing to advocate for adopting new technologies or streamlining existing processes.
To learn more, visit: What Skills does a Marketing Operations Manager Need?
Marketing Analytics Manager: Managing Up
The Marketing Analytics Manager has become a key resource on many marketing teams. The Marketing Analytics Manager uses data analysis to guide marketing strategies and provide actionable insights to improve marketing efforts and drive business decisions based on data. With messy data, siloed information, and difficult-to-integrate systems, the Marketing Analytics Manager often spends a lot of time in the weeds trying to arrive at the big picture.
Marketing Analytics Managers often receive a laundry list of report requests from stakeholders across the organization. While it’s important to meet these needs, an Analytics Manager should also be proactive about what they can provide to the stakeholders. Often, the colleague requesting reports may not fully understand the sources or connections that are being used in the analysis. Senior-level managers may not realize how the analytics function can give them more confidence in making big decisions. Managing up involves understanding your stakeholders’ priorities, good communication, and offering solutions to their goals.
To learn more, visit: How to Manage Up at Work: 11 Strategies to Advance Your Career
Stephanie Peacock, VP of Communications, AMA Colorado
