How can we expect marketing jobs to be impacted by technology over the next few years? Here is a forecast of the hottest marketing jobs culled from studies and conversations with dozens of marketing clients and executives in my classes:
1. Get ready for the data
Marketing is more and more about math and if you don’t have some background in statistics or data analysis you might risk irrelevance.
I think we can see a glimpse of the future with Google. A recent New York Times article reported on Google’s data-fixated culture where every meeting is filled with engineers scrambling to build and asses new product ideas based on consumer data.
At other companies, the flexibility offered by cloud computing is enabling problem-solving teams to collaborate around the world, around the clock on data-based ideas.
The next marketer I hire would probably be a statistician. Even senior marketers are going to have to lead by knowing the right questions to ask about data.
2. Digital strategy
Several companies I work with have had big layoffs in the marketing department recently. It’s not that they don’t need marketers. They have the wrong kind of marketers. Survey after survey shows CMOs can’t find the right people to lead programs in social media, content and omnichannel marketing.
There has been a tremendous amount of growth for the digital “mini-MBAs” offered by Rutgers (where I teach). Almost every student is a mid-level marketer trying to upgrade skills to remain relevant, with an emphasis on digital strategy.
3. Content and creatives
To fight through information density, marketing-related content is going to have to be scintillating. We are seeing a tremendous amount of money spent on not just MORE content but more QUALITY content. This should be very good news for the elite creatives out there. Rates should be going up. You can only crowd-source your way so far when it comes to a creative treatment.
4. Brand journalism
A dean from one of the nation’s largest journalism schools recently told me he was seeing record enrollment. Why does that make sense when traditional reporting jobs are in decline?
Alternative media. In an online world with an insatiable appetite for content, journalists have the perfect skillset — they can write accurately, quickly and consistently. The niche of brand journalism may bloom in the next few years.
5. Community Managers
The job post boards are filled with openings for community managers. Companies have found you just can’t stick Jimmy from Accounting in this role. A successful community manager has to be a customer advocate, a brand ambassador, a politician and a psychologist. Not an easy role to fill!
How is the job market looking to you out there? Did I miss anything?
This post was written as part of the Dell Insight Partners program, which provides news and analysis about the evolving world of tech. To learn more about tech news and analysis visit TechPageOne. Dell sponsored this article, but the opinions are my own and don’t necessarily represent Dell’s positions or strategies.
Illustration courtesy Toothpaste for Dinner