In previous blogs, we have covered some of the competencies required by marketing teams for specific roles. However, we are all operating in a climate defined by flux and change, and businesses that attempt to recruit for the same, static attributes they did 10 years ago, for example, will quickly find themselves trailing their competitors and unable to compete. Instead, what’s needed is a focus on more evergreen, personal competencies in candidates who can adapt and roll with the punches. With this in mind, what are the top five soft skills every business needs in its modern marketing function?
Core traits like communication, creativity and interpersonal qualities remain foundational, and likely always will be in marketing. While the game is changing, it’s safe to say that all employers should continue to seek these competencies in the majority of their hires. However, the challenges brought on by the modern world are shifting skills requirements, and we have noted a new and emerging wave of demand for nuanced, and often underappreciated, softer skills from firms looking to drive real, meaningful engagement with target audiences.
Emerging Soft Skills Driving Business Success
Cultural Intelligence
All firms are now operating in an increasingly digitalised, globalised and interconnected world, and for many organisations, their target markets will likely cover multiple geographies and groups. Therefore, ensuring they employ marketing experts with cultural intelligence to develop messages that resonate with these audiences is critical. Mistakes can have significant ramifications, just ask Pepsi; the organisation’s ‘come alive with the Pepsi generation’ slogan was translated as ‘Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead' in China, because the firm lacked awareness of this specific market and potential issues with language conversions.
Equally, Parker Pens advertised a new product in Mexico with the caption ‘it won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you’, but this was mistranslated as ‘embarazar’, meaning ‘to impregnate’, which naturally didn’t quite hit the mark. Potential issues aren’t limited only to poor translations, either. In Japan, Pampers ran advertisements showing a stork delivering a baby, a well-known trope in the West and likely around the world, you might assume. However, in the East Asian nation, babies are believed to come from giant peaches, and the stork holds no connection to childbirth, leading to confused consumers and a highly ineffective campaign.
Being aware of these types of nuances and variations can make a huge difference and not only save potential embarrassment but also help firms to truly engage their target audiences. Candidates with these traits should therefore be sought by all employers, particularly those marketing to global audiences.
Psychological Insight & Understanding
While knowledge of customers and access to data are both key in developing successful marketing campaigns, perhaps equally important is an understanding of human psychology, which enables firms to connect with their audiences on a deeper and more profound level. Employers don’t need to seek the next Freud to join their teams, but they should look to identify those with the capacity to recognise emotional triggers and cognitive biases, as well as how to activate behavioural patterns that have been proven to influence decision-making. By having an understanding of psychological insights, marketers can develop messaging that drives true engagement and loyalty. It also has secondary benefits, and seeking those with some knowledge in these fields can also aid internal team dynamics and working cultures.
Emotional Agility
Marketing is a challenging job and is regularly listed as one of the more stressful professions, meaning that emotional agility, specifically being able to navigate and manage strategies in response to changing conditions and schedules, is critical. There’s a reason that the industry is facing a burnout crisis, and not everyone will be able to operate in these types of fast-paced environments. Organisations should actively seek those who can remain composed under pressure, embrace change and take on constructive feedback without letting it impact their work. Sourcing these types of soft skills also helps employers to develop a collective growth mindset and a culture of continuous learning and innovation, which are key in modern marketing.
Curiosity
On similar lines, the reason continuous learning is so critical is that the industry is moving at a rapid pace and is seeing constant evolution. Those who don’t keep their skills up to speed will struggle to remain relevant, and this is why curiosity is another key attribute for firms to seek in their next hire. Employing those who are eager to broaden their outlook and take on new information will mean firms gain from insights into new ideas, technologies and methodologies. This can lead to the development of innovative solutions which help to keep strategies fresh and relevant. This soft skill also encourages professionals to ask more critical questions and get to the heart of problems, which again contributes to the development of more robust and effective campaigns.
Gravitas
We touched on the role of gravitas in a previous blog, but if anything, this trait has only grown in importance over recent years. Trust in authorities and institutions has plummeted, and the unwillingness of many to believe information from historically backed sources has skyrocketed. Reputations can be damaged overnight, or off the back of one social media post, and the rise of AI and ‘deepfakes’ is only going to intensify this problem. Therefore, having professionals within marketing teams with gravitas, who can develop campaigns with this trait that customers and stakeholders in turn believe and buy into, is pivotal. It’s easy for brands to become lost in a highly noisy market, and being able to develop messaging with authority, but without being condescending, will only become more important. As with the other soft skills we have covered, employing marketing experts with these traits also has secondary benefits, and can help to secure internal buy-in for campaigns, or support within the organisation too.
Modern marketing is moving at a rapid pace, and the function now thrives on a complex combination of soft and technical skills that are far broader than ever before. By developing teams with these attributes, organisations can capitalise and navigate this challenging environment, driving meaningful engagement with their customers and other stakeholders.
If your business is seeking its next key hire with the right blend of technical and soft skills, then speak to our team to find out how to find the best specialists in the market.
