Marketers recognize that understanding digital marketing is the most in-demand skill for employers, according to new data from LinkedIn.

Globally, digital marketing expertise is the number one skill marketers list on their LinkedIn profiles, followed by social media marketing and search engine optimization. Marketing strategy is his fourth, followed by Adobe Photoshop, email his marketing and content knowledge.

Advertising ranks eighth on the skill set list, followed by an understanding of Google Analytics and corporate communications.

Mimi Turner, Head of EMEA and LATAM at LinkedIn’s B2B Institute, is encouraged to see a “strong balance” of skills related to tactical proficiency and strategic overview in digital marketing. She points to data LinkedIn published during her Cannes Lions Festival in June. The data found that technical skills within the industry increased by 47% over the past five years.

The data shows that 67% of companies that attend Cannes regularly have improved their technical skills over the past five years, while the share of creative skills has declined by 32%.

There is an idea that the modern marketer has a toolkit like a Swiss Army knife.

Mimi Turner, LinkedIn B2B Institute

“There is a ‘technification’ process going on, and of course post-pandemic, everything is an online experience. Marketers are responding by prioritizing digital skills, and many of the skills underneath are very specific and tactical skills,” says Turner.

“We are also seeing a resurgence, a rethinking of brands and brand strategies in marketing. , because I see, give and receive a little bit of movement, and I take a lot of confidence out of it.”

This analysis is derived from anonymized and aggregated LinkedIn profile information for professionals worldwide, including marketing, project management, IT, engineering, finance and accounting, and sales functions.

Since 2015, the top 10 skills of global marketers have changed by 50%. The pace of change is accelerating, as his overall skill set has evolved by 25% since 2015 and is expected to change by 41% by 2025, according to LinkedIn.

For Turner, the pandemic has rapidly accelerated trends that were already happening before Covid.

“The pandemic has changed everything for everyone, and marketers realized they had to go through the grief of taking the plan they had, seeing it, shoving it in a bin and making another plan. It was an incredible time when people had to be very agile,” she explains.

“What we are looking at is marketers using the 360 ​​toolkit. We need these technical skills, tactical prowess, broad vision, strategic vision and content skills. We’ve responded by having a more comprehensive set of features: when you break a leg and harden again, our skill set hardens using it as a reality.”

generational difference

Seven years ago, the most in-demand marketing skill was social media marketing, followed by digital marketing, advertising, and PR.

Marketing strategy is the fifth most important skill, followed by event planning, online marketing, and event management. Email marketing and sales earned him the last two spots on the 2015 list.

Interestingly, between 2015 and 2022, SEO and content knowledge cut into the list of most in-demand skills, while events, PR and sales experience disappeared from today’s global rankings. rice field.

Perhaps given the need for robust internal communications during the pandemic, corporate communications will also be among the top 10 marketer skills in 2022, but not in 2015.

Reflecting on the fact that SEO, for example, is the third most in-demand skill in 2022 but not on the 2015 list, Turner noted the massive shift to digital brought about by Covid. I’m here.

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“There are about two to three generations of digital transformation happening every seven-year cycle, so in that sense it doesn’t really matter that technical skills are on the list that weren’t on the list in 2015. No surprise. This shows that more technical skills are coming,” Turner says.

In her opinion, tactical prowess is evolving faster than strategic skills, so it wouldn’t surprise Turner to see another technical skill join the list seven more years later.

The growing importance of email marketing skills, coupled with the emergence of content and corporate communications expertise, could suggest that marketers have specific skills that have become more sophisticated over time. There is also sex, she adds.

Looking overall at the top skills of all UK professionals in 2022, customer service emerged as the most in-demand skill, followed by communication, time management, sales expertise, problem solving, business development and organizational skills. follows.

Marketing is also seeing a revival and rethinking of brands and brand strategies.

Mimi Turner, LinkedIn B2B Institute

Among these general business skills, specific marketing expertise made it into the top 10 across the UK.

Time management was the most sought-after skill among UK professionals in 2015, followed by expertise in teamwork, customer service and account management. Social media knowledge ranks fifth for him, followed by communication skills, change management expertise, business development, and event management.

Looking back across the data, Turner said despite the apparent “technification” of marketing, the principles of how marketers understood a decade ago on how to grow their business are still “very true.” says. Moving forward, she believes every marketer needs to balance technical skills with strategic overview.

“The idea is that modern marketers are using a toolkit like the Swiss Army knife of this particular tool in this particular setting,” Turner adds. “I’m happy that not all skills are focused on specific tactics, techniques, or specific executions. There’s a mix and balance in the list.”