The dawn of digital has caused a lot of disruption in marketing. Therefore, now more than ever, it is important for marketers to up their skill game and understands this era of diverse and multi-channel mindset where customers are well- informed, attention spans shorter and competition superfluous.

Historically, the term ‘marketing’ referred to the activities that led to promotion or sales. But marketing, like other functions in business, has become influenced and more multifaceted in the age of the internet. To capture the interest of target audience online, marketers need to master dynamic roles and develop a new way of thinking about content (both development and curation), creative infusion and communication. These changing roles require a new set of skills.

If marketing is the career you wish to pursue or if you are a newbie in marketing who wants to excel as a marketer, here are some of the most essential marketer traits you need to thrive in the digital world:

Creative

When we talk about creativity in marketing, it is not only about pictures or images that go into a marketing campaign. It, in fact, means a lot more than that. A marketer needs to be creative to understand the dynamics of disparate digital media platforms and utilize that information to present the brand message in an eye-catchy and engaging way. Creative minds bring creative ideas to the table.

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” – Edward De Bono

Versatile

There are so many characteristics that go into the making of a great marketer but most important among those characteristics is versatility. The ability to adapt quickly to the change in online landscape – with ever-changing social media and search algorithms, the unprecedented growth of digital platforms, and dynamic consumer behavior – is crucial for marketers.

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” – Tony Robbins

Data-Driven

For marketers, data is the most valuable resource. With the right data in hand, marketers can turn any business into an affluent brand. Therefore, the data-driven approach is indispensable for marketers. How to use data visualization tools? How to create a performance metrics? And most importantly, how to gauge the effectiveness of a marketing campaign? These questions are a must for marketers.

The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight. - Carly Fiorina — The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight. – Carly Fiorina

Trend Savvy

Creative marketers recognize the opportunity in changing market trends. They optimize content, strategies, and campaigns to make the most out of those trends. In the heart of digital growth and real-time updates, the diversity of marketing trends is huge. But trend-savvy marketers keep their fingers on the pulse of trends and incorporate them into their campaigns, timely and creatively, to get their brand noticed.

Storyteller

Stories connect us to the people. Since the first human walked the earth, we have told stories and we have heard stories, through cave drawings and by signs or gestures. We, human beings, are drawn towards stories. Stories that inspire us, thrill us and connect with us. Therefore, storytelling can be a powerful business tool for marketers to connect with their potential audience on emotional and visceral levels.

“Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” - Seth Godin — “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell.” – Seth Godin

Self-Motivating

Great marketers are driven from within, self-motivating and committed to their job. For them, marketing is a lifestyle that helps them express their ideas, engage with communities and shape the lives of individuals and businesses.

"Bring the best of your authentic self to every opportunity." John Jantsch — “Bring the best of your authentic self to every opportunity.” John Jantsch

Analytical Skills

Strong analytical skills are a must for marketers. With oceans of data available at public disposal, the knack to effectively and efficiently analyze and present data to make decisions or to avoid information paralysis is now more important than ever. Generating insights with more tools and more data is easier but to work out patterns and understand the data, marketers need analytical skills.

“Good marketers see consumers as complete human beings with all the dimensions real people have.” – Jonah Sachs

Communication

There has been a boom in information technology and artificial intelligence in recent times. But neither technology nor AI can beat the potential of real business communication. To stay ahead of the curve, marketers need to be continuously polishing their communication skills.

“It’s important to have a strong brand and communicate who you are. You can’t sell anything if you can’t tell anything.” – Beth Comstock

Teamwork

Teamwork is essential in marketing. It is the backbone of effective collaboration within an organization. When people from different segments, different backgrounds, and different disciplines work together as a team, everyone gets a chance to learn from each other, something beyond their own personal experience. Marketers, when working in a team, get a new perspective on different aspects of business and are able to deliver better campaigns and results.

"Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department." -- David Packard — “Marketing is too important to be left to the marketing department.” — David Packard

Project Management

Marketers need to build productive work habits. Project management skills in a marketer can help save time, money, as well as, resources. Also, it keeps the project in line and on time, meeting the expectations of the business or client. Thus, it pays to learn a thing or two about project management when pursuing a career in marketing.

"Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet" - Henry Mintzberg — “Management is, above all, a practice where art, science, and craft meet” – Henry Mintzberg

Empathetic

Successful marketing means building a humane connection between the brand and the audience. A marketer needs to be empathic in order to understand that connection in the first place. Good marketers do not just throw content at their audience, instead, they understand the need of their audience, get acquainted with their behavior, identify their pain points and then create marketing campaigns that strike all the right chords.

“Good marketing makes the company look smart. Great marketing makes the customer feel smart.” – Joe Chernov

Humor

Ever wondered how memes became so popular in marketing? Because we, humans, love a good laugh. It is important in life and as well as, in marketing. If used well, humor can be a great tool in marketing. Good humor grabs attention and it makes the campaign stick out. Almost 80 % of college-age kids remember ads that make them laugh, according to a marketing research by Chegg. And this phenomenon is not limited to a generation or a customer segment, it is universal.

Life-long Learner

A growth mindset in marketing means that marketers are always learning and adapting to the new ideas and concepts. To be relevant in marketing, marketers need not shy away from experimenting and learning new things. Instead, they should always be learning new skills or embracing new tools to do better and be more familiar with the changing needs of the digital citizen.

"Marketing's job is never done. It's about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day." – Beth Comstock — “Marketing’s job is never done. It’s about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.” – Beth Comstock

Passionate

Passion is what makes you wake up in the morning and show up at work, every day without losing the purpose. Passion is what keeps you going when the times are hard. And since marketing is a mix of highs and lows in business, passion is almost crucial for the job. It helps you reflect on failing strategies and come up with new ideas or strategies to fight the situation without losing faith in business. Passion gives you strength and patience to market in fly-by-night state of business and deflating economies.

Organized

Good management and good organization skills go hand in hand. And both skills are critical for marketers. Marketers need an organized system to perform their tasks efficiently, timely and in a practical way. Whether you use management tools or plan activities through excel sheets, it is vital to have a well-defined marketing strategy to meet the goals and expectations of the business.

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." - Benjamin Franklin — “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

Those are the skills that are most important for a marketer to be successful in a marketing role. Fortunately, a lot of these marketer traits can be learned. So, if you wish to be a marketer, it is up to you to identify your skills and dedicate yourself to learning those that are lacking or need polishing.

How do these traits match up to your own? Are there any other qualities that all great marketers share? What skills or traits do you think are most indispensable for a marketer? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Essential Traits That All Marketers Must Have To Succeed