Timothy A. Koonce: What are the most in-demand marketing skills right now?

An overwhelming majority (92%) of B2B companies are finding it difficult to hire good marketers. But which skills are hardest to find? As it turns out, marketing analytics is the skill set most difficult to fill, according to the results of a new survey from Spear Marketing Group.

The study found a focus on operations and marketing functionality. Six in 10 respondents said they were having difficulty hiring individuals with marketing analytics skills. This is especially telling with analytics continuing to be an influential factor in businesses as whole, and not just in marketing. An increasing number of business leaders are using analytics to support their decisions: more than one-third (36%) are using analytics in their decision-making process. Issues with hiring might be behind B2B marketers’ difficulties with implementing analytics technologies, too.

Meanwhile, as marketing departments still prioritize demand generation over other marketing strategies like Account Based Marketing, it’s easy to see why demand generation is still an essential skill set. However, 45% of respondents say they are having problems hiring individuals with demand generation in the marketing toolbox.

Here’s an overview of the study:

in demand marketing skills

But there is something not quite right about this chart.

On the latest episode of The Marketing Companion, Tom Webster and I dissect this surprising new data on hard-to-find marketing skills, the idea of creating a career as a social media influencer, and the myth of employee advocacy.

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Many thanks to our friend Scott Monty for the awesome show intro. Be sure to check out his amazing newsletter The Full Monty and his new podcast available here: fullmontyshow.com.

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