With so many different marketing specialisms and technologies around these days, it’s impossible to be an expert in everything. But what skills should the modern marketer posess?
Think about it. There are over 131 different kinds of marketing, according to Chiefmartec and the volume of martech products is beyond belief. This infographic also shows how around 7000 companies were competing in the global marketing technology space in 2018.
Even Steven Hawking couldn’t stretch his brain that far. And yet companies still search for “Jack of all trades” marketers.
Why this is bad for business
Consider using a spork to eat. Its prongs are too blunt to pierce most things and it’s too shallow to use as a spoon. It’s trying to be too much and can’t do either job effectively. This was the analogy used by Ryan Deiss, Founder and CEO of DigitalMarketer.com, at this year’s HyperGrowth conference.
In the same way, hiring one person to manage every marketing vertical equals poor performance. They are stretched too thin so their efforts never quite hit the mark. As Medium journalist, Cody Boyte, explains from his experience:
“I tried to do the full stack and did none of it well. I focused on everything, throwing all kinds of strategies against the wall, and nothing worked. Want to know why? I didn’t have enough focus on any one part of the stack long enough to do it right. And so, much of what I did failed.”
The problem is, the term “full-stack marketer” has become a buzzword in recent years. More and more ambitious businesses believe hiring such a person is necessary to build a strong brand and drive sales.
However, “you cannot, ever, be a full-stack marketer. It’s not possible,” says Cody. So what’s the alternative?
A 10x marketer explained
Ryan Deiss, took to the stage at Hypergrowth 2019 to demonstrate the key attributes of leading marketers. He used an analogy featuring the human body to explain this in detail:
The brain: “they are smart, understand statistical significance and have an understanding of behavioural psychology.”
The eyes: “they can see the real trends with people rather than just marketing trends. They are also able to follow the successful patterns not just in their own industries but also in unrelated industries and apply it.”
The mouth: “they are able to use words to create a story. This doesn’t just include talking. It includes social posts, emails, blog posts, videos, sales pages and so on.”
The ears: “they need to be able to listen to a lot of people in order to truly understand what they want and need.”
The hands: “they must be willing to get their hands dirty. This means they need to stay up to date on all of the latest and greatest marketing tactics.”
The feet: “they need to be fast and agile. A great marketer needs to be willing to test a lot even if it means making messes along the way.”
The skin: “they need a thick skin because they are often criticized for pushing the envelope too far.”
The heart: “they have to love their customers, want them to win, and empathise with them.”
Essentially, 10x marketers are doing the job of 10 people. Such experts do exist. But they’re hard to come by.
It is possible to acquire a lot of these skills on a start-up budget. You simply have to be more strategic.
Recruit a team of specialists
To make real progress with marketing your business, at the bare minimum you need:
- A strategist who understands which marketing channels work best for your business and how to maximise the potential of each channel
- A copywriter who can tell your business story in a compelling way and create fantastic resources that help solve prospects’ problems
- A digital marketer to ensure your content gets seen by the right people
- A designer who can powerfully demonstrate your brand visually
- A data expert who can translate engagement statistics into actionable insight to help you drive the performance of your campaigns
If you’re thinking, that’s a lot of people to put on an annual salary, you’re not wrong. But there is a way to secure these skills without breaking the bank.
Consider having a wider external team you can draw on whenever you require their expertise. Not only do you benefit from saving money but you gain the flexibility to grow sustainably.
With skilled marketing experts at your disposal, you can:
- Build a lucrative marketing strategy that’s moulded perfectly to your business’ goals and customer’s needs
- Forecast how your marketing plan will deliver your business revenue targets by channel
- Create content that’s hyper-targeted and amplified, helping you drive engagement, sales and customer loyalty
- Accurately measure the performance of your campaigns to refine your efforts and boost your ROI
- Ensure your marketing plan is agile enough to respond to opportunities
And all within budget.
Choosing a great business to outsource your marketing
It sounds like a simple task, but the truth is that picking a marketing business to work with requires a lot of forethought.
The good news: there are specific qualities you can look out for. Qualities that tell you whether or not an outsourced marketing option is a good match for your business and can deliver the results you need to progress.
