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The Career Woman: Building your marketing skills

Marketing is a skill that started during the industrial revolution, it involves promoting and selling products or services, prior to this time marketing was solely to make a product that influences the bottom line of the organization but in modern times it has gone beyond this, marketing now is the activity that involves creating, communicating, delivery and exchanging offerings that have values for customers, clients and partners. Research shows that successful marketers usually have the following skills:

#1. Customer Knowledge

Understanding customers' needs and pains are the answer to developing successful products and services people love buying. Once you have it all clear, you'll be able to see the bigger picture: what marketing platform to use, what type of message gets the best results, etc.

Here are three questions to answer:

·       What are your audience's values?

·       What's their background?

·       What problem is their product/service trying to solve?

Not knowing your customers well enough means wasting time on marketing campaigns that won't get you (nor your client) anywhere.

#2. Storytelling

Linkedin found that around 8% of all marketers on the platform have storytelling in their list of skills on their profile. Everybody loves a good story.

A marketer's job is to use data and numbers and turn them into genuine stories of what's going on with a brand. They often do this with blog content creation, paid social, book marketing, and even eBooks. But not just sharing what the brand has done. It also pays to know your way around presenting, especially in today's climate. Lifesize have put together this great article on how to give a virtual presentation that's certainly worth a read.  The secret is to make them relatable and emotionally compelling. 

#3. Creativity

Think about all those meetings where CEOs and company owners shoot down any marketing idea that sounds risky or simply different. The finest modern marketers are highly creative. And yes, there will be days when you'll spend more time organizing schedules, planning budgets and chasing deadlines than creating content, but make no mistake: marketing is all bout creativity. Looking at ideas and coming up with new ways to make them better is an essential marketing skill or you can always use ready-to-go HTML email templates".

#4. Delegating

Whether you're new to marketing or you're currently banging your way to the top, the truth is it's a demanding marketing job. Which makes delegation a pretty important marketing skill.Have a clearly defined set of responsibilities for each member of your team and make sure tasks are done in time. Learning to delegate them to the right people is going to make your life easier.

#5. Copywriting 

This is another marketing skill that goes beyond saying. It doesn't matter how shiny the design of your copy is if it says nothing. Tell your audience exactly what they’ll get when they buy from you and you'll win them over.

You know what works with writing every time? The KISS approach---keep it simple, stupid. Make sure the messaging is easy to get by the audience and stay away from:

·       Long, difficult-to-follow sentences

·       Words with too many syllables

·       Industry buzzwords and jargon

#6. Listening

We all know that annoying person in our lives who can't wait for other people to speak before venturing into the conversation again.

·       Listening and paying attention to what people around you say will help you make better decisions as a marketer

·       Don't just wait for the talking to end so you can talk. A smart marketer focuses on the speaker and asks questions when there's room for clarification

Communication skills are important in most jobs but it is really crucial in a marketing role. Marketers are expected to wear many hats. But at the end of the day, the job is about connecting with people in a human way and strengthening relationships.

If you want to make your customers feel, think and act, focus on upgrading your marketing skills.

 

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