Today’s B2B marketer knows to be successful we have to become buyer-centric in all we do. That’s a given. However, many of us are still working on implementing this throughout our organizations. Change is never easy, especially when it is as significant as becoming buyer-centric as it impacts so many aspects of our business. While we work on maximizing our buyer-centricity in our marketing, what about working on ourselves as marketers, to make us more effective in what we do? Shouldn’t we also strive to obtain the skills we need to become better, to fill the marketing skills gap?
Marketing enablement is a topic I am becoming passionate about as I read more articles and studies citing how marketers struggle with our inadequate skill set, the lack of focus on continuing education and the general ineffectiveness we report in doing our jobs. This can and must be fixed.
Where to begin? Just start simply:
Focus – Pick one area or skill to start with. Don’t tackle your entire wish list… yet. Identify where additional skills would help you become a better marketer today and start there. For example, would becoming a marketing automation power user help you become more efficient in your position today? If so, find online classes or in-person trainings or even local user groups that you could join. There is no shortage of resources when it comes to marketing automation- so dive in. According to a recent Forbes article, marketing technologists will one day rule modern marketing. Marketing automation is just one technology platform that marketers use to enable their Demand Generation Strategy, but is a skill that most marketers and organizations find invaluable, yet few have mastered it.
If you are looking for more general education on topics like content marketing or specifics like SEO or landing page optimization strategies you are in luck. There are always amazing online classes via MarketingProfs, MECLABS and Content Marketing Institute in addition to intense in-person events held by these same powerhouses. Take a look at this great list of 26 free online marketing courses compiled by WordStream to get you thinking about your options.
*Think about where you will get the most value out of a class (online vs. in-person) and find the right fit for you. This is your chance to acquire new skills, so pick the venue that will deliver the best results for you.
Understand that if your organization does not support marketing enablement (most do not have a program in place like they do for sales enablement), you will need to ask for it. According to the recent ANNUITAS study, less than eight percent of respondents rated their marketing personnel as highly effective in demand generation and more than 55 percent of marketers rated them as unskilled! No wonder we struggle to maximize our return on marketing investment. We can do better. Start with focusing on a skill you need or want to acquire to become a better, more effective marketer. Focus on that skill first and work on it. You got this.
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: Marketing Enablement – Skills That Matter
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