PPB May 2015

organizations regularly fall short.

Avoiding talent gaps in marketing means keeping employ-

ees satisfied on a level beyond the paycheck. Employees want

to be proud of the brands they represent, a focus that can be

found among all four generations of the workforce. So strate-

gic marketers are collaborating with HR to ensure that brands

appeal to employees just as they do to customers, and this is

possible because employees respond to the same types of

branding campaigns that galvanize customer loyalty.

A Promising Evolution

Global corporate leaders are looking for colleagues who

can help them manage the digital learning curve. More than

80 percent of CEOs in the PwC survey said

new technologies—social, mobile, analytical

and the cloud—are transforming the way

they operate. “For businesses, having a digital

strategy will no longer be enough,” writes

Bob Moritz, PwC U.S. senior partner.

“Instead, they’ll need a business strategy fit

for the digital age.”

Marketers are uniquely qualified to design

and advance these new strategies too. The

modern marketing department holds a talent

mix that allows it to implement new tech-

nologies but also to place the gains of those

systems in context. A well-designed depart-

ment brings traditional marketing competen-

cies to the table, as well as technical, analyti-

cal and leadership skills that allow organiza-

tions to benefit in a rapidly evolving digital

environment.

But to thrive in these expanded roles,

marketing departments will have to develop

leadership programs to build the following

six competencies, which the FORUM research found to be

essential for current and future marketing success.

Become the Corporate Brain Trust

Marketing transac-

tions involve a diverse array of constituents. Businesses

must be prepared to communicate with entire teams of

buyers and clients—and to tailor communications to suit each

individual role in a purchase. Moreover, department leaders

across the enterprise must collaborate to build a cohesive

engagement strategy that spans the customer experience.

This represents an opportunity for marketers who have the

ability to extend their influence beyond their traditional func-

tion and into sales, IT and customer service. Successful mar-

keters use automation platforms, social media listening pro-

grams and other digital tools to interact with customers and

build customer insights. Those insights allow them to con-

struct an overarching strategy and tailor the customer experi-

ence, providing them the opportunity to become the brain

trust of the organization, pulling the levers that activate the

best channels and strongest messages to create audience

engagement.

Develop Deep Customer Insights

Marketers need to

home in on the digital body language of buyers who

increasingly delay interactions with the sales force.

They need to track clicks and listen to social media channels

to determine the most effective pieces of content to serve

next. And, as they work to pull prospects fur-

ther along the sales pipeline, they gain much

more than an understanding of marketing

preferences.

Marketers have become the stewards of

the overall customer experience. This relation-

ship requires a substantial upgrade of tradi-

tional market research skills. It also requires

marketers to understand the new talents they

need to develop and how those new talents

can serve the entire customer experience. To

optimize their value, customer insights mar-

keters gain must be applied beyond the bor-

ders of the marketing department.

And marketing technologies can increase

the potential for communicating with audi-

ences. Marketers can develop content to

establish thought leadership or to gain new

leads. Social media interactions can net new

customers or reveal unmet needs that become

opportunities for the product development

team. New software can generate lists of

potential customers based simply on social media behavior.

These examples demonstrate both the challenge and the

opportunity of detailed customer insights. Marketers may no

longer be able to control the progression of customer interac-

tions, but they can tap into multiple channels to uncover

insights that help them shape a unique and successful

approach to those same customers.

Build A Social Brand

Many buyers have lost faith in

carefully crafted marketing messages—a fact that will

become more and more pronounced as Millennials gain

influence. Millennials rely instead on their own research, often

entering the relationship well into the buying journey.

To contend with this, marketers must adapt their approach.

INNOVATE

30 •

PPB

• MAY 2015

AVERT THE

TALENT GAP

“Avoiding talent gaps

in marketing means

keeping employees

satisf ied on a level

beyond the paycheck.

Employees want to be

proud of the brands

they represent.”

Continued From Page 28

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