Hybrid Marketing Professionals: The Next Generation of Talent

“Hybrid professionals are trained to deliver services across search, mobile, social, content, analytics, web, PR, and email marketing. They provide integrated solutions that used to require multiple agencies and consultants.” — The Marketing Agency Blueprint

An Evolving Industry

Technology innovation (change velocity) has completely transformed the way that consumers shop and marketers communicate with them. Marketers now have a much larger pool of resources through which they can reach and influence potential buyers—e.g. search, social, content, web, mobile, email, etc.

Simultaneously, buyers have become more selective in the messages that they consume. With control in their hands, they commonly tune out traditional marketing, and instead seek out information when and where it is convenient for them.

On average, Google found that shoppers reference 10.4 sources before making a purchasing decision. B2B customers, specifically, “progress nearly 60 percent of the way through the purchase decision-making process before engaging a sales rep,” according to research from the Marketing Leadership Council.

But, that’s not all. With the technology available to do so, marketers also face increasing pressure to measure the ROI of their campaigns, and to tie activities to bottom-line results (leads, sales, conversion rates, revenue and profits).

Rise of Hybrid Professionals

With these catalysts in place, modern marketing departments require hybrid professionals that can perform across multiple disciplines, such as email, mobile, analytics, social networking, web, search and content. Today’s prototype marketers are highly proficient writers, analytical and tech savvy, with strong competencies in business, IT and human behavior.

In addition, with a deluge of data at their fingertips, they are able to turn information into intelligence, and intelligence into action.

The Talent Gap

But there is a talent gap. Marketing departments, agencies and universities struggle to keep their training programs relevant in a market that changes so rapidly. This leaves many professionals unprepared to respond to a changing business environment.

According to the Demand Generation Skills Gap Survey, 75% of marketers say their lack of skills is impacting revenue in some way. Hybrid marketers are the key to building an insurmountable competitive advantage, and fueling your growth.

You have the opportunity to redefine your career, and your company.

Attract, Advance and Retain Top Talent

This morning, I discussed the evolution of the prototype marketer at an Oklahoma City American Marketing Association (AMA) meeting. In addition to the trends outlined above, the presentation dives deeper into how you can attract, develop and retain top talent within your organization, as well as tips to evaluate potential agency partners.

Check out the full slide deck below or on Slideshare.

What skills and traits do you think modern marketing requires? How are marketing roles and responsibilities evolving?