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Marketing

Half of UK marketers believe they are not receiving vital training, finds IDM

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

July 18, 2018 | 2 min read

A lack of training in the marketing industry may prove to be a major hurdle in the coming years, half of marketers polled by the Institute of Digital and Direct Marketing (IDM) claimed they did not have the required skillset to develop their careers or keep up with new tech.

Eli Francis

Marketers need upskilled

The group’s Professional Skills census of 377 marketers identified 13 skills gaps that may need to be addressed if the industry is to be on its feet for coming changes.

Of the respondents, a fifth said they need to build their mobile skills (19%), automation (12%), search (12%), customer data (12%), data analysis (10%) and database management (7%).

The skills list went on. 16% need training in appraising staff, 15% need public speaking, 12% seek marketing finance and 9% client management training.

On the strategy and planning side, 13% want to learn how to better optimise campaigns, 7% would like to better evaluate performance and 10% need a refresher on comms and strategy.

Jane Cave, managing director of the IDM, said: “In a fast-changing environment, it’s important for marketers and the businesses they work for that they continue to cultivate a range of skills. Not just the skills they use today, but also those they will need in the future.

“To attract and retain talented staff, and remain relevant in an environment that thrives on innovation, organisations need to promote a culture of continuous upskilling and reward employees for their professional development. Our analysis of skills gaps helps employers and marketers identify areas where they need to invest time and money in order to remain competitive, address key challenges and take advantage of future opportunities.”

Check out the full report here.

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