Marketers 'Lag in Online Skills'

Marketing professionals in the US and UK are struggling to acquire the new online skills they need, according to 'The Face of the New Marketer', a study by online analytics firm Coremetrics.

In June, Coremetrics asked 120 senior marketing professionals in the US and UK which skills they needed to perform their job, which had become the most important over the past two years and which they most needed to acquire or improve.

The report claims that skills in analysis, measurement and search engine optimization are becoming more important than traditional marketing competencies, such as branding and product promotion. However, a majority of marketers feel they need to improve their abilities in these newer fields, while hiring staff with the necessary expertise is difficult and insufficient training available.

John Squire, VP Product Strategy and General Manager, Marketing Services, says the study found that analytics and search engine marketing are being prioritized because of their enormous returns, but that 'as the marketing role becomes much more scientific, many marketers are finding that they are not equipped with the skills and best practice knowledge needed to tackle today's challenges. A divide is opening up between those organizations that have the resources and expertise to optimize their online marketing and those that haven't, with the former gaining the competitive edge.'

Among the key findings, 73% of respondents said analytics and measurement have become more important over the past two years, as opposed to just 23% saying this for branding and 13% for product promotion. 86% say their decision-making is more reliant on analysis than two years ago, and 31% that search engine marketing (SEM) is the most important skill in their current role. Meanwhile 41% feel that their SEM skills are in need of improvement while 83% are finding it tough to hire staff with these skills.

Coremetrics has developed a White Paper entitled 'Preparing Your Organization to Successfully Measure Your Web Site' - a copy is available via the firm's web site at www.coremetrics.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.