What's the single most important skill a modern marketer needs?

8 years ago

I agree, adaptability is definitely an important skill in order to stay up-to-date in the ever-changing digital marketing world. I would also add "doer"

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Happy Steve

8 years ago

I would say Self Motivation to be driven especially in the early days when things can get hard.

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Frank Donovan

8 years ago

Marketing is about communicating with people. Always has been, modern and ancient.

The most important skill for any marketer to have is an understanding of human psychology - to know what drives and motivates people. Every successful marketer or salesperson is a student of this. I say student because you'll never fully master this skill.

Nevertheless, it should be your lifelong study.

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chyanitseospecialist

8 years ago

I would say to learn the art of selling without selling

To me i feel this is a quality which many people do not have and if some one can master it it will be good

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EPoltrack77

8 years ago

Id have to say my mindset and how to think which is a skill as well. Seeing results and going out and being able to get the results all determines on how you are thinking.

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Jeff Burritt

Banned 8 years ago

All good points Dan.

The only thing I'll add is persistence. I find that staying committed and not giving up is a very important 'skill' to develop. It takes time, practice, failing, learning, growing and to keep going.

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Brent Stangel

8 years ago

Non-Search-Engine-Dependant traffic generation.

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agmccall

8 years ago

the ability to seek out and find information.
al

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Brent Stangel 8 years ago

I've often wondered what value I get from this forum.

Here's a good example.

This got me thinking (I do sometimes).

Originally Posted by agmccall

the ability to seek out and find information.
al

Software idea for forums.

Our suspect clicks "New Thread."

They type in something simple like, "What is the meaning of life?"

As soon as they move their cursor to the message area, the software does an instant Google search of the title. It pops up in a new window with options;

This is no help, continue posting.

Yes, this answered my question, discard new thread.

You could set it to the number of words or post count or some other metric.

If I were a forum owner more interested in quality than quantity, I would buy one.

I wonder if this would actually keep people from posting easily Googled questions.
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- Dan Riffle 8 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Brent Stangel
  
  I wonder if this would actually keep people from posting easily Googled questions.
  
  My guess is it absolutely would not.
  
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luvbuggal89

8 years ago

I think creativity is the biggest asset. I know this from my own personal experience in marketing. Online business is ever changing and evolving in one way or another and if you don't keep you mind constantly engaged, you will be left behind there is no doubt about it.

How does one boost their own creativity? That's a very good question, and one I am very interested in developing. One of the reasons your current employee is not your employer, is that they don't see the things that YOU see. Also the reason you are not your bosses boss, is because you might not be seeing the things that they see.

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joan2009

8 years ago

seo, keyword research and content writing

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celente 8 years ago

Originally Posted by joan2009

seo, keyword research and content writing

i think with SEO its dying a slow death, but its still king that is what I agree.

I always like to do SEO as a extra,but real money comes in when we do PAID marketing.
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Steve B

8 years ago

Problem solving.

Being a business owner is about pushing through road blocks and obstacles.

Whatever you are lacking or needing in your business, whatever stops you from moving forward, there is a solution to that problem.

How do you know what your market wants?
How do you get more traffic?
How do you set up a profitable selling system?
How do you convert prospects into buyers?
How do you find or create quality products?
How do you nurture and care for your customers?
How do you increase your income?

Any question that arises presents a problem that needs solving.

Learn how to get over, around, or through your own business challenges and you will become a very successful marketer.

Steve

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PvPGuy 8 years ago

I was going to say research in the vein of deeply knowing your audience, blah blah, but then Steve B perfectly encapsulated my thought process and virtually every other intelligent answer to the question in two words:

Originally Posted by Steve B

Problem solving.

Succinct much?
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Dan Riffle

8 years ago

Concentration.

In a world where everything is blinking, beeping, ringing, gesticulating for our attention, a good marketer needs to be able to put on the blinders, block out distractions, and get to work.

You can outsource nearly everything else, but if you can't focus on your goals, develop your plan, and engage your brain without constantly being interrupted by email, text messages, TV, and Candy #@#$%&^%$ Crush, you aren't getting anywhere.

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Kay King

8 years ago

Two things:

1. The ability to communicate effectively

This means writing - but also posting on forums, talking to potential clients, hiring freelancers to write or work for you. It is also the ability to sort through and understand what others communicate to you - not as easy as you might think.

I have great admiration for those who are able to work in a second language but have suggested to a few people over the years that they target buyers in their own native tongue. I did that because those people were obviously smart and focused and motivated - but struggling due to difficulties with English. Three have reported back to me that it worked great for them.

Communication is more than finding the right word - it's the ability to concepts and ideas, planning and details - the subtleties that make communication WORK.

2. The ability to cut through the static and judge what is - and is not - important.

Dan covered that one above.

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George Schwab

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Kay King

Two things:

1. The ability to communicate effectively

This means writing - but also posting on forums, talking to potential clients, hiring freelancers to write or work for you. It is also the ability to sort through and understand what others communicate to you - not as easy as you might think.

I have great admiration for those who are able to work in a second language but have suggested to a few people over the years that they target buyers in their own native tongue. I did that because those people were obviously smart and focused and motivated - but struggling due to difficulties with English. Three have reported back to me that it worked great for them.

Communication is more than finding the right word - it's the ability to concepts and ideas, planning and details - the subtleties that make communication WORK.

2. The ability to cut through the static and judge what is - and is not - important.

Dan covered that one above.

Communication is more than finding the right words - yes it is, actually communication is the ground base 0 of everything we do online or offline.

online people sometimes isolate themselves and become digital nomads and are drifting around instead of solving their problems they sooner or later run into.

instead of sourcing the phone number of these people that create the problem and get on the phone and negotiate a solution. That is not an option, you gotta do it or you will go nowhere in life.

personal 1-on-1. Dont be shy, i was shy once, today i laugh about it,
practice to talk to anyone anywhere, at any time of day & night and

Doors will open !

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TrickyDick

8 years ago

The one skill?

It is VERY simple..... But, not easy for most...

Learn how to sell boldly and effectively.....

For the most part, everything else turns into "busy work" that distracts one from selling.

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Ashok Panda

8 years ago

Originally Posted by dansilvestre

In an ever changing context in Internet Marketing what is the most important skill a modern marketer must have?

I guess it could be:
- Writing: the ability to write great actionable content and copy that sells
- SEO: generating organic traffic to your website gives the best ROI of all the traffic sources
- Digital Advertising: understanding PPC and the ability to lower CPA running successful campaigns after successful campaigns
- Technical: whether it's writing code or doing designing work to make sure you website looks/runs perfectly
- Networking: involving social media optimization and influencer outreach as a way of getting referenced as an industry expert
- Creativity: the ability to come up with the 'WOW!' factor in marketing campaigns that make people click every single time
- Data Analysis: understanding data of your website and what you can do to optimize it, whether it's Google Analytics of PPC optimization

And many many more can be added to the list.

I personally believe the one trait to be successful is curiosity. Curiosity will lead you to ask "why are people not subscribing more" and "if I change something will it increase conversions?".

That leads to testing, fixing things that don't work, and doubling down on things that do.

A very close second would be adaptability. The beauty of the Internet Marketing world is that two days are never the same and as problems change so do the potential solutions to tackle that. Thus the right mindset to always be adapting is essential.

What do you think is the most important skill?

When it comes to be successful as an internet marketer the first thing you need is to know what are the people hungry for ? Second step is do you have the ability to create solutions which can meet the needs. Be it anything , lead generation , sub marketing niche, coaching, support , SEO SEM SMM ...the list goes on .

third thing is which channels you could use to bridge the gap and if you have the ability to provide value , post sales service and if need be to Scale up.

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ronnierokk

8 years ago

I look at it this way...being self sufficient is the best way to go if you can handle it.

Learn as many marketing abilities as you can. Get certified in as many category topics as you can.

This way you don't have to worry about someone else doing it right for you.

Now there comes a time when you have to outsource, because you are so freaking busy doing other things and that's understandable.

To have as much abilities as you can in marketing, will definitely put you in demand and make you a more sought after marketer in the industry.

Which is something that every marketers strives for.

Take myself. I have 3 certs right now such as: Email Marketing Specialist, Social & Community Manger, Value Optimization Specialist, and 4 more on the way.

So my advice would be to learn as much as you can and never stop.

The trends and how things work are changing everyday, so it's best to make
sure you are current and up to date at all times

And that's my 2 cents

Ronnie Rokk Smith ~ The Faceless Guru

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JohnMcCabe

8 years ago

Originally Posted by Frank Donovan

The most important skill for any marketer to have is an understanding of human psychology - to know what drives and motivates people. Every successful marketer or salesperson is a student of this. I say student because you'll never fully master this skill.

Couple this with empathy, and the sky is the limit.

The rest is mechanics.

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FinishMyGoals

8 years ago

Perseverance.

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leilani

8 years ago

The single most important skill a modern marketer needs is plain and simple:

Ability to build a targeted, qualified list of people that needs their solution (product/service). And protect and service that list with your life!!

Leilani

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Rory Singh

8 years ago

This is not a skill but I know it's something that every 'upcoming' marketer needs in order to succeed...

As FinishMyGoals said above...

PERSEVERANCE!

The ability to start and finish and succeed.

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MrFume

8 years ago

I would say 'Versatility' is the most important trait to possess. It all comes down to Skills, the more skills you can master the more leverage you have although Writing is always the most powerful skill, when you think about it all online skills flow on from good writing, targeted writing, relevant writing. Tech skills can all be outsourced but if you do not know what you are doing concerning the content of your online presence, you are pretty much screwed.

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mb2590

8 years ago

When all else fails, networking will always triumph because marketing is people-centered no matter what type of marketing it is. Network Marketing involves selling to PEOPLE through networking. Affiliate Marketing doesn't have much of a person touch while technology exists, but should technology suddenly go POOF networking could still keep things running. However I want to add that having patience is a skill to be exercised frequently in this industry because nothing happens overnight unless you've built up to that point. Even further, I don't thing any one skill is more important that the other because to survive as a marketer you need to either posses or attempt to develop several skills including the ones you've listed before. Networking and patience lay the foundation so everything else will fall in place so to speak.

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kazimuhith

8 years ago

Content Creation and Quality Traffic Generation..

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Dylan Barns

8 years ago

Agree. The most important skill for a marketer is adaptability. Moreover the main keys to be successful marketer are to be patient, honest and knowledgeable about affiliate marketing.

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DABK

8 years ago

And did your noggin hurt?

Originally Posted by Brent Stangel

This got me thinking (I do sometimes).

Skill or trait?

Originally Posted by Dylan Barns

Agree. The most important skill for a marketer is adaptability. Moreover the main keys to be successful marketer are to be patient, honest and knowledgeable about affiliate marketing.

Anybody noticed that nobody really has 1 skill listed? That some people list traits as skills?

Learn to be resilient/resourceful is my one and only skill for success.

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