The marketing skills that are most in-demand change as new social media platforms, advertising platforms, and technological advancements emerge. And given how fast the digital landscape can change, these changes can happen fast!

Which makes it all the more important that you stay up to date with which market skills are most important for now, the future of marketing, and for your career.

This is why we’ve spoken to the senior Digital Marketing Recruitment Consultants in our Herd team, to find out which skills are most in-demand by the clients, businesses, and digital agencies they work with, in the different areas of marketing.

Contents

• Most in-demand skills for SEO and Content
• Most in-demand skills for Paid Social/ Paid Media
• Most in-demand skills for PPC/ Paid Search
• Most In-demand marketing skills in 2024
• Marketing skills that are in-demand as you progress in your career
• How to show your marketing skills when applying for marketing jobs

Most in-demand skills for SEO and Content

First up, we’re looking at the most in-demand skills for SEOs Professionals in 2024. Some are new, some are staples: But these are all the things that our clients are consistently looking for from their new hires.

Understanding of Holistic SEO strategy

Agencies and businesses are increasingly looking for SEOs who have an understanding of holistic SEO strategy: On Page, Off Page, and Technical SEO. 

While experience across all 3 areas is in highest demand, for most agencies, experience in On Page and/ or Technical SEO is most important, with only an understanding of Off-Page SEO (Link building, Guest posting etc.) being necessary.

So while specialism in one area of SEO is still in-demand, a lot of agencies are looking for SEOs who understand how the different areas of SEO interact, and can work across multiple areas when necessary.

Link building

Link building has only increased in importance for SEO in the past few years, becoming a more established ranking factor for Google search.

Having said that, SEOs with strong experience in off-page SEO and link building aren’t the easiest to find, and are in high-demand: Meaning SEOs with this experience are in a great position.

However, not every SEO position needs this experience. If you’re an SEO freelancer, there’s always the option to outsource link-building, and if you’re working in a big agency or team, they will likely have a dedicated team for link-building and Digital PR: So if you aren’t an expert in running digital PR campaigns to acquire backlinks, then don’t worry.

Total Search: SEO and Paid Search

Many full-service digital agencies are looking for SEO Professionals who understand how SEO can work with and collaborate with Paid Advertising, paid search especially. With the combination of the two known as ‘Total Search’.

While experience of working in Paid Search isn’t necessary, being able to demonstrate an understanding of it, or experience working on campaigns that collaborated with Paid Search campaigns, is incredibly in-demand.

Technical SEO

Every website needs strong technical SEO, to ensure that they can be found by potential customers. Meaning technical SEO remains one of the most essential and in-demand skills for SEOs in 2024. 

Included in this, and in most-demand, are skills like website and SEO migrations, alongside coding languages like JSON and JavaScript.

While businesses aren’t looking for Web Developers, they are looking for technical SEO professionals who understand these technical concepts and can make recommendations to the web development teams in regards to SEO impact.

Google Analytics 4

And of course, with the phasing out of Universal Analytics, experience and expertise with Google Analytics 4 is an essential skill for practically every SEO professional moving forward.

Every SEO will need to have at least some level of expertise with GA4, and how it interacts with different software such as Google Tag Manager, Power BI, Shopify etc.

So if you’re not comfortable using GA4, now is the time to brush up on it!

Most in-demand skills for Paid Social/ Paid Media

While this may not be your experience and can depend on location, throughout the UK and in London we’ve seen the paid social hiring market slow down in the past year: With a bigger demand for PPC at the moment. 

Despite this, there are absolutely still desirable skills for paid social professionals that can be incredibly beneficial for their career. 

TikTok

TikTok is in high demand, as the newest and fastest growing social channel: Especially for younger audiences. But this also means that there just aren’t nearly as many paid social professionals who have experience working with TikTok on the market.

We’ve seen employers asking for 12 months of experience working with TikTok Ads, when it’s only been around (at the time of writing for this article) for just over 2 years!

This does create a gap in the market however, for those who do have experience (or are able to get experience) working with TikTok. 

Meta

Experience working with Meta Ads continues to be the main and biggest focus in Paid Social. And it doesn’t seem likely to go away! 

Gaining more experience in Meta ads is always going to be beneficial for a paid social professional, and is definitely something to emphasise on a CV: The campaigns worked on, budgets worked with, achievements etc.

Most in-demand skills for PPC/ Paid Search

E-commerce

Experience and expertise working with e-commerce clients on PPC/ paid search campaigns continues to be an incredibly in-demand skill that a lot of B2C businesses, and agencies are looking for.

While not everyone wants to work on e-commerce campaigns, strong, demonstrable experience in this continues to make you an in-demand PPC professional and extremely employable.

Performance Max

And a big part of e-commerce now and looking into the future of PPC/ paid search, is Performance Max.

Released just over 2 and a half years ago (at the time of writing this article) Performance Max experience is in huge-demand for performance marketers, and is especially desirable for those working on e-commerce or lead generation campaigns.

Google Shopping

But due to not being able to attribute conversions to specific touchpoints, Google Shopping is still desirable for ecommerce campaigns. 

Despite being part of the next step for Google offerings for paid search advertising, Google Shopping hasn’t been completely replaced by Performance Max. 

Even within Performance marketing, there’s no one size fits all, and no one “essential skill” for you to learn.

Performance Campaigns vs Branding Campaigns

PPC/ Paid Search professionals who experience working towards performance KPIs such as ROI, ROAS, CPA, CPL continue to be in-demand: Especially for independent agencies, who work with brands and businesses that are more focused on producing revenue driven results.

Meanwhile, we have branding and awareness driven paid advertising.

Branding campaigns are more common at network agencies, who work with bigger clients, with bigger budgets, and are less focused on performance campaigns. After all, no one is clicking on an advert on Facebook to buy a Mercedes.

Of course, PPC/ paid search professionals in network agencies may still work on performance campaigns, but it does highlight a difference in the need for skills.

So while one isn’t necessarily more “in-demand” than the other, depending on whether you want your next job to be in a network or independent agency, to work on different size budgets and clients etc, 

Most In-Demand Marketing Skills in 2024

Next, we’re looking at a few of the in-demand marketing skills that are useful no matter which area of digital marketing you work in.

Specialism

And contrary to previous years, particularly in the agency space, they’re looking for more and more specialists. Digital marketing professionals who are specialists in one particular avenue of digital marketing.

Rather than cross-channel performance marketers who work in Paid Search and Paid Social, some agencies have niched down to just PPC, and are looking for specialists in PPC.

Cross Channel 

And contrary to the above point, we’ve also seen huge demand for digital marketers who can fill multiple roles. Performance Marketing/ Paid Media professionals who can work across Paid Search and Paid Social, or well-rounded SEO professionals who have experience in On-Page, Off-Page, and Technical SEO.

There isn’t a one-size fits all approach to careers in digital marketing, and it’s a great sign that there are opportunities whatever decision you make for your career path.

And as you progress, it may be a necessity to have experience in multiple areas of digital marketing. Some of the most senior positions require you to have a more holistic understanding of the digital marketing landscape, and experience in working in more than one.

Data Analysis

No matter which area of marketing you work in, data analysis is essential. Being able to demonstrate how your data analysis has improved results for clients can be hugely beneficial in helping you find a new job, or to progress in your current position.

And different agencies use different data analysis software, the analysis itself is an extremely transferable skill.

And with many businesses lowering advertising spend in 2023/2024, agencies and businesses are seeking to improve campaign performance with data analysis becoming more and more essential.

Meaning marketers who have experience in making data and analytically driven decisions, are becoming more of necessity, and less of a nice-to-have.

Automation

Automation can be hugely beneficial in a multitude of digital verticals: From automated bidding adjustment on keywords for paid advertising, creating custom dashboards for reporting, to automating keyword research analysis on Excel.

Being able to automate processes and save time is an attractive and in-demand skill for marketers in 2024, and one that will only become more essential in the future.

Marketing skills that are in-demand as you progress in your career

Campaign Strategy – Roadmaps, Forecasting, Planning

Campaign strategy (whatever the vertical) is typically made up of three different skill sets or sections: Roadmapping, forecasting, and planning. 

Each one of these is a great skill to have but all three are necessary to be a true expert in campaign management: Which is an essential skill as you progress to a Manager position.

Campaign management becomes essential as you progress in an agency environment, and is even desirable when you work client side within a business, as you can demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the whole campaign process and expected results.

Attitude/ Drive to continue to learn

“When you’re just starting out in your career, it’s essential that you are always pushing yourself to learn and progress in your career. And agency owners and hiring managers really look for this drive and attitude when it comes to hiring. It’s so important not to lose this when you get a few years of experience under your belt!”

Client management 

Client management is one of the three areas of management that we believe make up a Manager level digital marketer.

Experience working with and managing client accounts and relationships remains one of the most in-demand skills for any digital marketing professional in an agency environment. 

While it’s certainly essential as you progress to a manager level position, it can even be desirable as an executive, helping you to progress quicker. Especially at a smaller agency, where you may take on additional responsibilities.

Team management

Making up the second aspect of management is team management. Being able to effectively delegate work, mentor, teach, and manage a team or employees is obviously a desirable skill as you progress in your career.

Having said that, not every SEO or PPC Manager requires experience managing a team or an individual: But it is still one of the most commonly required skills for someone progressing in their career, and without going into a specialist position or niche, it’s likely you won’t progress further without being able to manage a team.

Project/ campaign management

And the last in-demand marketing skill that is essential for someone working at an Account Manager level, is project/ campaign management.

Ensuring that client campaigns are on track, completed on time, within budget, and achieve client aims and agreed upon terms.

This also involves some of the similar skills as others: Such as delegation and being able to effectively manage the workload and effectiveness of a team, to ensure that everything is completed within scope and to a satisfactory level.

Communication

Internal and external communication is still one of the most highly sought after skills for digital marketers, especially for those who work closely with clients.

Agencies are always looking for talented and experienced digital marketers who can explain technical marketing concepts in a way that clients, who likely don’t have in-depth technical knowledge, can understand.

Additionally, being able to work effectively with other departments becomes more essential as you progress, and move into client account management and strategy that works across multiple digital marketing verticals.

New business and upselling

As you progress to a Manager or Director level position, skills related to sales become more in-demand and necessary. As you progress in your career you will naturally progress into a position with client acquisition, management, and upselling responsibilities (if working in an agency).

This includes new business acquisition: Being involved or leading new business pitches and client meetings.

Then there is also upselling or cross-selling when appropriate, which requires an in-depth understanding of the entire process of your individual niche: For example how paid social ads can work with paid search, or paid search with SEO.

And these responsibilities aren’t just for those working in an agency: If you’re working client-side, you may have to work closely with stakeholders and these sales/ negotiation skills will be essential for any new tech or services that you need to perform your role.

How to show your marketing skills when applying for marketing jobs

While it’s important to make sure your skills are up-to-date, it’s equally important to be able to demonstrate the marketing skills you possess in the job application and interview process.

Communicate your marketing skills on your CV

It’s important when writing your CV, to demonstrate that you understand which of your marketing skills are most important for the job you’re applying for.

Additionally, there will be times where soft skills are what is most important for your role, or more general, industry-wide skills.

While a lot of digital marketers are talented and experienced, being able to communicate this on a CV, by understanding what interviewers and hiring managers are looking for, isn’t always as straightforward as it may seem.

Communicate your marketing skills in the interview

Similarly, being able to interview and demonstrate your marketing skills isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone. 

Because interviews are much more than just discussing your skills. An interview is:

• Communicate effectively what you have achieved in your role.
• How your skills have developed over the course of your career.
• And translating those into what you will achieve for the new business. And much more…

Communicating how your work affected the bottom line

And what’s most important to someone looking to hire, is being able to communicate and demonstrate how your work really affected the business you work for or the clients you work on.

Being able to say, “my work on X achieved Y, which resulted in Z for the client”, allows you to really demonstrate your value to the interviewer, and shows a holistic understanding of the digital marketing process.

Now you’re armed with an understanding of the most in demand marketing skills and how you can best show them in your next job application. It’s time to check out some of the latest digital marketing jobs on the market, and take the next step in your digital career.