Dive Brief:

• The Digital Marketing Institute released “Missing The Mark: The Digital Marketing Skills Gap In Ireland, UK & USA,” that found while U.S. marketers perceived their digital marketing skill level at 59%, their actual skill level was only 38%.
• Maybe more worrisome is digital marketing skill levels are declining down from 42% in 2014.
• 63% of U.S. marketers reported becoming more digitally focused will be critical to their organization in the next two years.

Dive Insight:

The Digital Marketing Institute found that marketers are concerned that digital advancements might leave them redundant, and that attitudes toward technology and digital marketing are hindering success. The digital skills gap was illustrated in the report by 47% of U.S. marketers stating that even though their organization is involved in digital marketing, it isn’t very competent at it in practice. Some of the issues included a lack of organizational engagement and training.

The report outlined a solution through “a fundamental readjustment of the outlook on skills training."

“The speed at which the digital landscape is evolving means that the only way to keep pace is through the cultivation of an environment that promotes continuous upskilling and professional development," per the report. 

The findings of the Digital Marketing Institute’s research echoes what Phil Hollrah, VP of product marketing at account-based marketing platform provider Demandbase, previously told Marketing Dive about how marketers' skill sets have to change in today’s data-driven marketing world.

“‘Data-driven’ has become a buzzword and some people are losing sight of the fact that good marketing still requires strategic insight and understanding," said Hollrah. "The industry is changing so fast that people are scrambling to jump to the next big thing, and as a result, some skills are being overlooked. Great marketers need to be multi-taskers, capable of blending technology with strategy.”