Why Digital Marketing is Changing How Managers Access Talent

In today’s digitized world, successful marketers must be part creative and part data scientist. Marketers must know how to analyze and extract insights from big data. Then take the right actions to send customers what they want, when they want it, and in a format they want it delivered.

Although difficult, taking the right actions isn’t the biggest challenge for marketing managers. Their biggest challenge is accessing the skilled talent they need to do the work.

What’s location got to do with it?

Digital technology created such a rapid change in marketing that the talent pool still hasn’t caught up. The latest future workforce marketing report shows nearly three times (35 percent) as many marketing managers felt hiring got harder in the past year—only 12 percent felt it got easier.

The same report found that marketing managers believe where the work gets done isn’t relevant to a project’s success.

Nearly eight out of 10 marketing departments have a remote team member. What’s more, most marketing departments (58 percent) utilize freelancers to fill talent gaps and to scale project needs.

Freelancers are more than a convenient option—they’re a necessity. Ninety-two percent of marketing managers say if they can’t access specialized talent, they must delay, cancel, or extend project workloads.

It appears flexible talent may be the most efficient way for marketers to keep pace with technology-driven demands. Rich Pearson, Upwork senior vice president of marketing and categories, says:

“A third of today’s skills for today’s jobs will be obsolete in the next three years. And with each day you see this happening with your group, it becomes important to understand where the skills are.”

If you don’t have a reliable talent strategy in place, check out: Marketing’s New Talent Shortage: How to Fill the Gap that Tech Created. This free ebook from Upwork reviews the digital marketing roles in highest demand, how other companies secure talent, and more. Download your copy now.

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