10 Marketing skills in demand for 2024

If you’re a digital marketer, you know that the old adage “change is the only constant” rings true now more than ever. In the current algorithm-dominated landscape, you’re expected to be a genius problem solver with knowledge of the latest tools and softwares to boot.

What’s more, in virtually every position, you’ll be asked to take on a wide range of responsibilities from content creation and SEO to analytics and email campaigns. Meanwhile, companies are looking for marketers who have specific areas of expertise and can help them get the most bang for their buck when it comes to spending the marketing budget.

If you’re wondering what marketing skills to learn in 2024 to put on your resume and land a great job, we’ve got you covered. In this blog, we’ll explore 10 essential areas of marketing that you can invest in to improve your marketing skills and your job prospects. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• The 10 marketing skills in demand this year
• Why this skill is important to learn
• How to place each marketing skill on your resume

10 Most important skills for marketers this year

1. Social media and search engine advertising

Paid social media ads and SEA on platforms like Google or Meta’s Facebook and Instagram is one of the hottest skills in demand for marketers this year. This hard skill requires a deep understanding of how to optimize Google Ads and Meta Ads parameters to show content to the right customer base and not mindlessly spend money advertising to the wrong crowd.

Make sure to add hard skills like this one to your resume’s skill section using the employer's exact language (for example, SEA instead of search engine advertising). You should also provide concrete evidence of sales or visibility driven through this type of advertising in your employment history bullet points. 

2. Email marketing

Email marketing via newsletters or automated sendouts has only grown in popularity over the past few years and will continue to do so in 2024. Since potential customers generally have to opt-in to receive marketing emails, this approach offers companies a unique level of familiarity with their customer base. Knowing how to write emails that convert along with the best timeline and sequence to send them out is a key skill that will instantly make you a more attractive candidate. Add email marketing to your skills section and make sure to offer examples of your accomplishments in your employment history section.

3. SEO knowledge

SEO knowledge is often the basis of any digital marketing job, but slapping it on the skills section of your resume will no longer impress hiring managers. Companies are looking for candidates with a deep and up-to-date understanding of how today’s fickle algorithms decide who gets seen. You can instantly make yourself more valuable to employers by spending some time to upgrade your knowledge of SEO and become an expert in this area. Make sure to add details of your accomplishments (with numbers to back it up!) into the employment history bullet points of your resume. You can also mention it in your summary if this is one of your key areas of expertise.

4. Problem solving

While problem solving skills can be developed over time, the patience to stick with a problem and find potential solutions is hard to teach, making it one of the most in-demand soft skills for marketers this year. Problem solving can be applied to tech and software issues, but also bigger picture challenges like understanding customer behavior, figuring out the best way to work across teams, and managing marketing budgets and timelines. Unless the job description specifically calls for this skill, don’t waste precious resume space adding it by name. Instead, give examples that point to your ability to problem solve by using the CAR Method in your employment history bullet points. Describe a Challenge, your Action, and the positive Result that followed.

5. Critical thinking

While it often goes hand-in-hand with problem-solving, critical thinking is a separate skill that refers to your ability to analyze different strategies and their possible outcomes. Sometimes called conceptual thinking, critical thinking is about seeing the bigger picture and the consequences of each decision. The ability to identify the steps needed to achieve a certain goal will put you far ahead of other candidates who only take into account their piece of the puzzle. Again, there’s no need to add this skill to your skills section unless the employer specifically asks for it. Instead use the CAR Method to give concrete examples of how you made strategic decisions that led to impressive results.

6. Content creation

Depending on what type of marketing role you’re going for, you may be asked to manage content produced by influences or creators, or you may be asked to produce content yourself. In 2024, short-form video content like TikTok and Instagram Reels will remain the biggest opportunity for organic and paid marketing. Even if it’s not directly part of your job, a basic understanding of video production and editing can help you get the best results from the creators or influencers you work with. You should also have a strong understanding of how to immediately capture a viewer’s attention through strong visuals and/or scripting. If you are producing content yourself, make sure to improve your knowledge of lighting and composition, whether you are filming with your phone or more advanced equipment. 

Since content creation is a vast domain, make sure to break it down into more specific hard skills and include them on your resume skills section. If this is a major part of your job, consider adding a link to your content portfolio in your resume header.

7. Creativity

In the age of AI and ChatGPT, human creativity will become more valuable than ever. Anyone can now generate basic marketing copy that gets across a few key points, but your ability to make a customer associate a particular emotion or feeling with your product is a skill that few possess. Like other soft skills, creativity can be nurtured over time, but it’s hard for employers to train dull candidates to be creative. Therefore, creativity is a basic skill for marketing that will never go out of style. 

“Creativity” is much too vague to add to your skills section. Instead include concrete examples of this skill either in your portfolio linked in your resume header or with descriptive bullet points. In certain situations, you can also add attractive design touches to your resume to instantly communicate your unique style and personality as a candidate.

8. Storytelling

Storytelling might seem like just another marketing buzzword, but as with creativity, the age of artificial intelligence will only serve to make this distinctly human ability more rare and therefore more valuable. In 2024, we have more ways to tell stories than ever before, with one of the most in-demand being data storytelling. Data storytelling can range from using internal metrics to communicate the value of a particular marketing approach to creating a narrative about your ideal customer to better focus ad campaigns. Make sure to give concrete examples of this skill along with the numbers to back it up in the employment history section of your resume. You can also add more descriptive versions of this skill to your skills section.

9. Automated marketing

While AI can’t do everything, there are certain tasks it can make easier and faster. Marketers who know how to use automation and machine intelligence to their advantage will impress employers by increasing profits while saving time and money. Automation often relies on certain platforms like CRM software. Make sure to read the job descriptions of positions that interest you to find out which software is most commonly requested. An online training course in certain platforms like Salesforce or Zoho can be a worthwhile investment. Make sure to include these softwares by name in the skills section of your resume.

10. Data analytics

In today’s budget-driven environment, data-based decisions are no longer just a smart move – they’re a fundamental component of marketing. As a marketer, you need to understand how to gather accurate metrics and data, how to interpret them, and how to use them to pivot your approach. The ability to weave together data, software, and testing methods to drive conversion and increase brand reach will take you from a junior role to an expert marketer. Make sure to show examples of your ability to work with data both in the skills section and employment history section of your resume. Again, implement the CAR Method and don’t forget to use statistics to quantify just how much of a difference your data analytics skills had on the company’s bottom line.

How to strengthen your marketing skills quickly

If you’re wondering how to learn the above skills for your marketing resume, you have a range of possibilities in reach right from the comfort of your laptop. Websites like Skillshare, Udemy, and Masterclass offer in-depth courses on how to become a stronger marketer and develop the soft skills hiring managers are looking for.

If you’ve been working in marketing for a while but are lacking the in-depth knowledge of softwares and platforms needed for your role, consider asking your employer if they can provide you with a course from the software maker. Make sure to clearly explain how a day or two of training will provide a clear benefit to the business by allowing you to work more efficiently and increasing your output potential.

If you’re a student or recent grad, it can be hard to strengthen your marketing skills if you’re not sure where to start. That’s why networking is a must. Use LinkedIn to reach out to mid-level employees at companies where you hope to work. Set up virtual or in-person informational interviews (also called coffee chats) and ask what skills they use on a day-to-day basis and how they learned them. Don’t put any pressure on your new connection to help you get hired. Instead, the goal is to show that you’re an interested, motivated candidate who would make a great employee if a position opens.

Key takeaways

• One of the best ways to strengthen your marketing resume and land a new job is by improving both your soft and hard skills.
• These 10 in-demand skills will continue to be the basics of digital marketing over the coming years, so it’s worth investing in yourself now.
• Soft skills like critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity are hard for employers to train to make sure to demonstrate them in your summary and resume format.
• Hard skills like data analytics, SEA, or SEO should always include numbers or statistics to show the impact of your abilities on the company’s bottom line.