As the UK becomes a powerhouse of skills and innovation, businesses need to ensure digital skills are at the top of the workplace agenda. Recruitment specialists, Forward Role Recruitment has spoken to a number of industry experts to get the low-down on the kind of skills needed to succeed in a digital world.
Attention to detail
Having an eye for the finer details is handy in many industries, digital being one of them.
Co-founder and Grey Matter specialist Larry Kotch of digital growth consultants BrainBroker offers his advice and says, ‘One of the most important skills needed is attention to detail. Often in digital marketing, especially in the context of a growing/ambitious company, you need to tweak and tweak and tweak.
‘Whether it’s trying to get your material effectively across to customers on different online channels or whether it’s tweaking the content within each campaign.’
The ability to notice things that others may miss can set you apart from the crowd.
Perseverance
It is evidence of a focused, headstrong mindset. Larry Kotch comments, ‘It’s an exercise in steadily increasing ROI and requires a mindset that is inquisitive and persevering to get the right results. People who want quick wins and get frustrated when their first attempts aren’t successful will find it difficult to succeed.’
Flexibility
Digital is fast-paced and if you’re not moving with the tide you may find it difficult to stay afloat. Between new tools, strategies and technologies, there is a lot to keep up with.
Mitch Labiak of digital marketers Exposure Ninja explains, ‘I think flexibility is key, too. So much of my work is about handling several leads at a time on behalf of several different clients.’
‘Added to that, you have to account for the unexpected. Sometimes the editor no longer wants the article, sometimes the client drops out, and sometimes people just forget to read their emails. These things happen and, at times like that, it’s important to keep moving forward.’
Working flexibly, having back-up plans and being open to new ideas are all central to digital success.
Know your tools (and be computer literate)
It’s important that you’re open-minded about trying out new tools and technical processes – the systems you use to get data can be integral.
Preeti Vadgama, digital marketing manager at Ideas Made, says, ‘Get to know how online communication elements work: the ins and out of Gmail, Skype, Twitter, Facebook, Excel, etc. It sounds basic but you’ll be using these on a day-to-day basis and you don’t want to be spending time Googling how to do it.’
Further reading on digital skills
