Why you may need to change your Marketing strategy
Marketing candidates are changing…
According to research carried out by Marketing Week “only 44% of the UK’s marketers now have a recognised marketing qualification, with 55% intending to take one while already in work.”
With many candidates now coming from a non-traditional marketing background, recruiters need to make sure they are not restricting their company’s opportunities to benefit from the varied skills and ideas that those without marketing and business degrees may bring.
Why change in marketing is good…
As more and more data is being produced and with the ever changing technology within the marketing industry, many organisations are now finding that they require candidates from more scientific and technology backgrounds to utilize this data to its full potential.
The Guardian writes “For those companies that can harness and analyse this data, it is possible to generate an extraordinarily detailed picture of customer behaviour, preferences and trends.”
Nick Cicero calls those candidates from non-traditional backgrounds ‘unbiased marketers’, whose skills and experiences come from life experience and their “logical thinking from complex problems in completely different worlds.” He believes unbiased marketers “bring in fresh thinking” but also possess “the hunger to learn and soak in the “traditional” tactics that all marketers need”.
An artist and a scientist…
However this doesn’t mean candidates no longer need to have a creative flair. Marketers need to be well rounded individuals applying their imagination and creativity, as well as an analytical side in order to be successful.
Alison Orsi, vice president of marketing, communications and citizenship at IBM UK and Ireland says, “It’s about balance. Whoever has the best algorithm and can use it in the most compelling way to provide the best experience is going to win.” Marketers need to combine their analytical and creative sides together to build “creative stories using data”.
Many senior marketers agree that in the not too distant future data will be providing a platform for a new kind of creativity so now is a perfect time to gain a head start.
What can you do?
As with any job application the first thing potential employers will see is your CV so you need to make sure that this perfectly reflects this mixture of both your analytical and creative skills and experiences you have gained throughout your career to date.
If you get through to interview stage you will need to make sure you can sell yourself in person and successfully illustrate how your previous non-traditional roles lend themselves to the marketing position you are applying for.
Mariano Dima, chief marketing officer of holiday rental company HomeAway comes from an engineering background but “always liked to build things as a young boy”, and believes marketing satisfies this urge “through designing and building products and propositions.”
What does this mean for hiring managers and marketing candidates?
For candidates this means that the current job market is more ‘welcoming’ of those from a non-traditional background, making it a fantastic time to for those looking for a career change or graduates looking to get into the marketing industry.
However it also means that more than ever candidates will need to demonstrate that they are well rounded individuals who are not only able to analyse numbers and data, but use that information to creatively reach clients in an ever changing market.
For those hiring this means that there is an opportunity to tap into are a plethora of non-traditional marketers out there that are ready to bring fresh ideas into the business, along with unique viewpoints and skillsets gained from their previous studies or job roles in other diverse industries.
The Number of Marketing Jobs Continue To Rise Within The Midlands...
Marketing Vacancies Are Rapidly Rising...
According to survey data from the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) UK, recruiters have more than a 40% increase in marketing jobs year on year however are seeing a 6% drop in placements. So, whilst the job flow is exciting, marketing recruiters are often struggling in filling their vacancies due to the lack of marketing candidates available. Further clarification can be found by an exciting recent study finding that it is now an excellent time to be a marketer within the Midlands, with a 20% growth of marketing jobs seen within the region. Marketers now looking for a career move find themselves in an exciting position, with a wealth of jobs to apply for and excellent candidates have many career options open to them.
However The Pool Of Marketing Candidates Continues To Fall...
During the recent economic downturn, inevitable cut backs were needed to be made, businesses were quick to lose heads from their marketing departments, with marketers seen as a ‘luxury’ resource that they could do without. Junior marketers have not been invested in and developed, and the result a few years down the line is that we have a dwindling force of marketers in the Midlands. Teaming this with stagnant wage levels within the UK, this has caused something of a stalemate.
The Demand For Digital Candidates...
At the same time the dominance of digital marketing has dramatically changed the scope of marketing during the recession years. A recent report suggested that over 70% of businesses are now looking to invest further in their digital channels. This could further compound the situation, since there are already fewer specialists in this emerging discipline due to the lack of investment in developing marketing skills.
The Interview Is Equally Important For Both Hiring Managers and Candidates...
Whichever way we look at this situation, this is an excellent position to be in for hiring managers and candidates however the interview is critical on both sides. Hiring managers must remember to sell their companies to entice candidates, while candidates must remember to sell themselves alongside asking questions to ensure that the company can provide their ideal marketing job and work environment as we believe a perfect culture fit is vital to a happy and successful career.
Our Career Advice
When making your next career move within marketing, we would always advise you to first of all, really think about the career path that you are wanting to take including business size, sector and whether you would prefer a broad or specific role. Once you are confident in your decision to move on, ensure your CV sells your skills and is properly formatted, read our top five simple tips for a stand out CV.
Now is the perfect time to consider your next career move, we have access to a broad range of marketing jobs across the Midlands.
Please submit your CV and if your experience is relevant and a specialist consultant will be in touch shortly.
Five Pieces of Marketing News You Need To Know About This Week
Here's our round up of the top five pieces of marketing new you need to know about this week...
1) Ministry of Sound hope to “redefine clubbing” and invest equity in their brand to determine a longer life span as the brand approaches its 25th anniversary next year
Group marketing director, Kershaw, who has an impressive history of holding senior positions at MTV and BBH, will look to develop the company’s impressive portfolio of brands which proudly includes an independent record label, a radio station, an infamous night club venue as well as an international events presence.
The marketing push not only looks to “take it to the next level” in preparation for the brands anniversary but looks to position their product offering under one umbrella identity by being less reliant on its logo and creating a brand with more meaning.
How will Ministry of Sound communicate this brand image? Unlike competitors, Ministry of Sound have a rich heritage of music and they believe this is where their competitive advantage lies, as Kershaw believes “Unlike Bose or Sonos, we can actually demonstrate our passion for music on a weekly basis, whether that’s booking DJs in a club or signing acts like London Grammar to our label.”
With all the brand and celebrity tie-ups, heritage and a rich cultural background may be offering a refreshing and attractive brand offering. Find our more about this story.
2) Advertising has hit the highest growth in four years and it owes it all to the rise of mobile and digital
The rise of advertising spend is undoubtedly attributed by the growth of digital and this shows no sign of slowing with spend predicted to hit the £20bn barrier by 2016.
2014's growth was driven by internet advertising and the rise of mobile advertising. Following this is proven increase of ad spend on steaming services; with broadcast video on demand spend up 15.5%.
The influx of digital marketing means good news for the economy and future marketers, with the creation of 70,000 advertising-related jobs predicted over the next five years. It is definitely a good time to be in marketing as a profession. For full facts, figures and predictions of the research, please view Marketing Weeks article.
3) Ed Miliband gains a fandom...
So, this perhaps is not marketing news as such but it is, indeed, a great lesson for the future of marketing and how youth influence can often be a forgotten and/or a misunderstood audience in political campaigns. One of the front runners in the 2015 general election had acquired a very unusual fanbase on social media and it comes in the form of teenage girls. Harnessing social media, a teenage "fandom" has emerged in support of Labour leader, Ed Miliband. The starter of the Milifandom stated that it was intended as “a movement against the distorted media portrayal of Ed” and to remind politicians that they cannot ignore the power of youth influence. Despite the majority of the fandom not being able to vote, Labour have recruited volunteers and more importantly, gained frequent positive press coverage. The lesson to learn? Do not misunderstand the power of targeting young audiences and most important, ensure interaction and understanding. Take a light hearted look at what the #Milifandom have created.
4) Buxton lead the way for TFL opening their stations to further brands for renaming
Having temporarily renamed Canada Water station to Buxton Water to celebrate its sponsorship of the London Marathon at the weekend, TfL has revealed it will open up all its stations to potential brand takeovers as part of its plans to generate £3.45bn in non-fare revenue over the next decade.
The signage at Ca
nada Water station was switched to "Buxton Water" station for a 24-hour period and as part of the new move, brands will only be able to rename stations for up to 48 hours. Director of Commercial Development stated that there has been a great deal of interest over the past two years from a variety of brands, from film studios to food makers.
The move is part of TFL's drive to up non-ticket revenues, as part of this, February TfL announced a £43.75m seven-year partnership with Santander to refresh London’s Cycle Hire scheme through Santander Cycles, while it also made notonthehighstreet.com the first ever sponsor of its “Baby on Board” badges for pregnant commuters in January.
However, as exciting as this seems, brands will have to fulfil rigid criteria to qualify for renaming a tube station which is based upon audience relevenace and whether renaming a tube stop actually ties in with a significant event within the area. Read more about this story.
5) CEO Andrew Harrison announces departure following ensuring the success of Costa and Premier Inn
Harrison is moving to take on the challenge of chairmanship of popular home furnishing retailer Dunelm in early 2016. Harrison has an impressive employment history as he joined Whitbread from easyjet in 2010 and has overseen a period of rapid expansion of its store and hotel estate and more importantly, marked growth in share price.
Humbly, Harrison has credited the brands success down to the groups 45,000 team members who go the extra mile every day to ensure delivery of a consistent and positive customer service experience to all of the 25 million customers who visit Whitbread's outlets every month.
We wish Andrew Harrison every success in his future move, find out more about Harrisons departure from Whitbread.
Proudly Introducing ESA Marketing...
Following a brand review after impressive business growth, with 50% in 2013 and 60% in 2014, as of today Edward Samuel Associates becomes ESA Marketing. We are welcoming a new visual identity, tagline and expanded online presence to support business growth and reflect the brand identity that ESA Marketing has evolved into through building strong partnerships with clients and candidates.
ESA Marketing is a leading marketing recruitment agency specialising in recruitment, talent management and head-hunting solutions for leading organisations across the private and public sector. We are specialists in recruiting across the full marketing mix, working with the leading communications, marketing, PR, design and product professionals.
Why ESA Marketing?
We believe ESA Marketing stays true to our roots as Edward Samuel Associates while incorporating our passion and commitment to the marketing industry. We have taken the opportunity to simplify our name, ensuring that our brand image reflects our values and is easier for companies to remember, ensuring that ESA Marketing are the recruitment company on all marketing professionals and organisations lips.
As our business has grown, we have developed into a company that lives and breathes the marketing industry, not only have we built a strong network of the brightest marketing candidates while providing access to the Midlands most exciting marketing vacancies; We have become passionate about the marketing industry as a whole and thoroughly invest our time in discovering the latest trends and news to strengthen our ability to provide an outstanding marketing recruitment service.
Our new brand name, tagline, logo and initiatives tell the industry who we are and what we stand for; providing a specialist marketing recruitment service. We have taken the opportunity to re brand our business to showcase our impressive knowledge of the industry which we have built through experience and our brand image, we feel, now surpasses industry standards.
“The Midlands Marketing Recruitment Specialists”
From today, “The Midlands Marketing Recruitment Specialists” becomes ESA Marketing’s tagline which is in line with both the businesses core values, future strategy and reputation that has been built through partnership with leading marketing professionals and organisations.
Our tagline reflects our mission for ESA Marketing, to provide an outstanding recruitment service and thrive on the reputation we have proudly built of being the Midlands marketing recruitment specialists.
ESA Marketing is a leading marketing recruitment agency that is committed to treating our clients and candidates with integrity and empathy to ensure you are never treated as a number. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide an outstanding recruitment service, tailored to individual requirements to ensure our matching ability is never compromised and achieving an exceptional organisational fit.
We have ensured that our four core principles are at the heart of the ESA Marketing brand:
Integrity
A quality which is lacking across this industry, we put it at the heart of what we do, balancing the needs of clients and candidates with honesty and transparency.
Empathy
Developing a deep level of understanding with our candidates and clients is a critical part of our business, we never treat our candidates as a number. We meet every candidate to ensure we understand skill sets, passions and career aspirations to achieve the highest level of organisational fit and provide recruitment solutions that help achieve greater performance.
Focus
We specialise in marketing, it is what we do, it is our passion so it comes as no surprise that we are constantly keeping up to date with news while networking and further developing our talent pools. By doing this, we ensure that we have a constant source of the most sought after marketing talent. We focus on what matters, saving you time in identifying the best.
Pride
Every member of ESA Marketing takes a great deal of pride in delivering first class customer service. We take our time in getting to know our clients and candidates to further guarantee providing a quality recruitment experience.
There is still more to come...
Within April, ESA Marketing will be announcing more exciting news about our future and we cannot wait to announce the full details of the future of ESA Marketing which is truly exciting.
Are you a candidate looking for a new job? Find out more about how we can help you.
Are you a client looking to find your ideal candidate? Find out more about how we can help you and find out first hand what sets us apart from our competitors.
We look forward to hearing from you!
The Top Three Pieces of Social Media News You Cannot Ignore
Snapchat Discover: Social Value or Bust
As we all know, the social media news on everybody's lips in late January was when Snapchat launched the Discover feature, which added news and content to the image and video messenger app. What we are interested as marketers is the advertising function and the new opportunities this gave to marketers however social media news of the progress of the feature has not been widely reported.
The entire model of Snapchat Discover is based on consumer volition; users must opt in to engage with the ads on Discover. Offer no social value? Get no interaction. Users can opt out of your ads in less than a second so knowing your audience and capturing interest is key.
This really emphasises the point of your content strategy being the ruler of your marketing strategy and with no social value, you get no interaction.
Read more social media news and find out more about how only the strong will survive Snapchat Discover.
Instagram: From Rapid Growth to Hopes of Rapid Revenue
The Game Changing URL Opening Ad
Although Instagram first allowed advertisements in October 2013, they have yet to allow URLS to open outside of the popular app until now. Why were URL link clicks not allowed? CEO Kevin Systrome did not want the clean flow of the app to be diluted. However, after the first four years spent achieving rapid growth, the photo sharing community has over 300 million users. Facebook notably purchased Instagram in 2012 for £629m, just 2 years after the popular platform exploded into social media. Rapid growth and an increase in looking to promote, measurable, more sought after ad space, seems to be Facebook's way of recouping their investment.
After advertisers demanded more vivid ways to influence people who “lead to meaningful results for their businesses”, Instagram have created the carousel which now includes clickable URLS. See more about how it will work by viewing this article.
In hope of not disrupting the clean flow of Instagram, CEO Kevin Systrome will approve every ad posted on the social media platform.
What does this show us? Marketing and ad space is no longer a fluffy business, marketers want to see a clear return on investment before committing to a big spend.
Teaming limited space slots with an extremely high user base and Instagrams' ability to provide solid metrics for their space, including likes, comments, swipes and clicks, following their rapid growth, rapid revenue looks hot on its heels.
Read the full social media news article on Instagrams latest change and View the demo of the carousal feature and find out more about the URL opening ad.
Vlogging: From YouTube to Your Customer Journey
Vlogging, can it be incorporated to improve the customer journey? Tesco have managed to provide the answer to this question, a resounding yes. Tesco Living has shown initiative, taking the vlogging trend and giving it personalisation, another massive trend within marketing. Within the campaign, Tesco have offered free 20 minute video consultations with leading beauty bloggers and makeup experts, including Hayley Carr of the London Beauty Queen blog. Tesco are showing us how to take Google+ hangouts to audiences and offer a truly personalised experience, offering expert advice tailored to the customer needs. This content marketing strategy goes beyond riding on the back of content marketing trends; Tesco Living are making their own trends and adding value to their campaign by providing personalisation, relevance and excitement throughout the customer journey.
Five Game Changing Mobile Marketing Trends in 2015
Mobile Marketing Trends 2015: What You Need To Know
Mobile marketing is a force no marketer can ignore, here are the mobile marketing trends for 2015,
1) Mobile responsiveness impacts upon Google ranking
Starting April 21st 2015, Google will be using “mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal.” This will have a significant impact on search results in a drive to ensure Google users get more relevant, high quality search results that are optimised for the device they are using. That puts the pressure on us all to ensure our website is mobile optimised. Googles information on friendly search results can be found here.
2) Security is key
The biggest breaches of security haven’t always been mobile in nature however the security risks of mobile devices cannot be ignored. The rise of mobile money has meant that there is now a large risk of security breaches, as seen by the latest Apply Pay fraud. Criminals in the US are using the Apple Pay system to buy high value goods with stolen credit card details. This is causing problems for banks, who are rushing to ensure better verification and controls are in place, however, two million Americans are already using the system Want to find out more? Apple Pay: The new scam. What is the lesson? Ensure your site or app is always secure.
3) It is no longer just about smartphones
Mobile is not a presence any marketer can choose to ignore. So far at MWC 2015, the manufacturers’ announcements have shown us that there is no longer an emphasis on just smartphones but consumer demands are looking for a range of products and accessories that allow a connected life style and mobile is at the core of this. A trend only technology manufacturer can jump on? Think again, Ikea has developed furniture that wireless charges smartphones. Ensure you put a connected, mobile lifestyle at the heart of your marketing materials. Find out more about MCW 2015 trends, every marketer needs to follow the trends of this game changing event.
4) Interaction comes from apps
Users are now more inclined to interact with apps than the mobile browser, which means when buying mobile ad space, in-app is the way to go. In-app ads will grow significantly in the next few years, as here, in the UK alone; apps downloaded are expected to rise to 15.5bm by 2018. Not using in app advertising or creating your own app if relevant? You might be missing out on a large amount of potential success. Need tips on ad spending on mobile? Find out five ad trends every marketer needs to know.
(Image can be found on Flickr)
5) Personalisation is key
Last and most definitely, not least, is the unprecedented rise of personalisation. Why the gravitation to apps? Users see the apps that they download as an extension of their personality and interests, from music, entertainment and gaming. Consumers are not getting excited about wearable technology as 37% of respondents for this survey “do not see the need for it”. Consumers are turning more and more to platforms that they feel a need for and personalisation plays a huge part in this. This can be seen by Facebook's move to split off the messenger function into a separate app, not only to speed up communications, but to allow users to customise their approach to social networking.
Personalisation is king on mobile platforms; the apps and content browsed through these devices are seen as an extension of personality so it is key to ensure an element of personalisation in your marketing mix.