Marketing knowledge, martech stack literacy and business sense are all skills required from highly sought-after MarTech professionals (unicorns!). A top-notch MarTech expert is a T-shaped professional who knows different types of MarTech processes, strategies, and tools (MA, Analytics, Data Warehousing, CRM, Data Visualization tools, CMS), B2B and B2C business, marketing and customer understanding. That sounds like a lot of requirements for one individual. Right?
I agree. It is because we MarTech people have a lot on our plates nowadays: We are an essential link between the marketing, IT and sales teams. We need to understand each group and act on their behalf. We must speak each team’s language, know what they need and act as mediators and translators between departments. Individuals with all these required skills are hard to come by. Yet often, our role is undervalued.
MarTech unicorns drive change.
Currently, customer needs are shifting towards looking for partners who can contribute new creative ideas—ideas that can solve business needs and drive change. Many companies have already integrated some MarTech tools with ad operations; therefore, there’s less and less need for rote work, such as creating emails.
Some rote work is still required, but where we see the most potential is in implementing these MarTech unicorns in companies as members of existing teams. To drive change from within! They can provide a broader perspective on how to solve and change a wide variety of things.
What clients buy is our professional consulting. Therefore, we must guide them in the right direction, protect them from possibly making mistakes, as well as helping with internal politics. In other words, we can help the client’s marketing, IT and sales teams all drive in the same direction.
Many MarTech professionals seemingly hide behind technology and only do what is necessary. To some, this might seem like just “pushing buttons”. But since we do have a unique skill set that combines marketing, IT, operations, and sales, it’s time to take a look at ourselves in the mirror and share our ideas, as well as to take the time to explain what we do and why we do things the way we do them.
It’s easier for us to share our thoughts when we are part of a team with no communication barriers. This approach is the path to becoming a more valued team member and creating more value for all relevant stakeholders.
See Also: AI for B2B Marketers – Practical Use Cases
We solve modern problems with our soft skills.
What separates ‘unicorn 2.0’ from previous editions is our soft skills. Previously, we had been good at doing, not explaining. Today that is not enough—stakeholders want to hear our voices! Many companies have already noticed the unique and versatile skillsets of MarTech professionals and are asking us to provide them with innovative ways to solve modern problems.
Unicorn 2.0 has marketing and tech skills and the ability to communicate clearly to different stakeholders and bring ideas to light. For some reason, these soft skills seem rare amongst MarTech professionals, but I have very good news: it’s something we can develop!
MarTech unicorn 2.0s need to take more pride in their actions. So please, stop hiding behind technology and make your skills known.
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About the authorJaana Miettinen is the head of the MarTech team at Luxid, BBN Finland. She thinks that MarTech professionals and marketing operations are the unsung heroes of the marketing industry and is happy to “show off” her team’s achievements, skills, and the great results that MarTech generates whenever possible. |
