72% of respondents said in a MarTech survey that they consider martech talent more critical than pure IT skills. Carlos Doughty, CEO of MarTech Alliance, says, “ Without human intervention, technology is just a big mound of rock. There will be no one to monitor it or optimize it.”
Despite ongoing efforts, the skills gap in technology remains a persistent challenge. Surprisingly, only 28% of marketers feel confident in the level of training and effectiveness of their in-house talent and technology.
The massive demand for skilled martech professionals illustrates the need for companies to focus on training and hiring tech-savvy marketers. For entrepreneurs, the story is pretty much the same. Tech-driven marketing can help reduce advertising costs and accelerate the time to profitability.
Based on our research, these are the most wanted martech skills that will transform entrepreneurship as we know it.
Top 5 Martech Skills Highly Wanted By Entrepreneurs
1. No-code (NC) software development
Developing apps is no mean feat. The average cost of developing an app ranges from $40,000 to $730,000 for most applications. Using NC platforms for software development in Houston can significantly reduce costs.
With no-code software development, entrepreneurs don’t need to rely on IT teams for app development or configurations. That means they can innovate and iterate their ideas more rapidly, reducing the time to market.
No-code solutions have opened up the technology landscape to everyone by simplifying the application development process. The latest estimates suggest that NC development will make up 65% of all new business apps by 2025. Empowered with these platforms, business owners can use their domain knowledge to create applications that are more targeted to their needs.
According to a Redhat survey, no-code solutions can reduce development time by nearly 90%. Such increased agility is indispensable in today’s fast-paced, customer-centric market.
John Munoz, a martech expert, says, “A time will come when companies, particularly those in the bustling tech scene of Houston, will be compelled to switch to no-code platforms to satisfy legal obligations and their users’ needs.
2. Video creation
Video drives the most engagement on social networks. U.S. marketers spent $82.89 billion on social network video ads in 2023, a 10% increase from the previous year. Some of the most wanted video marketing skills today include live stream production, social platform optimization, trend analysis, storytelling, and editing.
Entrepreneurs should start learning the ins and outs of mobile video. You can benefit from mastering how video works on different social networks and ways to leverage paid adverts effectively to market and target their content.
A key subskill we must highlight is video search optimization. In today’s super competitive digital space, marketers need the ability to optimize videos for search engines and social platform search algorithms. They must be able to study, understand, and use video performance analytics to evaluate and improve campaigns.
Working with the top corporate video production companies can help you unlock the asset potential of video marketing. Expect the benefits to transcend lead generation. A mature video creation strategy can also do wonders for consumer education and employee advocacy.
3. Content personalization
Generative AI has drastically increased the volume of spam online. For serious companies, the only way to stand out is by channeling resources toward personalizing content. 86% of consumers prioritize authenticity when choosing the brands they love, and customizing content can help build brand authenticity.
If you’re an entrepreneur seeking to grow your business quickly without loads of capital, these content personalization tips may come in handy. This is important because personalization improves corporate accessibility. Customers can get quick solutions and stay loyal to the brand.
Picture a scenario where your business sells route planning software for other B2B businesses. You’ll need to tailor your content based on their geographical location and daily operational experiences. Therefore, customers who use the software can get curated, detailed insights for maximizing efficiency and reducing costs.
Entrepreneurs must study data analytics to succeed in content personalization. Content personalization involves collecting user data to customize and create content that speaks directly to customers’ needs. If you are skilled at data analysis, you can quickly filter through data, pinpoint patterns, and provide customers with the most relevant content.
Another critical content personalization skill is UX storytelling. Enhancing user experience across apps and websites with the right stories can help nurture strong emotional connections between consumers and brands. This skill enhances brand awareness, improves content marketing ROI, and helps your business grow.
4. Automated data collection
Pete Wootton, the Chief data and product officer for US and UK-based Dennis Publishing, said at a recent Martech interview that “no matter your business objectives, you must clearly understand your customers and use data to fulfill their needs.
There are a few techniques you can employ in automated data collection, but the most common are data scraping and web crawling. As an entrepreneur, these skills can help you unlock insights that drive informed decision-making and faster problem-solving.
Data scraping involves extracting data from sources that aren’t readable or are accessible by machines. This process is often done manually, but to effectively scrape data, you can use a scraping bot to mimic human interaction with an application or website.
Web crawling automatically combs websites and pulls data from them. It differs from data scraping in that web crawlers hop from one page to another using links, while data scrapers only pull data from sites they are explicitly directed to.
5. Voice search optimization
Market predictions state that we can expect 8 billion digital assistants to be voice-enabled in 2024. It’s a no-brainer, therefore. New entrepreneurs must stay alert on how voice search will influence their digital marketing success in 2024 and beyond.
Businesses that fail to embrace voice search risk surrendering a considerable share of their potential audience and revenues to rivals. But to succeed in voice search optimization, you will need basic Natural Language Processing (NLP) skills.
NLP is important in voice search because it enables voice-assistant assistants like Alexa and Siri to understand and reply to our queries. With NLP skills, digital entrepreneurs will be empowered to create voice-search-ready content.
Voice search content addresses the kinds of questions that people ask when communicating. It is engaging and to the point because the creators understand user intent. It is location-specific and highly personalized.
Conclusion
As a digital entrepreneur, these five rare martech skills can help shorten your journey to success. Other essential and most rewarding skills in today’s business environment include listening skills, emotional intelligence, and cultural awareness, but more about that in another post.
