The Most In-Demand Marketing Tech Skills

As we get deeper into the digital age, companies focus more of their marketing dollars on digital strategies. As a result, marketing professionals with a technology background are in demand. In fact, according to research by digital marketing resources provider Mondo, 50 percent of all marketing hires will have a technical background in 2014. What marketing tech skills top the list for hiring managers? We asked Mondo to break down the numbers to see the skills marketing departments are after, as well as what those skills earn, on average, within marketing. If you’re looking for a change and want to get closer to the business side, then seeking out and honing the tech skills on this list can help.

Front end developers looking to move into marketing should hone their business skills, according to Laura McGarrity, vice president of marketing at Mondo. “A front end developer with an understanding of customer engagement, UI/UX, conversion rates on websites and lead generation … is a far more valuable resource to a marketing team than a traditional front-end developer,” McGarrity says.

Annual average income: $88,000 to $134,000

Marketing departments are looking for mobile developers, according to Mondo data, and that demand is on the rise. “Mobile and app development, and some ecommerce functions, have been traditional IT roles for many years. However, the push for these roles within marketing is all underpinned by the need for greater customer engagement and external marketing initiatives that directly impact revenue,” McGarrity says.

Annual average income: $98,000 to $148,000

Ecommerce and digital marketing skills falls squarely into the realm of marketing, but people in this role need a deep understanding of Internet users’ behaviors and the technical skills necessary to implement and execute on business objectives.

“CMOs and marketing executives must shift their focus to the world of digital marketing and expand their teams with the resources necessary to support the latest web, mobile, automated and integrated marketing technologies,” McGarrity says. “Without the skilled resources to create, test, and execute these marketing strategies, companies will get left behind.”

Annual Average Income: $100,000 to $166,000

With different departments handling different portions of the overall digital marketing strategy, it’s essential to have someone someone with the skills to coordinate and handle day-to-day operations, move the needle and ensure business objectives are being met. “The difference in the skills sets that marketing executivess want within the roles is an understanding of the importance of translating marketing strategies to online digital experiences,” McGarrity says.

Annual average income: $40,000 to $140,000

Search engine optimization and search engine marketing skills help companies bring more people to their sites and sell more of their products and services. Education is beginning to catch up to this tumultuous scene, but SEM and SEO best practices always changing. Someone must always be in the know, or else organizations will quickly find themselves playing catch-up.

Annual average income: $56,000 to $150,000

Customer engagement is a top priority for CMOs and marketing executives, who increasingly look to all their collected data for insight. But marketing departments struggle with big data, as it’s usually unstructured, unintegrated and unavailable in traditional, manual business processes. Individuals who can organize, analyze and make actionable plans with that data are in high demand, and that demand is expected to continue.

Annual average income: $78,000 to $150,000

Businesses of all sizes work with social media to build their brands and expand their audience reach. More join the fray every day, too, making this another hot skill within the marketing realm. Professionals with these skills work to build a company’s online presence through various social networking sites. They post content and announcements and work to better engage the audience, increase followers and boost brand awareness.

“‘Customer engagement’ is top of mind for businesses in today’s world,” McGarrity says. “Without a solid customer engagement strategy, businesses are missing the opportunity to connect with their customers in the most effective way.”

Annual average income: $42,000 to $105,000