Is your marketing department embracing the digital change?

There is a never ending stream of acronym's and jargon emerging from the digital arena such as SEM, SEO, CPC, CPA, big data, social media, e-Commerce, m-Commerce, UX, video display, mobile advertising and affiliates are some of the most common. When discussing with key leaders about some of the emerging trends going on within the digital environment, it's obvious that they are widespread across all industries and that businesses and marketers that don't embrace digital may find that they are left behind.

Digital is high on the agenda and many organisations are looking to accelerate their digital capabilities which means in many cases, bringing social media, SEO & SEM, e-Commerce, UX and mobile in-house, either within a stand-alone digital department or having digital sitting directly under the marketing function.

In the year to December 2013, Australians spent $14.7 billion on online retail. This level is equivalent to 6.5% of spending with traditional bricks & mortar retailers. Mobile advertising continues to grow and it is predicted that in 2014 m-Commerce (mobile sales) will contribute to more than 20% towards total e-Commerce sales. As a result of increased mobile and digital tablet usage, so too will the engagement on these devices. 26% of Australians have made a purchase on their smartphones and is predicted to surge in 2014.  Another interesting trend is that video display advertising is also on the rise, with organisations developing innovative and creative ways to capture the attention of their customer segment. In 2013, organisations experienced highs and lows of interacting socially with the community and this year we will see a more strategic, smarter and most importantly a careful approach to social media marketing.

So what does all of this mean for businesses? Moving forward we are going to see a continued need for specialist digital skills. The hot jobs will be across social media, data analysis, SEM & SEO and e-Commerce. As mobile spend continues to increase and the capability to talk to consumers 24/7 increases, the need for mobile strategists or talent with m-Commerce and mobile application experience will be one of the biggest trends in the coming years. For small to medium businesses, there will be a continued demand for quality digital generalists; those that have varied skills, experience and understanding across a number of areas.

Organisations who are quick to embrace the change and can win the war for talent, and structure their businesses effectively are the ones that will succeed;  as will  those businesses that up skill their own people through training and development. There is no question that this is a very exciting time in the industry.

Jo Krause is the digital specialist at Six Degrees. Six Degrees has a dedicated function focussed on strategic sourcing and pipelining of talent. For advice please contact Jo on (03) 8613 3512.