The UK is currently facing a digital skills gap. Given that this crisis has the potential to affect all sectors and organisations, this is considered a huge concern and remains one of the hottest topics in marketing.
All sectors to suffer
No sector, not even the marketing industry, is safe from the harm that such a skills gap could potentially cause, yet a significant number of organisations and business leaders are still unaware of the problem. This is partly due to the nature of these skills, which are often peripheral to the rest of a business, such as monitoring of websites, search knowledge and the management of CRM.
In the past, when it first became apparent that there was a gap in digital skills, it was hoped that it would be the digital marketing industry which solved the issue. However, figures suggest this is not and will not be the case, with just 8 percent of marketeers currently having entry level digital skills. In theory, the UK should actually be one of the leaders in terms of knowledge and digital skills. It was at the University of Manchester, back in 1951, where the very first digital music recording was played on a computer. Despite this, the lack of skills continues to be a huge problem.
Effective remedies?
The term ‘digital skills’ can be defined as digital literacy and the skills and ability to utilise information technologies, as well as the internet. For the digital marketeer, these are all essential responsibilities.The situation can only be effectively and properly addressed through skills development and education. Companies should consider outsourcing some of their digital needs to a brand and strategy innovation agency, such as www.lightbulbinnovation.com/.
Marketing, and in particular digital marketing, is a constantly evolving sector, which responds to consumer habits and their continuously changing demands. It is only through continued investment in communication, social engagement and more interactive and innovative media that companies can achieve bigger and better things. Without investing in technology, and digital marketing in particular, companies risk lagging behind their competitors, bringing down profitability levels and reducing their chances of commercial success. It is clear that companies need to invest in training, and at the same time work with specialist marketing organisations, to ensure that they stay ahead of the curve in the digital marketing sector.