Marketing skills are the skills that are applied in everyday marketing functions like sales, advertising, promotions, market research and analysis, public relations, etc. The purpose of all marketing skills is to see that marketing functions and activities are carried out smoothly and successfully. As such, marketing skills are invaluable to employers in the marketing sector, as it is one of the first things they look for before considering a job-seeker employable. While your marketing degree is important, without these skills you’re not likely to get a job in the marketing sector or even progress to an enviable height in your career. It is therefore important you cultivate these skills if you don’t already have them. Here in this article, we’ll take you through a list of the most important marketing skills you’ll need to get marketing jobs in Nigeria and anywhere in the world.

1. Interpersonal skills – Much of the marketing process involves relating and interacting with people, especially customers, on a daily basis. For this process of interaction to be smooth and successful, it is important that you have very good interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills are the skills we use daily in our interactions with people. They’re the skills that ensure we not only get along with people, but build strong, long lasting relationships with them. And for a marketer who will be interacting with customers on a daily with the sole aim of promoting your company’s product or service, good interpersonal skills are a necessity. You’re less likely to do well in your marketing career without them. Good communication skills, empathy, self-awareness and emotional intelligence, honesty, and receptivity to feedback are just some of the interpersonal skills you can develop to help you thrive in your marketing career.
2. Web Analytical skills – This is one of the skills in high demand in Nigeria. Marketers today are driven by data and digital technology. Marketing automation software and other analytical tools like Google Analytics, Optimizely, Hubspot, Marketo, etcetera, are a major part of today’s marketing process. As such, anyone looking to get marketing jobs in this day and age must know his way around these tools. It is therefore important that you acquaint yourself with the necessary knowledge of web data analytics as it works today in marketing if you want to stand a good chance of getting employed in the marketing sector in Nigeria. 
3. Digital marketing skills – As earlier mentioned, the marketing world today is driven by digital technology, and as such, digital marketing has overtaken every other form of marketing. Social media marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Digital Advertising, Content creation, Email marketing, and the aforementioned web data Analytics are the kind of things today’s marketers now busy themselves with. If your desire, therefore, is to succeed in the marketing sector, then you cannot afford to be left behind in terms of today’s technology. Investing in yourself and gaining the necessary digital marketing skills pulling the labor market today is a must for you. If you’re not already acquainted with some of these skills, then get started on learning them and increase your market value as a job-seeker. 
4. Excellent writing skills – If there’s another thing today’s marketers know how to do very well it is how to put together engaging written content, especially web content. With many companies and brands today looking to build their online presence and attract customers from the social media space, the need for excellent content writers has grown massively over the last few years. Companies want to improve their brand awareness through generating online traffic on their websites and social media pages, and this is what today’s content writers thrive at. Content writers know how to keep an audience entertained, engaged and hungry for more. In fact, it would not be out of place to say they’re the major driving force of digital marketing in today’s world. As such, if you want to improve your chances of getting jobs in the marketing sector in Nigeria, we advise you begin to do work on your writing skills, as well as get to understand how content writing works in the digital world. 
5. Critical thinking and Analytical skills –This skill is really needed in immigration recruitment. If there’s another skill you must be armed with as you go about your job search in the marketing sector, it is critical thinking and analytical skills. Today’s marketers face complex problems and situations as they go about carrying out marketing functions and activities, and what gets them out of these situations every time is their ability to analyze the situation and think critically about possible solutions. The business world is a complex one with complex problems springing up every day. Employers are looking for people who are skilled at solving these problems with minimal fuss. Therefore, if you want to stand a good chance of being employed in a rather competitive labor market in Nigeria, you must make yourself one of these people by working on your critical thinking and analytical skills. 
6. Creativity – If there’s one thing you must know about the business world it is that it is constantly evolving. New ways are springing up to do things every day. Today’s marketers are constantly thinking of creative solutions to the complex marketing problems they face. New and creative approaches to sales, advertising, and market analysis are being developed on a daily basis. So as a marketer, you too must be on your creative toes. No company wants to be left behind. No brand wants to be tagged backward. As such, employers will only employ individuals who have the creative edge to push their companies and brands forward. It is therefore advisable that you become one of these individuals by training the creative hub of your mind in terms of solving marketing problems in today’s world. 
7. A willingness to learn – the world is constantly evolving. Things are constantly changing, not just in marketing, but in every sphere. With this in mind, you must never stop learning or growing. Constantly desire to improve your skills and talents in the marketing industry. Invest in yourself consistently. Keep up with the trends. Be open to new ways of doing things. If there’s anything that will keep you at the top of your career, it is consistent growth and improvement. Understand that no matter how adept you are as a marketer, there will always be something to improve upon. There always is. So be open to growth and learning. The success of your marketing career depends on it. 

Conclusion 

The business world is an exciting one, especially the marketing aspect of it. Those involved in marketing have a lot to do in terms of how well a company or brand does. No wonder employers don’t just hire anybody and everybody for marketing roles. If you’re among those looking for jobs in the marketing sector, then we advise that you get to work on the skills outlined in this article. Your marketing career depends on it.