Bridging the talent gap: Three steps to staying competitive through analytics

Abstract

As customer expectations continue to rise, and the marketplace becomes ever more competitive, marketers need analytics and insights to drive better decisions. Using data and analytics as a competitive advantage requires a team of analysts who know your business well, and who have the skills to work with marketing leaders to combine analytics with business acumen. It is difficult to find people with the whole package — the analysis, technical and consulting skills required to deliver the analytics marketing needs to make decisions that drive return on investment. It is important to take a long-term view, and invest in developing people into strong analysts who help to move marketing efforts forward. To build a high-performing team that adds ongoing value to your marketing strategy, there are three strategic steps: developing clear expectations of the role, finding people with the right mindset and baseline technical skills, and exposing those people to senior analysts, mentors and projects.