Where Are All the General Marketing Jobs?

The ‘generalist marketer’ role is no longer what it used to be but rather has branched out into more specialised roles. The traditional one-size-fits-all job is quickly making way for individuals with expertise in niche areas. This shift has led to a significant decrease in the number of general marketing roles being advertised in the job market with a significant uptick in more focused positions.

Where Are All the Marketing Jobs?

Fragmentation into specialised roles had made companies steer away from the ‘generalist marketer’ job offering and instead seek experts in specific areas such as content marketing, social media management, SEO, Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, email marketing, and data analytics. A reason is the emergence of the digital marketing landscape which is far more dynamic than traditional marketing channels like print, TV and radio. The main driver of the need for precision and effectiveness in a competitive online marketplace. Marketing departments should therefore be composed of specialists who can deliver focused results rather than generalists with broad yet shallow knowledge of the mix.

How Should My Company Adapt?

To stay competitive, companies need to adapt to this new paradigm by restructuring their marketing teams. Here are some steps to consider:

1. Identify Key Areas of Expertise Needed: Identify who your target market is and what engages them the most. Assess your current marketing strategy and identify areas where specialised marketing skills are required. For example, if you rely on influences to communicate your brand and product, a social media specialist would be the ideal candidate to grow and solidify this channel. Alternatively, if your audience values your opinion pieces where web traffic is your focus, a content manager/writing professional would be the individual to seek out.
2. Build a Hybrid Team: If your business is at a level where it can employ in-house talent, only the key areas of expertise as mentioned above should be onboarded. There may be other areas though that you wish to focus on which might not require an internal hire or is more of a casual/part time role. This is where a fractional hire can be useful to create a more dynamic yet flexible marketing team. This approach allows you to tap into various specialised skills without committing to full-time salaries making it cost effective and less risky.
3. Focus on Training and Development: If you recognise that your existing team has the capabilities to specialise into one of these various marketing jobs, it may be worthwhile investing in training programs to upskill them. By encouraging them to specialise in areas that align with your renewed marketing goals means that you can retain individuals who already understand your product or service offering as well as the business. This can be extremely valuable as it mitigates the risk of onboarding and training a new hire who might not adapt or settle into the role as quickly as one might like.
4. Leverage Technology: With various excellent martech options available, as well as the continual uptake and improvement of AI, utilising these marketing tools and software to streamline processes and enhance productivity should be strongly considered. These tools can help compensate for the lack of general marketing roles by automating routine tasks and allowing your team to focus on more strategic initiatives.

Why Traditional Agencies Aren't the Solution

Traditional marketing agencies often struggle to keep up with the rapid pace of change in the digital landscape. Agencies usually only offer broad services that may lack the depth of expertise required in today’s fast paced and evolving market. Here are a few reasons why relying solely on traditional agencies might not be the best approach for your marketing strategy:

1. Lack of Specialisation: Traditional agencies might not have the specialised knowledge needed for those niche marketing strategies and roles that you are trying to fulfill. This can lead to generic campaigns that fail to resonate with your target audience as well as months of wasted time and money where you relied solely on an outside source for all your marketing activities.
2. High Costs: Engaging a traditional agency can be very expensive, especially if you need their services for multiple marketing channels over a substantial amount of time. The cost-effectiveness of fractional hires or specialised consultants can be a far better investment as it allows you to utilise marketing expertise when you need it whilst having full autonomy and insights into their performance and ROI.
3. Limited Flexibility: Agencies often have rigid structures and processes that are often 6–12-month lock-in contracts. Their inflexible operations can also limit their ability to adapt quickly to changes in your marketing strategy or general market conditions which doesn’t give you any edge over the competition.

Why Is Depth of Knowledge More Important Than Broad Knowledge?

A depth of knowledge is far more important than broad knowledge for several reasons:

1. Expertise: Specialists bring a deep understanding of their field, allowing them to create more effective and innovative strategies that are explicitly designed for your business, brand and marketing goals. Their expertise can lead to higher-quality outcomes and better ROI.
2. Efficiency: Someone with specialised knowledge of a marketing function means they are considerably more efficient in their working practice. Solving complex problems faster, implementing intricate strategies, and with far greater accuracy, is what really sets apart someone with in-depth knowledge to that of someone with broad knowledge.
3. Competitive Advantage: Having team members with in-depth knowledge in key areas can give your company a superior competitive edge, enabling you to stay ahead of industry trends and capitalise on new opportunities as they arise. Their strategic thinking is directly channelled on their specialisation which means you can be more certain of the outcome and results of any marketing campaign.

What Sort of Roles Should I Be Looking to Employ In-House and What Ones Fractional?

When building your marketing team, it's important to strike the right balance between in-house roles and fractional hires. Here’s a guide to help you decide:

In-House Roles:

1. Content Manager: Depending on the amount of content your marketing strategy requires, a content manager can be a full time hire who is responsible for creating and managing all content strategy, ensuring consistent brand messaging across all channels.
2. Social Media Manager: An SMM manages your social media presence, engages with your audience, and monitors trends to keep your brand relevant in the social media universe. They can also be responsible for creating promotional activities, sourcing influencers and devising cross marketing campaigns with other brands. 

Fractional Roles:

1. PPC Specialist: A PPC professional manages paid advertising campaigns, ensuring optimal ad spend and ROI. Their responsibilities include research, analysis, strategy development, ad creation, budgeting and all tracking and optimisation activities. PPC campaigns don’t require a full-time individual, making it an easy fractional role.
2. SEO Specialist: An SEO specialist optimises your website and content to improve search engine rankings and drive organic traffic. Their responsibilities include keyword research, strategy development, website auditing, link building, content optimisation and performance tracking. SEO campaigns can be long which is why a fractional SEO professional is a great cost effective option.
3. Email Marketing Specialist: Also referred to as an EDM specialist, their role includes the design and execution of email campaigns that nurture leads and drive conversions. They also focus on analytical reporting, A/B testing and optimisation of campaigns to ensure excellent click through rates (CTR).
4. Digital Marketing Strategist: This individual is responsible for developing and overseeing comprehensive digital marketing strategies that align with your business goals. This role requires a blend of creativity, analytical skills, and a deep understanding of various digital marketing channels that can be done on a part-time basis.
5. Copywriter: For businesses that have infrequent content needs but still want professionally written content, a copywriter is a great fractional role that can create excellent copy for short-term campaigns on a flexible basis.
6. Graphic Designer: A graphic designer creates visual content that supports marketing campaigns and enhances your brand’s visual identity. Unless your business has constant changing visual content, this role is a great fractional role that businesses can tap into for those new campaigns or short-term strategies.

What Results Will This Deliver?

By adopting the approach of utilising fractional roles instead of only in-house generalist roles, your company can expect several positive outcomes:

1. Increased Efficiency: With specialised roles, tasks are completed more efficiently and effectively, reducing time and resource wastage.
2. Improved ROI: Targeted marketing strategies lead to better results, increasing your return on investment.
3. Enhanced Flexibility: A hybrid team of in-house and fractional hires allows you to scale your marketing efforts up or down based on current needs and market conditions.
4. Competitive Edge: Leveraging specialised expertise ensures that your marketing efforts are innovative and aligned with industry best practices, keeping you ahead of competitors.
5. Greater Agility: With a team of specialists, you can quickly adapt to changes in the market and emerging trends, ensuring your marketing strategy remains relevant and effective.

The shift towards specialisation in marketing roles requires companies to adapt by building hybrid teams that combine in-house talent with fractional hires. This approach not only delivers better results but also ensures your marketing efforts are efficient, cost-effective, and innovative. By focusing on depth of knowledge over broad expertise, your company can not only stay competitive but also achieve its marketing goals in an ever-evolving landscape.