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Digital Marke ng Ins tute conducted a study in 2018 to evaluate the skill gap within digital
marke ng professionals across a variety of industries. 51% of par cipants in the US rated
themselves as 'fairly competent' in digital marke ng, but only 38% were able to demonstrate
entry level competency. Their research highlighted what many CMOs have echoed - as the
use of marke ng technology has grown, so has the skill gap within their digital marke ng
department. This gap directly affects the ability of organiza ons to successfully leverage digital
capabili es.
This issue is made worse by the global pandemic. Marke ng plans will have to change; in fact,
90% of CMOs surveyed recently expect to make changes. For example, company hosted events,
tradeshows, in-person sales mee ngs, and industry conferences are cri cal marke ng tac cs for
many organiza ons. Only with strategic experience will marke ng teams be able to adapt. They
will need to go beyond the norm to replace the demand normally driven by these tac cs.
Bridge the Gap by Tapping into Outsourced Support
There are countless ar cles, webinars, and other content pieces deba ng whether you should
outsource or maintain an in-house team. There are pros and cons to both op ons, but the
answer to the ques on "which is best?" is, both. An all or nothing approach to suppor ng your
marke ng team creates undue risks for the business. Combining the strengths of each approach
yields all the benefits while minimizing the risks.
Challenge #3: Skill Gaps
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