Companies like Omniture are creating powerful analytics for marketers, but it’s not clear that the traditional marketer has the skills to analyze the detailed data. If you take a look at job listings for marketers, there are less creative jobs and more quantitative.
Social media is also at the center of the marketing shift. Even as the economy softens, I keep hearing how difficult is to find marketers that understand how to tap social media. SEM, blogging, community management,vlogs, widgets, and even forums are all tools for marketers. Few know how to use them effectively, while the demand for these skills are increasing.
Paul, this is my exact role at Cisco. As a web 2.0 and social media junkie by hobby, it’s a fun and exciting job for me. This doesn’t mean it’s been easy though. I originally had trouble finding a way to approach getting corporate info out there in such an anti-corporate community. The first step is to know what’s hot and what’s not in the web 2.0 world. In many instances it takes trial and error. Also, I think in order to be successful you have to be passionate about what you are marketing. You have to be somebody that wants to tell the world about your interests.