Want a Job? Get Videography, Social and Content Skills

Social media management, landing page optimization & creation, brand strategy, content writing and videography are among the 20 fastest growing skills marketers are looking for, according to a new index from Upwork.

“Marketers continue to be asked to do more with less, and it’s hard with all of the new technology platforms and channels that seem to pop up every month,” notes Rich Pearson, senior vice president of marketing for Upwork, an online community of 12 million+ freelancers and five million clients in 180 countries.

This is the first time Upwork has conducted the survey, said Pearson, noting that the skills marketers require change quickly.

“Storytelling is a theme I see across different mediums—marketers have always told stories, and now anything with video continues to surge,” he says, noting that there is a particular need for specific skills like 3D animation, as well as content writing on a variety of topics.

Marketers are also on the outlook for professionals with strong skills in conversion rate optimization, as digital grows in importance, and marketing automation, with expertise in specific platforms like Pardot for MA and Unbounce for CRO increasing in demand.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, data science and design & creative were the fasted growing categories in terms of freelancer billings for Upwork. Marketing general saw a nearly 60% year over year growth in the fourth quarter, with video production, content writing, social media marketing, marketing strategy and lead generation popping up as the fastest growing marketing subcategories.

The top 20 marketing skills for Q4 of 2016 according to Upwork:

1. Instagram marketing
2. Unbounce
3. Social media management
4. Business consulting
5. Brand strategy
6. User experience design
7. Content writing
8. Pardot
9. SEO auditing
10. Videography
11. Display advertising
12. SquareSpace
13. SEO writing
14. Conversion rate optimization
15. Google Analytics
16. YouTube marketing
17. 3D animation
18. WordPress administration
19. Audio production
20. Transcription

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