The freelance opportunity: upskilling for success

With increasing demand to demonstrate genuine value to the bottom line, Australian marketers are being challenged to upskill or face the very real likelihood of being left behind. And for independent marketing professionals, the pressure may be even stronger.

Recent research conducted by The Association for Data-Driven Marketing & Advertising (ADMA) shows marketers are struggling to keep up-to-date with advances in technology with education, resourcing and budget constraints contributing to the knowledge shortfall.

For freelancers and consultants, juggling education with a long list of demanding clients can be tricky. In fact, barriers to innovation like access to funds and lack of skills are among the biggest challenges for Australian small business, according to an Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman report. Almost half (46%) of Australian freelancers also find it challenging to explain the value in what they do.

That's why ADMA has created the new Data Driven Marketing Practitioner Membership (D2MP). It offers freelancers and consultants access to a range of courses and events that help you stay ahead of the curve – at member prices. And by upskilling you’ll also get the confidence to communicate the value in what you can deliver for clients.

Keeping up with changes in the industry and their impact on customer experience businesses can offer customers is something you can’t afford to neglect.

“The marketing landscape has fundamentally changed and with this change, a new skillset has emerged. Being able to interpret and use data and be agile and equipped to make full use of new technology such as machine learning, has become a fundamental part of every marketer’s toolkit,’ said Andrea Martens, Managing Director of ADMA.

Of those surveyed, customer journey management and marketing automation were the top two skill gaps identified in most marketing teams.

“There is a huge desire from the marketing community to continue to develop these skills. With this knowledge, marketers can have the ability to transform the way they go to market with smarter and more tailored solutions that not only meet but exceed customer experience expectations,” said Martens.

Andrea believes the fight for budget will also be influenced by the ability for marketers to show how their work is genuinely delivering a good return on investment.

“CEOs are always going to have to make smart investment choices. Marketers need to get better at proving how they can have a positive impact on the bottom line. Technology and data analytics can help them do that.

“It’s a challenging environment for any marketer, especially for freelancers. You need to invest in yourself to ensure you have the skills to build and execute programs that deliver real impact for your clients,” said Martens.

Your clients rely on your knowledge and expertise to create exceptional customer experiences – and they expect a solid ROI. With rapidly changing technology, you need to have the latest skills and insights to be able to deliver on both.

If you are looking to upskill in the area of Customer Journey Mapping, or Data Analytics, there is no better time to enroll into an ADMA IQ course than now. Become a D2MP member now and access membership pricing on all ADMA courses and certificates.

View Customer Journey Mapping here.

View Digital Analytics for Marketers here.

View all ADMA IQ courses here.

LEARN MORE ABOUT D2MP