Branding, Marketing and Networking skills

Branding skills

Competitive analysis

To do this well, brand managers look at all the messaging and historical data from a company, their main competitors and other companies in their niche.

The idea is to map the landscape around the client, Marom said.

This is a lot less work in an emerging space (like NFT marketplaces) than in a huge, historic space (like department stores). But it still takes more analytical skills than might meet the eye.

The best brand marketers analyze audience data and communications from two main types of competitors:

Direct competitors, whose products are similar to yours. Think Calm vs. Headspace, Rosenberg said.

Indirect competitors, whose (very different) product solves the same problem yours does for your target audience. An example from Rosenberg: Headspace vs. CBD companies.

This is the most analytical part of brand marketing  mapping a market, and spotting holes and it takes a pro to do it well.

What happens if your brand marketer isn’t up to speed on competitive analysis or marketing analytics tools? You could end up looking and sounding like everyone else.

Sometimes, brands do this on purpose “but, in my opinion, [it’s] lazy at best… and usually much worse,” Rosenberg said.

Another downside of shoddy competitive analysis, according to Sullivan: “miscommunications with consumers that make it harder for brands to earn trust and build relationships.”

Imagine highlighting a strength just because it seems people really want it, even though your brand doesn’t have it. That’s a recipe for disappointed customers.

Brand positioning

If competitive analysis is understanding the globe, your brand position is a pinpoint on that globe.

Brand positioning is made up of three key components, Rosenberg said:

• Audience, or who your brand is uniquely speaking to
• Value props, or what you’re uniquely offering to them
• Voice and persona, or how you’re communicating that

Brand strategy

A brand marketer with a strong skillset in brand strategy builds out overarching guidelines that ensure your company’s short, medium and long-term plans support your brand position.

Brand management

Brand strategy takes holistic thinking, but brand marketers are detail-level thinkers, too. They’re skilled at brand management, which involves implementing brand guidelines at a more department-by-department and case-by-case level.

Internal communication

To do their jobs well, brand marketers must be able to sync with key stakeholders and team members across the company on vision, goals, creative hunches, origin stories and individual personalities.

Ideally, when they talk to senior leaders, they “bring them through the brand journey that the customer is going on to help them understand where and why these could be pain points for a customer,” Sullivan said

Marketing skills

Understand their customers

Customers are at the core of marketing. You cannot sell anything to anyone unless they want it. If marketing is about satisfying customer needs, then first you must understand those needs. This means being able to identify customers’ problems, sometimes before they do, and find a way of addressing those needs and problems through the products and services that you provide.

Know their market

Marketers also need to know what is happening in the market. This means knowing what other companies are offering, what suppliers are doing, and what complementary products exist. They must become subject matter experts on their market.

One way to understand the market is to use a strategic analysis technique like Porter’s Five Forces or the 7 Ps of Marketing. This provides a structural way of examining the market, ensuring that you have considered every aspect of the situation.

Think creatively to identify new approaches

Marketing may be increasingly data-driven, but that does not mean that there is no place for creativity. Marketers are good creative thinkers, able to use their skills in generating ideas to find new ways to reach out to customers and create customer experiences that are more memorable (for the right reasons).

Communicate effectively in writing and orally

Good marketers are very effective communicators, in writing, in face-to-face meetings, and in presentations. They are able to get their point across simply and succinctly, often in a new way that will grab their audience’s attention.

Networking skills

Networking skills are competencies that help you in building personal and professional social contacts. It is an essential skill for many industries, including sales, business development, retail, banking and others. Networking allows you to meet new people, exchange ideas and find new job opportunities. You build strong connections with your colleagues, friends, family members, clients, customers, professors or personal acquaintances when your network. Connecting with such people can prove beneficial for your career.

Here are a few reasons why networking is essential:

Opens new job opportunities: Networking is an excellent way to advance your career because you contact a professional who may have information about a job that a recruiter is yet to share on different job boards.

Builds self-confidence: The more you interact with people, the more you can build your self-confidence and social skills.

Enhances communication skills: Networking gives you a chance to communicate your ideas to others and explain your potential to them. This can improve your verbal communication skills.

Helps in finding mentors: Whether you are an entry-level or experienced professional, you may require guidance in your career. Networking facilitates the opportunity to find and connect with people who have vast experience in your field and could become your mentor.

Improves elevator pitch: When you meet new people, you give a brief description of who you are, your strengths and your background. This brief introduction is your elevator’s pitch that can help you form a lasting connection with a professional.

7 Networking Skills

There are different skills required for networking with people. Some of these are:

Communication

Communication is the exchange of ideas from one person to another. It helps you use the right tone so that you receive a response from the other person. When networking with people, this skill helps you effectively communicate and deliver the intended message. You may require written communication skills to build and maintain relationships on social media networks and professional networking websites.

Active listening

Active listening is the ability to focus on what the speaker is saying and responding thoughtfully to their message. It is an important skill to grow your network because you show them respect and understand their message by listening to others. Active listening skills involve smiling, making eye contact and using other non-verbal cues to showcase that you are listening to the speaker.

Public speaking skills

At networking events, you may interact with a large group of people to build connections. This requires excellent public speaking skills. Public speaking skills help improve the way you articulate, helping the other person understand what you are trying to say.

Social skills

Social skills are the skills that require you to interact with others in a personal and professional environment. These include words and gestures, visual cues, body language and appearance. Reaching out to people you are meeting for the first time or meeting with colleagues outside of office hours can help you build and manage long-term relationships.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand another person’s emotions and state of mind. It is an important skill for networking because people prefer sharing their emotions and experience with empathetic people. Asking questions related to the situation and approaching a situation based on the viewpoint of others can help you network better with people.

Positivity

Often, people prefer to interact with individuals who showcase a positive demeanour and are friendly. A positive attitude and perspective toward everything can help you develop a strong rapport and make you likeable and memorable. As people naturally gravitate to positive people, building positive relationships in the workplace and outside becomes easier.

Emailing skills

Even after the advent of social media, email remains a preferred choice for most businesses to exchange professional messages. But certain email rules are essential to ensure recipients read and act upon your email. Keep emails short, precise and succinct to develop a long-lasting business relationship. Also, perform a little research into the recipient and tailor the message based on their interest to make a positive impression.