Over the years I have taken on new tasks, projects, and jobs at various companies throughout my career. In doing so, I was able to gain a new skill along the way. A number of times it felt like … maybe …I didn’t know what I really wanted to do, but I liked learning new skills and using all of these skills to my advantage… in actuality there is a term for this, “talent.
What is talent stacking?
If you haven’t heard of the term “talent stacking” take note. Scott Adams, the author of the Dilbert comics, coined the term and if you’re a marketing professional talent stacking is something that’s important. Actually it’s important for any professional. Ever since I heard the term it’s become my new mantra.
Adam’s defines talent stacking as, “Developing a variety of skills that work well together.” This is so true as a marketer.
Talent stacking is a way of looking at systems and getting them to work well together. You don’t have to master any of these skills but rather recognize what skills you do know and integrating them to achieve a desired outcome.
Here are a few skills that I have learned as a digital marketer. Remember you don’t have to master any one skill, but rather find a way to make systems, practices, and technology work well together.
My talent stack and how it helps me…
So…For starters, I’ve spent the better part of the last six years working with different marketing automation platforms. This a skill I’m good at. Understand the engagement process, integrations points, funnel management, and calculating an ROI on all ad spend with closed-loop reporting.
Next, I’ve been keen on web design and development. I’ve stood up my own websites, built websites for other companies, and integrated websites with third party applications. I’m not a developer, but I know enough to convey my requirements so that they’re delivered right the first time. Being concise with your requirements keeps the cost of the projects down and ensures deadlines are met.
Also, if you haven’t noticed from this post I kinda like video production. Writing… lighting… storyboarding… scripting… shooting… editing… – I love the entire process. Video is my favorite way to tell a story.
Lastly, always be testing… In sales the saying is ALWAYS BE CLOSING. I’d like to think in marketing, ALWAYS BE TESTING. Start small with a pilot program… launch it… gather data… and then develop a fully integrated marketing program with the data you collect. It’s hard to dispute data, so allow a test audience to help define a marketing program for you.
Integrating my talents
And now for a little context… With those set of skills… I apply my talent stack to the customer journey. I like to figure out the entire customer journey from discovery… to paid customer… and all of the touch points along the way… Determine what paths your users should take based on how they engage with your content and guide them to where they need to go. I use my entire talent stack to best determine the customer journey.
There are several other talents in my stack, but I felt these were the best to share for current role and my most recent professional experience. What are your skills that make up your talent stack? I’d be interested in knowing.