Digital Marketing Talent & Resource Research

"Research" - defined in the Oxford dictionary as "the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions." Conducting research within the digital age today is essential as it continues to develop, as commented on by Wikipedia "as technology develops more devices become able of internet browsing and the digital marketing potential that comes with it." So on our doorstep, in this very city and across the North West of England, we have a developing sector, inspiring investors, corporations, clients and importantly candidates to contribute to this growth and desire to benefit from the commercial reward of such a developing area. The need for an understanding of the attitudes and behaviour of the people involved within the sector will only allow us all to provide better employment solutions because, as we've consistently highlighted, it's the people and the attitudes they hold to it and the area that will determine the levels of growth moving forward.

I've worked in the digital marketing sector for 12 years and have been lucky enough to witness and work with the evolution of the industry. From the days of Altavista and the bubble bursting at the turn of the century through to the phenomenal use of social media at the recent games in London, it's been a hell of a journey. And keeping up with it isn't easy, ask any agency account manager or marketing manager, deciding how best to allocate budget, maximise response and take share! My advice from all those years is to keep one eye on the developments and one eye on your employees and how they are adapting to the levels of change and innovation. How can you identify their strengths and benefit from them accordingly? Here are the top 5 things we'd say could be useful to assess in our changing world:

1. How do your organisation and its individuals cope with change?
2. What skills are transferable, how can you make the most of these?
3. Who and what are you really competing with? E.g. Business, location, change, economy.
4. How does your company structure look today and how might it look with the green shoots coming through in the economy in 1, 2 or 3 years time?
5. What is acceptable turnover of staff (it will happen!) and how can you maximise value of inbound candidates?

Understand where you sit and what you are working with by doing your homework on your company and marketplace. It's essential to know what's going on and how you can be prepared.

Please help us to better understand the market by completing our NW Digital Survey here (and have the chance if winning £100 of Amazon Vouchers.) We're gathering as many responses as possible to release the findings next month, which can only impact how you deal with your employee retention strategy...