Top 12 Marketing Communications Skills to Put on Your Resume

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, marketing communications professionals need a robust set of skills to stand out in the job market. This article outlines the top 12 skills you should highlight on your resume to demonstrate your ability to create impactful, cross-channel messaging that resonates with diverse audiences.

Marketing Communications Skills

1. SEO
2. SEM
3. Analytics (Google Analytics)
4. CRM (Salesforce)
5. CMS (WordPress)
6. Email (Mailchimp)
7. Social Media (Hootsuite)
8. PPC (Google Ads)
9. Graphic Design (Adobe Creative Suite)
10. Video Editing (Final Cut Pro)
11. Content Management (HubSpot)
12. Project Management (Asana)

1. SEO

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of enhancing a website's content and structure to improve visibility and ranking in search engine results, aiming to attract more organic traffic and enhance online visibility for marketing purposes.

Why It's Important

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is crucial in Marketing Communications because it enhances online visibility, driving more organic traffic to a website, which can lead to increased brand awareness, customer engagement, and ultimately, higher sales conversions.

How to Improve SEO Skills

Improving SEO involves optimizing your website and content to rank higher in search engine results. For a Marketing Communications strategy, focus on:

1. Keyword Research: Identify high-value keywords relevant to your content. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner for research.

2. Quality Content: Create informative, valuable, and engaging content that incorporates your target keywords naturally. According to Search Engine Journal, content quality is a top ranking factor.

3. On-Page SEO: Optimize your web pages by using keywords in titles, meta descriptions, and headers. Moz's On-Page SEO Guide provides comprehensive insights.

4. Mobile Optimization: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as mobile optimization is crucial for SEO. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test can help you assess your site's mobile compatibility.

5. Backlinks: Gain high-quality backlinks from reputable sites within your industry. Tools like Ahrefs can assist in backlink analysis and strategy.

6. Page Speed: Improve your website's loading time, as page speed is a ranking factor. Google's PageSpeed Insights offers recommendations for speeding up your site.

7. Social Media Integration: Share your content on social media platforms to increase visibility and generate traffic. A study by Hootsuite showed a correlation between social engagements and search ranking.

Implementing these strategies effectively will enhance your website’s SEO, driving more organic traffic and improving your visibility in search engine results.

How to Display SEO Skills on Your Resume

2. SEM

SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is a digital marketing strategy used to increase a website's visibility in search engine results pages primarily through paid advertising.

Why It's Important

SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is crucial for Marketing Communications because it enhances visibility in search engine results, driving targeted traffic, and increasing brand awareness and sales opportunities efficiently.

How to Improve SEM Skills

Improving Search Engine Marketing (SEM) involves a combination of optimizing your paid search campaigns and refining your approach for better performance. Here are concise steps for enhancing your SEM efforts in the context of Marketing Communications:

1. Keyword Research: Identify high-value, relevant keywords using tools like Google Keyword Planner to target in your campaigns. Focus on both high-traffic and long-tail keywords for a balanced strategy.

2. Ad Copy Optimization: Craft compelling, clear, and CTA-focused ad copies. Test different versions using A/B testing to find what resonates best with your audience.

3. Landing Page Relevance: Ensure your landing pages are directly relevant to your ad content. Use Unbounce or LeadPages for creating and testing high-converting landing pages.

4. Bid Management: Utilize automated bid strategies like CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) or ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) within platforms like Google Ads to optimize your bidding process for better ROI.

5. Use of Ad Extensions: Implement ad extensions (site links, callouts, structured snippets) in your campaigns to provide additional information and increase your ad’s real estate on search results. Check Google’s guide on Ad Extensions for more details.

6. Negative Keywords: Regularly update your negative keyword list to exclude irrelevant search terms. This optimizes your ad spend and improves campaign focus.

7. Performance Analysis: Monitor your campaign performance using tools like Google Analytics to understand user behavior and adjust strategies accordingly.

8. Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest SEM trends and best practices by following authoritative sources like Search Engine Journal and Search Engine Land.

By systematically implementing these steps, you can significantly improve your SEM efforts, driving more targeted traffic and increasing conversions.

How to Display SEM Skills on Your Resume

3. Analytics (Google Analytics)

Google Analytics is a digital analytics tool that allows marketers to collect, analyze, and report website data to understand user behavior, measure marketing effectiveness, and optimize online strategies for better engagement and conversion rates.

Why It's Important

Google Analytics is crucial for Marketing Communications as it provides valuable insights into user behavior, enabling targeted strategies, optimizing campaigns, and measuring effectiveness to enhance engagement and ROI.

How to Improve Analytics (Google Analytics) Skills

To improve Google Analytics for Marketing Communications, follow these concise strategies:

1. Set Clear Goals: Define specific objectives for your website to track conversions effectively.

2. Use UTM Parameters: Enhance tracking of marketing campaigns by tagging URLs with UTM parameters.

3. Enable Demographics and Interests Reports: Gain insights into your audience by enabling Demographics and Interests reports.

4. Segment Your Data: Utilize Audience Segmentation to analyze different groups and their behaviors.

5. Set Up Event Tracking: Implement Event Tracking to measure interactions like downloads or video plays.

6. Regularly Audit Your Analytics Setup: Conduct periodic audits to ensure data accuracy and tracking effectiveness.

7. Leverage Custom Dashboards and Reports: Create Custom Dashboards and Reports for a quick overview of key metrics relevant to your marketing goals.

8. Integrate Google Analytics with Other Tools: Enhance insights by integrating with tools like Google Ads and Google Search Console for a comprehensive view.

9. Stay Updated and Educated: Keep abreast of new features and best practices through the Google Analytics Help Center and Analytics Academy.

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve your Google Analytics setup, leading to more informed decisions and enhanced marketing communications.

How to Display Analytics (Google Analytics) Skills on Your Resume

4. CRM (Salesforce)

CRM (Salesforce) is a cloud-based software platform that enables businesses to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle, aimed at improving customer service relationships and assisting in customer retention and driving sales growth, with specific tools and features designed for marketing communications.

Why It's Important

CRM (like Salesforce) is crucial for Marketing Communications because it centralizes customer data, enabling personalized, consistent communication across various channels, improving customer engagement, and ultimately driving sales and loyalty.

How to Improve CRM (Salesforce) Skills

To improve CRM (Salesforce) for Marketing Communications, follow these concise strategies:

1. Integrate with Marketing Automation Tools: Leverage Salesforce's integration capabilities with marketing automation tools like Pardot or Marketing Cloud, to streamline your marketing campaigns, lead scoring, and customer journeys.

2. Utilize Salesforce Communities: Build Salesforce communities to foster better communication with your customers, gather feedback, and provide valuable content, enhancing customer engagement and loyalty.

3. Implement Personalization: Use Salesforce's Einstein AI to analyze customer data and deliver personalized marketing messages, improving customer experience and increasing conversion rates.

4. Optimize Mobile Experience: Ensure your marketing communications are mobile-friendly, considering the increasing use of smartphones. Salesforce Mobile App and Mobile Studio can help in creating responsive designs.

5. Leverage Analytics and Reporting: Utilize Salesforce's Analytics and Tableau for advanced data analysis. This helps in understanding campaign effectiveness, customer behavior, and making data-driven decisions.

6. Improve Data Quality: Regularly clean and update your CRM data to maintain high data quality. This ensures your marketing communications are targeted and effective. Use tools like Data.com within Salesforce for maintaining data accuracy.

7. Educate Your Team: Ensure your team is well-trained on Salesforce features and updates. Salesforce offers Trailhead, a gamified learning experience platform, which is an excellent resource for continuous learning and improvement.

By strategically implementing these steps, you can significantly enhance the efficiency and impact of your Marketing Communications through Salesforce CRM.

How to Display CRM (Salesforce) Skills on Your Resume

5. CMS (WordPress)

CMS (Content Management System) like WordPress is a software platform that enables users, including those without technical expertise, to create, manage, and modify content on a website efficiently, facilitating streamlined marketing communications and content strategy implementation.

Why It's Important

CMS (WordPress) is crucial for Marketing Communications as it streamlines content creation, management, and distribution, enabling efficient, consistent messaging and engagement with target audiences, thus enhancing brand visibility and conversion rates.

How to Improve CMS (WordPress) Skills

To enhance your WordPress CMS for Marketing Communications, follow these concise steps:

1. Optimize for SEO: Use plugins like Yoast SEO to improve your site's visibility on search engines, ensuring your content reaches the target audience effectively.

2. Mobile Responsiveness: Opt for themes that are mobile-friendly, ensuring your content is accessible on all devices. WPtouch is a plugin that can assist in making your site mobile-responsive.

3. Speed Optimization: Utilize caching plugins like W3 Total Cache to improve website load times, enhancing user experience and SEO.

4. Content Personalization: Employ plugins like If-So to deliver personalized content to visitors based on their behavior, improving engagement and conversion rates.

5. Social Media Integration: Use tools like Smash Balloon to seamlessly integrate social media feeds into your website, promoting cross-platform engagement.

6. Security Enhancement: Protect your site with security plugins like Wordfence to safeguard against hacks and breaches, maintaining your brand's credibility.

7. Analytics and Insights: Implement Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights to track and analyze your site's performance, guiding your marketing strategies with data-driven decisions.

8. Lead Generation: Increase conversions by integrating lead generation plugins like OptinMonster for creating effective email list building and pop-up campaigns.

By following these steps, you can effectively improve your WordPress CMS for Marketing Communications, enhancing user experience, site performance, and ultimately, your marketing outcomes.

How to Display CMS (WordPress) Skills on Your Resume

6. Email (Mailchimp)

Email (Mailchimp) is a digital marketing tool that allows businesses to create, send, and manage email campaigns to communicate with their audience for promotional, educational, or engagement purposes.

Why It's Important

Email, particularly platforms like MailChimp, is crucial in marketing communications because it allows for direct, personalized communication with a wide audience at a relatively low cost, offering measurable engagement and conversion metrics.

How to Improve Email (Mailchimp) Skills

To improve email marketing with Mailchimp, follow these concise strategies:

1. Segment Your Audience: Divide your audience into smaller segments based on their interests, behavior, or demographics to send more targeted and relevant emails. Mailchimp's segmentation tools can help.

2. Personalize Content: Use personalization tags to address recipients by name and tailor content to individual preferences. This increases engagement. Learn more about personalization with Mailchimp.

3. Optimize Subject Lines: Craft compelling subject lines to boost open rates. Use A/B testing to find what resonates best with your audience. Check out Mailchimp's guide on subject lines.

4. Responsive Design: Ensure your emails look good on all devices. Mailchimp offers responsive email templates for this purpose.

5. Automate Email Campaigns: Set up automated emails based on triggers like welcome emails for new subscribers or follow-up emails after a purchase. Mailchimp's automation features make this easy.

6. Analyze and Adjust: Regularly review campaign performance through Mailchimp's analytics and adjust your strategies based on what the data tells you. Understanding your reports can guide improvements.

Implementing these strategies can significantly enhance your email marketing efforts with Mailchimp.

How to Display Email (Mailchimp) Skills on Your Resume

7. Social Media (Hootsuite)

Social Media (Hootsuite) is a comprehensive tool for managing marketing communications across various social media platforms, enabling scheduling, monitoring, and analysis of social media content to enhance engagement and reach.

Why It's Important

Social Media (Hootsuite) is essential for Marketing Communications as it streamlines content scheduling, monitoring, and analysis across multiple platforms, enabling efficient engagement with target audiences, amplification of brand messaging, and insights-driven strategy adjustments.

How to Improve Social Media (Hootsuite) Skills

To improve your use of Hootsuite for Marketing Communications, follow these concise strategies:

1. Content Calendar: Plan and schedule your content in advance using Hootsuite’s Planner to maintain a consistent presence and ensure timely posts for special events or promotions. Hootsuite Planner Guide

2. Analytics: Utilize Hootsuite’s analytics tools to track your performance, understand your audience, and adjust your strategy based on data-driven insights. Tailor your content to what resonates most with your followers. Hootsuite Analytics

3. Automation: Automate routine tasks with Hootsuite’s automation features. Set up automatic responses to common inquiries to enhance engagement and free up time for more strategic activities. Hootsuite Automation

4. Engagement: Monitor conversations and engage with your audience across all platforms directly from Hootsuite. Timely and relevant interaction boosts your brand’s reputation and customer loyalty. Hootsuite Engagement Tools

5. Training: Stay updated with Hootsuite Academy’s courses and certifications to continually improve your skills and stay ahead of social media trends. Hootsuite Academy

By implementing these strategies, you can enhance your Marketing Communications efforts on Hootsuite, leading to improved engagement, efficiency, and ultimately, better campaign results.

How to Display Social Media (Hootsuite) Skills on Your Resume

8. PPC (Google Ads)

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) using Google Ads is a digital marketing strategy where advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked, effectively buying visits to their site, as part of a broader marketing communications effort.

Why It's Important

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) via Google Ads is crucial for Marketing Communications as it allows for targeted advertising, reaching specific audiences quickly and effectively, enabling immediate visibility and traffic generation, with measurable ROI, enhancing overall marketing strategy impact.

How to Improve PPC (Google Ads) Skills

Improving PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns on Google Ads requires a focused approach on optimization and strategic planning. Here are concise steps to enhance your PPC performance for Marketing Communications:

1. Keywords Optimization: Regularly review and refine your keyword list. Include high-performing and relevant keywords while removing underperforming ones. Use Google's Keyword Planner for research.

2. Ad Copy Relevance: Ensure your ad copy is compelling and directly relevant to the keywords you're targeting. This increases your Quality Score, lowering your cost per click.

3. Landing Page Optimization: Direct users to a landing page that matches your ad's promise and is optimized for conversions. Google's Landing Page Experience guidelines can help improve performance.

4. Use Ad Extensions: Implement ad extensions to provide additional information and increase your ad's real estate, improving visibility and click-through rate.

5. Bid Strategy Adjustment: Experiment with different bid strategies to find the most cost-effective approach for your campaign goals.

6. Negative Keywords: Regularly update your list of negative keywords to avoid irrelevant traffic and reduce wasted spend.

7. Test and Iterate: Use A/B testing for your ads and landing pages to continually refine and improve your campaigns based on performance data.

8. Track and Analyze: Utilize Google Analytics in conjunction with Google Ads to track campaign performance and make data-driven decisions.

By focusing on these areas, you can enhance your PPC campaigns' effectiveness, contributing to better performance in your marketing communications efforts.

How to Display PPC (Google Ads) Skills on Your Resume

9. Graphic Design (Adobe Creative Suite)

Graphic Design, especially within the context of Adobe Creative Suite for Marketing Communications, involves creating visually compelling content to communicate messages and ideas effectively. It encompasses branding, advertising, digital and print media design, using tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign to craft visuals that engage and persuade target audiences.

Why It's Important

Graphic Design, particularly through the Adobe Creative Suite, is crucial in Marketing Communications as it enables the creation of visually compelling materials that effectively convey brand messages, engage target audiences, and differentiate products in a competitive marketplace, thus enhancing brand recognition and driving marketing success.

How to Improve Graphic Design (Adobe Creative Suite) Skills

Improving your graphic design skills, especially within the Adobe Creative Suite for Marketing Communications, involves continuous learning and practice. Here’s a very short guide:

1. Learn the Basics: Understand fundamental design principles—contrast, balance, hierarchy, and color theory. Adobe's tutorial page is a great starting point.

2. Master the Tools: Get proficient in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign through Adobe's tutorials. Focus on tools relevant to marketing materials like brochures, social media graphics, and ads.

3. Practice Projects: Apply your skills in real-world projects. Create mock-ups for different marketing campaigns. Websites like Behance offer inspiration.

4. Feedback and Iterate: Share your work on platforms like Dribbble to get feedback from professionals and iterate based on it.

5. Stay Updated: Design trends evolve. Follow design blogs, participate in webinars, and enroll in updated courses on sites like Udemy or Skillshare to stay current.

6. Understand Marketing Principles: Knowing what communicates effectively in your designs is crucial. Resources like HubSpot's Blog can enhance your marketing knowledge.

7. Collaborate and Network: Join design communities such as Adobe Creative Cloud for networking, collaboration, and new perspectives.

Focusing on these seven steps with regular practice will markedly improve your graphic design skills within the realm of Marketing Communications.

How to Display Graphic Design (Adobe Creative Suite) Skills on Your Resume

10. Video Editing (Final Cut Pro)

Video editing in Final Cut Pro for Marketing Communications involves using this professional video editing software to create, modify, and enhance marketing videos. This process includes cutting and arranging video clips, adding effects, and adjusting audio to produce compelling visual content aimed at promoting products, services, or brand messages effectively.

Why It's Important

Video editing, particularly with software like Final Cut Pro, is crucial in Marketing Communications because it enables the creation of compelling, high-quality videos that engage audiences, convey messages effectively, and enhance brand storytelling, which are essential for successful marketing strategies in today's visually-driven market.

How to Improve Video Editing (Final Cut Pro) Skills

Improving video editing in Final Cut Pro (FCP) for Marketing Communications involves a combination of mastering the software, understanding marketing strategies, and storytelling. Here are concise tips to enhance your skills:

1. Learn the Basics: Familiarize yourself with FCP's interface and key functions. Apple offers official tutorials to get you started.

2. Storytelling: Focus on storytelling. Your edits should aim to convey a clear and compelling message that aligns with your marketing goals. Storytelling techniques can be crucial.

3. Use Templates and Plugins: Speed up your workflow and maintain consistency by using templates and plugins. Sites like MotionVFX offer professional plugins and templates tailored for marketing needs.

4. Color Grading: Enhance the look of your videos with color correction and grading to match your brand's aesthetic. FCP provides powerful color grading tools. Learn more through Color Grading Central.

5. Sound Editing: Good sound quality is crucial. Use royalty-free music and sound effects to enhance your video without copyright issues. Websites like Epidemic Sound offer a wide range of options.

6. Learn from Professionals: Watch tutorials from seasoned editors on YouTube or platforms like Skillshare to learn advanced techniques and stay updated with new trends.

7. Feedback and Analyze: Seek feedback from your audience and analyze the performance of your videos. Tools like YouTube Analytics can provide valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t.

8. Practice Consistently: The key to improvement is practice. Regularly challenge yourself with new projects to apply what you’ve learned and discover your unique style.

By integrating these strategies, you'll enhance your video editing skills in Final Cut Pro for marketing communications, making your content more engaging and effective.

How to Display Video Editing (Final Cut Pro) Skills on Your Resume

11. Content Management (HubSpot)

Content Management in HubSpot refers to the system and processes used to create, manage, and optimize content for marketing communications. It includes tools to streamline content creation, publishing, and analytics within a single platform, facilitating effective distribution of marketing materials across various channels to engage audiences and achieve business goals.

Why It's Important

Content Management in HubSpot is crucial for Marketing Communications as it streamlines the creation, management, and optimization of content across various channels, ensuring consistent messaging, improving audience engagement, and driving effective lead generation strategies.

How to Improve Content Management (HubSpot) Skills

Improving content management in HubSpot for Marketing Communications involves several key steps. Focus on organizing your content effectively, optimizing for SEO, utilizing HubSpot's analytics to refine your approach, and leveraging automation for efficiency. Here's a concise guide:

1. Structure Your Content: Organize your content with HubSpot's Content Strategy tool, creating topic clusters that enhance your SEO and make navigation intuitive for users.

2. SEO Optimization: Use HubSpot's SEO recommendations to ensure your content ranks high on search engine results, incorporating keywords naturally within your articles, titles, and meta descriptions.

3. Leverage Analytics: Analyze your content's performance through HubSpot's analytics tools to understand what resonates with your audience. Use these insights to inform your future content creation.

4. Automate Processes: Implement HubSpot's workflow automation for content management tasks such as email campaigns and social media postings, saving time and ensuring consistent communication.

5. Personalize Content: Utilize HubSpot's personalization tokens and smart content features to tailor your content to different segments of your audience, enhancing engagement and conversion rates.

6. Content Optimization: Regularly update your content based on current trends and feedback. HubSpot's Campaign tool can help track and manage content related to specific marketing efforts.

7. Training and Resources: Stay informed about best practices through HubSpot Academy's content marketing courses and stay ahead in your content management strategy.

By following these steps and utilizing HubSpot's comprehensive suite of tools, you can significantly improve your content management efforts in a way that drives better engagement and achieves your marketing communications goals.

How to Display Content Management (HubSpot) Skills on Your Resume

12. Project Management (Asana)

Project Management in Asana for Marketing Communications involves organizing, planning, and executing marketing projects and campaigns within the Asana platform. This helps teams collaborate, track progress, manage deadlines, and ensure all marketing communication efforts are aligned and executed efficiently.

Why It's Important

Project management tools like Asana are crucial for Marketing Communications because they enable streamlined planning, coordination, and execution of marketing campaigns and strategies. They facilitate clear communication, task delegation, deadline tracking, and progress monitoring, ensuring that marketing objectives are met efficiently and effectively.

How to Improve Project Management (Asana) Skills

Improving project management in Asana, particularly for Marketing Communications, involves enhancing organization, communication, and efficiency. Here are concise strategies:

1. Define Clear Goals: Establish and communicate clear objectives for each project or campaign to align team efforts. Set Goals in Asana.

2. Use Templates: Utilize or create project templates for recurring marketing campaigns to save time and ensure consistency. Asana Templates.

3. Organize with Sections and Tags: Break down projects into manageable tasks using sections for phases or channels, and tags for easy filtering and searching. Asana Sections and Columns.

4. Timeline and Calendar: Leverage the Timeline and Calendar views for planning and tracking deadlines to avoid overlaps in marketing activities. Timeline View, Calendar View.

5. Integrate Tools: Connect Asana with other tools like Slack for communication or Google Drive for document sharing to streamline workflows. Asana Integrations.

6. Regular Reviews: Schedule weekly or bi-weekly meetings to review project progress, address issues, and adjust plans as needed. Progress Updates.

7. Feedback Loop: Implement a process for gathering and acting on feedback from team members to continuously improve project execution. Asana Forms.

8. Optimize for Mobile: Encourage the use of Asana’s mobile app for on-the-go updates and communication to keep the team connected. Asana Mobile.

By following these strategies, you can enhance your project management in Asana for Marketing Communications, ensuring that your projects are well-organized, on schedule, and aligned with your marketing goals.

How to Display Project Management (Asana) Skills on Your Resume