Why continuous learning is the key to growth
According to a study by Marketing Profs, only 31% of B2B marketers feel effective in their roles, and just 19% feel well-prepared for the future. Think about that for a minute…more than eight out of ten marketers operate with an underlying sense of uncertainty about their careers, their skills, their ability to contribute to the business.
This uncertainty will not be evident day to day – there’s simply too much to do, and marketers take pride in absorbing pressure, delivering on requests, pivoting to strategy changes, getting campaigns out of the door.
But under this surface of high productivity even the most skilled marketers can feel overwhelmed. In fact (according to the same study by Marketing Profs), 72% report feeling under pressure to keep up with how quickly their jobs are evolving…they know that they’re too deep in the trenches to build the skills and capabilities they’ll need to maintain a competitive edge as their profession evolves at break-neck speed.
So, what steps can business leaders, marketing leaders and marketers themselves take to build a culture of training and development that future proofs their marketing performance? Asking yourself the following questions is a good place to start:
Are you developing strategic thinkers?
The most valuable marketers are strategic and commercial operators who understand the big picture, put clients at the heart of their plans, and adopt new technologies and channels. No matter what role they play in the marketing team, nor how junior they are, enabling marketers to build commercial acumen, understand business metrics, interpret strategy and analyse client insight will build a stronger marketing team that can contribute to business strategy and commercial outcomes.
Is your training road map aligned to your technology road map?
AI is raising the bar for what marketing teams can achieve, but only if they have the right skills, talent and mindset. By introducing AI and other technology platforms alongside a programme of learning and upskilling, you’ll build a marketing function that is not only resilient, but able to super-charge growth in an AI-powered world.
Is your training generic or bespoke?
Programmes tailored to your team will deliver the best value. But many companies are overly reliant on generic, self-paced online courses, when marketers often respond better to more practical, real-world training content; they want actionable frameworks, peer-to-peer learning, expert-led workshops, and content that reflects evolving skills like data literacy and customer journey design.
Does your team have time protected for learning?
Carve out time in the calendar for regular upskilling, whether it’s short weekly sessions, monthly deep dives, or annual workshops. If leaders don’t create dedicated space for the whole team to feel empowered to learn, execution will always win by default.
Using live projects as learning opportunities is an excellent way of ensuring that development becomes embedded in day-to-day activity, not an extra task on the to-do list; training that links directly to current business challenges and marketing goals will always be more valuable than theoretical online tasks.
The marketer of the future
Creating the time, tools and space to learn, to upskill, to think, is critical not only to your marketing team’s well-being and productivity, but also to long term business value.
The fastest growth belongs to those who adapt, learn, and innovate, and it’s a key part of any leader’s role to help their marketing team prepare for a future where their key skills and capabilities will be:
Strategic thinking: The ability to connect technology with business goals, ensuring every campaign supports growth and revenue objectives.
Adaptability: Comfort with rapid change and a willingness to continuously learn new tools and approaches, blending creative, analytical, and technical skills.
AI and data literacy: Understanding how AI tools work, how to interpret data, and how to use insights for decision-making.
Communication: Translating complex data and insights into clear, actionable strategies for stakeholders across the business.
If you need some guidance on, identifying capability gaps, or nurturing your marketing talent, building out a development programme, let’s have a chat.