What are the most important soft and hard skills Demand Generation managers can build to become successful in their field going forward?

The most important soft and hard skills to help you build your demand gen career are captured below. While I captured each in three buckets, there is so much more to consider. Demand gen spans over many disciplines.

Soft skills:

• Effective communication
• Critical thinking
• Empathy

Hard skills:

• Data analysis
• Deep knowledge of your skill (e.g., SEO)
• Digital marketing strategy

Dig into what you are passionate about in demand generation and truly become a subject matter expert. Read often. Study daily. You have the tools to grow in your career. Keep these attributes in mind as you continue to grow.

Demand generation encompasses so many unique skills - both technical, but also business acumen. I'd contend there is no perfect singular answer to this question, as each company's situation will be unique and have some nuance around what skills would be most beneficial.

With that said, there are some core fundamental skills you should develop:

• Hard skills: SEO, CRO, digital advertising, data analytics, copywriting (super underrated!), nurture strategy (this one could differentiate you), and it wouldn't hurt to be dangerous with some of the common marketing automation platforms 
• Soft skills: creative, collaborative (you can't do this alone!), strong communication, disciplined and organized (this one is also highly underrated, but arguably when this one is lacking it can destroy all trust and credibility)

These lists are by no means comprehensive, but certainly a great foundation that one should have entering into a DG Manager role and ones that will serve you well as you continue to progress in your career. 

A short list of a few skills that immediately come to mind:

Soft skills:

• Organization

• Time management

• Project management

• Drawing conclusions from data

• Presentation skills

Hard skills:

• Google Analytics

• Marketing Automation platforms

• Writing

• Design

• CRM systems, such as Salesforce

• Marketing funnel

• SEO

To be successful as a Demand Generation Manager, both soft and hard skills are essential. More hard skills early in your career, and a clear shift to soft skills later. Here's my hot take:

Hard Skills

Data Analysis: Proficiency in interpreting data and analytics to make informed decisions.

Ability to use tools like Google Analytics, Tableau, or Excel to track and analyze campaign performance. Getting comfortable with fast, sloppy startup math (vs the ideal but rarified state of statistical significance and variables with little swing).

Marketing Automation: Expertise in using marketing automation platforms such as HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, or Eloqua. Understanding how to set up and manage automated workflows, email campaigns, lead scoring and lead delivery systems will all pay off for you over time.

CRM Management: Familiarity with CRM systems like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics. Getting hands on with your reporting, and the data-bridge between sales and marketing, is critidal. You gotta be able to get in and generate your own reports. Knowledge of and experience with integrating your CRM and your MAP is a real bonus.

Content Creation and Management: Skills in developing compelling content that attracts and engages potential leads. Experience with content management systems (CMS) like WordPress isa plus. But the most important elements are 1) research capabilities and 2) writing skills. If you can identify customer pain and write in plain, easy to read english EVERY job will be easier for you.

SEO and SEM: Understanding of search engine optimization techniques and search engine marketing strategies. As you grow in your career, you will benefit from the ability to conduct keyword research, optimize content, and manage paid search campaigns. You'll need to learn platform specific idiosyncrasies, and be able to keep up with the ceaseless flow of UI updates, algorithm changes, pricing models and creative formats.

Project Management: Competence in managing projects, timelines, and budgets effectively. Massively helpful skill that can quickly transform you into the most valuable person in your department and your leader's go-to person. Get familiar with project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com. Read a book, attend a class or better yet...get certified (your company may even pay for it).

Outbound and ABM (Account-Based Marketing): Knowledge of Outbound and ABM strategies will become more important as your organization inevitably moves "up market". The ability to work with Sales to develop a target account list, assemble Outreach sequences, execute personalized marketing campaigns and develop custom reporting for your efforts (it's always a shitshow at first) are tremendously valued by Marketing leaders at late stage growth startups.

Soft Skills

Analytical Thinking: Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions. At every level of the Marketing organization, the capacity to interpret complex data sets and derive actionable insights is going to be critical. So is the ability to translate the data into "insights" that can shape your organizations go-to-market strategy.

Creativity: Innovative thinking to develop unique and compelling marketing campaigns. The ability to generate new ideas and approaches to attract and engage potential leads will never go away. Finding alternative solutions to business problems is what startups are all about. Build your creative problem solving skill set and watch your career blossom.

Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to convey ideas clearly and persuasively. This one is under-rated. The ability to communicate effectively with team members, stakeholders, and customers is mission critical and will have a multiplying effect on your career. Every role you will ever have on a startup marketing team will be better if you invest in your communication skills. Not good at it? Now is the time to lean in and get good.

Collaboration: Strong teamwork skills and the ability to work cross-functionally with sales, product, and other marketing teams. The willingness to share knowledge and collaborate on projects is going to matter more and more as you become more and more senior. In fact, your promotion to Director is dependent on it. If you can't partner with other marketing teams, with the SDR/BDRs or with Sales you are going nowhere my friend. Build a reputation as an amazing collaborator - it will serve you well for the rest of your career.

Adaptability: Flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions, technologies, and business priorities. Startup Marketers must be open-minded and willing to learn new skills and adopt new strategies. It's literally part of the job description. If you tell your manager "this is not what you hired me for" you are the problem and you have likely stunted your career. Get flexible, stay flexible or get out of the startup ecosystem.

Leadership: Ability to inspire and lead a team towards achieving common goals. Skills in mentoring and developing team members is crucial for leaders. So is the much maligned cousin to leadership, "management." Both are required to run a successful marketing team. Talk to the leaders you admire, ask them their secrets, read interviews and form your own point of view on what great leadership looks like...then go and be that person.

Time Management: Effective time management and organizational skills to juggle multiple tasks and meet deadlines. Your going to run into the need to prioritize tasks based on their impact and urgency, at every level of the organization. Any success I have, from running a tactical meeting to delivering a major company strategy is constrained and multiplied by my ability to manage time well.

Whew. That was a lot! But it's I think it's all true. By developing a blend of these hard and soft skills, Demand Generation Managers can navigate the complexities of modern marketing, drive effective campaigns, and lead their teams to success. Continuous learning and adaptation are key to staying ahead in this dynamic field. And remember, invest in your hard skills first...but don't neglect the soft skills. They are going to get you across that line from IC to Manager and eventually CMO.

If "manager" is reference people management, I believe the most important skill sets are primarily soft skills. It's a focus on empowering your team and knowing when to lead from the front vs leading from the back. Highly recommend taking a "situational leadership" course. However if you're referencing "manager" from an individual contributor standpoint, I believe:

Soft Skills:

• Critical thinking

• Growth mindset

• Effective communication

• Executive presence

Hard Skills:

• Customer and Audience Segmentation

• SEM, Display

• Email automation

• Content Strategy

• Measurement and reporting

• CRM basic

• AI prompting