Marketers’ digital skills have declined in the past 12 months, according to new research.

The study, published by training body Target Internet in association with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), found that the decline has occurred across almost all sectors and at all job levels.

Analytics and data skills fell by 6 per cent between 2020 and 2021, while content marketing dropped by 4 per cent, and social media by 2 per cent.

The results from a benchmarking test of digital marketing skills of over 7,000 marketing professionals was carried out by Target Internet in 2018 and repeated in 2020 and 2021.

The test requires professional marketers to complete a series of tasks aimed at testing their knowledge in 12 areas of marketing, with a particular focus on digital skills.

Previous data from CIM’s recent ‘Impact of Marketing 3’ report found that six in ten – 60 per cent – marketers who were furloughed used the downtime on personal development, with their focus shifting to upskilling in areas such as brand, copywriting and strategy.

This is supported by the recent findings, which show the only discipline to significantly improve over the last 18 months was ‘general marketing’, which saw an increase of 7 per cent.

“The results of this year’s benchmark help us get a better understanding of the state of UK marketers' digital skills, presenting us with a real opportunity to upskill the sector," said chief executive of Target Internet, Daniel Rowles. "Organisations who have invested in individuals and allowed their skillset to flourish will stand out from the crowd and attract better talent in the long run.”

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