As marketers, sometimes we are siloed in one area or a few areas during our careers. For example, there are branding, lead generation, PR, sales, supply chain and product marketing experts. Some companies favor hiring an expert or specialist versus “a Jack/Jane of all trades” when it comes to hiring or developing their marketing departments. Specific experts are also sought out when hiring agencies or consultants.
While I think being an expert in any given marketing area is important, I also think it is limiting (I’ll explain why a bit later). The other day I wrote a post called “PR 2.0 will double your workload” to demonstration to today’s PR professionals how Web 2.0 and social media isn’t taking away their work, but doubling it (whether client- or agency-side).
Whether it’s a PR or Marketing (I am of the integrated school of thought that PR falls under marketing), social media and Web 2.0 are doubling our workloads and as practitioners of our craft, we need to understand that. (Heck, Web 1.0 did the same thing back in the day!)
Jack Wojcicki (@PRJack), Media Director at Veritas Communications, left an interesting comment on the post (I have paraphrased his comment here):
“I disagree that all of these skills/responsibilities will be added to the required competencies of all PR people… The thought that one PR person can, or should do it all, while admirable isn’t the most efficient way of doing things. Sure it’s possible, but more often than not the reality is that ‘A Jack of all trades is the master of none’… Those people in one discipline don’t need to understand the intricacies of other disciplines; they just need to understand how the different disciplines connect. For senior level people there needs to be enough of an understanding of other disciplines so as to make sound decisions, but in the end it usually comes down to the guidance of a skilled practice leader to guide the way.”
Jack has a great point. But where my thoughts lead me is to think that it’s not incumbent upon just senior level people to have an understanding of other disciplines and how they connect. Every marketer, no matter their level, should have an understanding even if they don’t master the task or discipline. Even the best skilled practice leaders have a blind spot. That’s why it’s important for all marketers to learn beyond their expertise. Not necessarily the “intricacies,” but enough to know what they don’t know. Not doing so might negatively affect marketing capabilities, decisions, and budget.
Over the years, I’ve bumped into several of these situations. I had a marketing friend recently tell me that their PR agency said that his news releases couldn’t be optimized for search engine optimization (SEO). And he believed them because, well, they were the experts. I told my friend that it wasn’t true and that moving forward he should provide a list of keywords (natural search) and links to be used for every release. As well, he needed to take it upon himself to tell the agency to use a wire service that offers optimization as part of their services.
Another example is a company that had a fully optimized website that was changed to an entirely Flash-based website. They started having all kinds of SEO challenges and their budget was being tapped for all sorts of little changes that never affected them before. I asked who approved the change and was told it was the VP of Marketing. I naturally wondered how that decision could have been made, I mean shouldn’t the VP have known better? Well, the VP trusted the expertise of a manager who trusted the expertise of an agency. Now, they are stuck with the limitations of an all Flash site because they don’t have the budget to change it back.
I think there’s a place for a “Jack/Jane of all marketing trades,” and it is a place of value within the marketing organization. Being the Jack/Jane that understands the importance of knowing a little bit of everything allows them to see the integration of any given project or campaign. A Jack/Jane could have also helped with the above scenarios. Jack/Jane might not be an SEO or website development expert, but if they know the basics, they could have added value and helped the company not waste budget dollars and gain or keep valuable SEO rankings (and that’s really Web 1.0 knowledge, not Web 2.0).
I am a Jane of all marketing trades and I personally see value in that as a marketer. But, not everyone does.
Given your experience, can someone be an expert at being a Jack/Jane of all marketing trades? Is that a good or bad thing? What are the benefits? The limitations?
Related posts:
- Jack of All Trades, Master of One
- Conde Nast Shutters ‘Jane’
- ‘Jane’ Bares It All Online
- ‘Jane’ Hoping to De-Virginize 29-Year-Old Woman
- Jack Myers: Ad Spend to Grow 3 Percent in 2007, 7 Percent in 2008, 3 Percent in 2009
Tags: Marketing, Social Media, Web 2.0
There’s 2 kinds of generalists: those who can do it all, and those who know how to get it all done. Knowing how to come up with a good brand/positioning or lead gen strategy is not the same as spotting good ones when you see them. I think the first kind is impossible, the second kind is absolutely necessary.
(that could be because I am a technologist pinch-hitting as a marketer while we find talent…)
Right now, I am actually having to play both kind of generalist roles while booting up the marketing part of our new initiative, and it is practically killing me, so you are right about the workload
David Aaker’s Spanning Silos makes the case for integration (whole egg 2.0…) eloquently.
I don’t think anyone can ever reach the ultimate Jane/Jack in marketing. There are too many sub-disciplines and technology dynamics to master. But I do think there is plenty of room for “generalists.” Getting there, though, is a personal matter.
The only way to know so much is to be exposed to it, to experience it. You can’t learn it in school, from books, from blogs. It comes with age, fortunately or unfortunately. The personal part of it comes with the choices you make career-wise. Here are some examples.
You can choose to work on the client side in companies that aren’t so rigid with job specifications, allowing you control over businesses, customer segments, campaigns and projects you are exposed to. (PS working in one company your whole career won’t get you there.)
You can choose to work client side, then services side.
You can choose to work services side with different types of agencies and consultancies (traditional, then digital, etc.).
You can run your own business. (this of course will also make you a Jack/Jane of Finance, HR, and more!)
Being a Jane/Jack is not for everyone. If someone is having trouble being a specialist, he or she will make an even worse Jack/Jane.
Working in the marketing department at a medium-sized corporation, I slowly became the “Jane of all marketing trades” because I wanted to further the company’s marketing initiatives by bringing them up-to-speed on the latest marketing tactics and strategies such as social media, email marketing, SEO, etc. We didn’t have people to take leadership over these positions (budget reasons), but I knew someone had to spearhead the movement before our organization slipped into the dark ages. I think becoming the Jack or Jane of marketing trades is more about how much you know; it reveals that you are willing to take action and further the company when budgets are tight and hiring freezes are abundant. It also elucidates your persona–your drive, natural inquisition and gumption, as well as your commitment to the company.
I was fortunate enough to start out working for small, start-up type companies, which forced me to wear multiple hats and learn things I didn’t know. Early in my career, however, I found it challenging when job hunting because I think so many companies wanted specialists, not a “Jane of all trades” and it limited me.
That being said, I think times have changed. With the onset of web 2.0 and the struggling economy, organisations are now looking for experienced marketing personnell who know a little bit about everything and how to get it done (even if they can’t do it themselves).
The professional benefits of starting out as a Jack or Jane is that by dabbling in many areas for several years you can start to figure out what you really are passionate about and then focus on developing those skills, slowing moving into an expert role, if you wish…but you will always have that great sense of balance from your years spent doing a little of everything and I think it will ultimately make you a much better marketer.
Beth,
I think your story about your friend gives the best reason to be a jack of all trades. Keeping vendors honest.
Marketers spend a lot of time managing vendors, you have to keep your skills and ideas up to date in order to be able to keep vendors honest and get the best ROI.
I’m a consultant from Germany. I started as a PR consultant, than came marketing, than lead generation and than all the new Web 2.0 requirements. As I am working for smal/mid-size companies, they don’t want an agency for every marketingt subject. They even accept that you#re not the specialist in all subjects, but that the task gets done. Therefore I learned massive thinks in the past years. Now, as I work more strategically than in the past, I can use the experiences for the more general broader view. I just don’t think you can do it without. e.g. Old style PR agency won’t survive the next decade.
Jack of all trades and master of one perhaps? As a freelance marketer I have to turn my hand to all sorts, so having worked in a PR consultancy (in pre Web 2.0 days) through to heading up an in-house marketing team, I can pretty much deal with most of the requests that people throw at me. That said, when you are freelance people are often looking for you to fill a specialist niche because staff within the organisation lack knowledge and skill – you need to then have the overall knowledge but also a specialist area where you can add more in-depth value. I chose online marketing – email, SEO, PPC, web analytics and social media/PR – the skills are in demand, it’s exciting and it keeps evolving and you can quickly become an expert if you put in the hard work and have a passion for the Internet. What area do you like best – why not skill-up and become a specialist as well as a generalist?
Working at a small firm that never had a marketing department until I arrived made me a Jane of all trades. Over the years, the job postings I have seen for most marketing positions, do seem to request specific marketing expertise unless the position is a very senior position. I think the limitations, therefore, depend on ones career goals. I think a person that is largely a specialist cannot be a truly effective senior marketing executive, but the same specialist could be very effective middle manager or employee in their expertise. But even if you are Jack/Jane of all marketing trades, marketers wanting to reach more senior level positions and do well in them for long periods of time, must have specific expertise in their client’s or company’s industry. This doesn’t require being a practiioner in that industry, but it does require attaining a very solid understanding of the issues that drive that industry from operations, to issues involving product development, technologies used, etc, etc. I believe that a marketer’s value is enhanced if you can speak the language of your client or company and live in their world. I find it odd that many marketers are often experts in “marketing” but not much else. I’ve had nearly 20 years experience in my company’s industry. There are issues that I must understand well beyond marketing. It seems that having little or no expertise outside of marketing is a drawback to career growth at most companies. Perhaps that’s why so many marketing jobs are niche positions. Many companies probably can’t figure out how to position marketers in leadership positions. Even the Jacks/Janes.
I think there is great value to taking on or developing a “Jack/Jane of all trades” role at some point in your career. As a young marketing/communications professional, I would recommend that any recent grad target positions where they get that diverse experience rather than starting in a specific specialty. In my position I juggle branding and corporate marketing, internal communications, product development, support for PR, etc. We’re a small company with a small marketing department, so we wear many hats on any given day. While I don’t think you can become an expert in an “all trades” role or that any one person can know everything, I think the experience helps crystallize a career path for young professionals and could help redefine a career path or shifting interests for any professional.
A key requirement for success as a Jack/Jane marketer is recognizing what you don’t know and tapping into the people who do know. In Beth’s SEO example, the Jack/Jane knows enough to say “hang on a second, let’s talk about this” and then bring in the right experts as needed or delay a project until further discussion occurs. The marketing world needs both the Jacks/Janes and the experts in specific areas, but I’m happy to be a Jane with a strong passion for a few areas.
Great post, Beth, I couldn’t agree more. I too am a Jane of all trades or rather a Janine of all trades. However, my trades extend beyond my experience in Marketing. As a comeback-mom, I re-entered the work-place after some time home with my kids. Pre-kids I had risen to an executive level in my then industry managing multiple departments, large budgets and staffs. My comeback-mom career path was not entirely paved and I cobbled together a very manageable and successful career as a working mom in product management and account management. Now my kids are in college and I can really dedicate energy to my chosen career path. I’m a free-agent seeking employment in Marketing, and I find I am considered over-qualified and inexperienced at the same time – mainly because of the whole “silo” tradition. To answer your questions, yes, someone can be an expert at being a Jack/Jane of all marketing trades, but they won’t be an expert in any one area individually. In my mind, it is a good thing; in this economy, employers should cherish employees that can wear many hats, and do so well. The limitations – sometimes it is difficult for companies to see transferable skills. With myopic vision like this, they are missing out on great people. I liked Linda Russell’s comments – the Jacks/Janes usually know when to bring in the right experts. They know this because someone who falls into this category is typically a visionary and big picture thinker. My advice to anyone pondering between an expert and a Jack/Jane; “If you always hire people with similar experiences or similar backgrounds you’ll always come up with similar solutions.” Time to think creatively – after all, isn’t that what Marketing is all about?
I believe the answer is depends: depends if you work in a PR consultancy or client side. Depends on the size of the firm — if you work for a large brand, the size of the marketing department will have room for specialists. If you work for a smaller firm, one or two people will need to know a little about a lot. I am a firm believer in breaking down silos. The work we need to do in the field is public engagement — finding ways to engage with a variety of publics. i think the real skill set that we all need to have to be good in our jobs is strategic thinking. Strategy necessitates knowing how everything fits together, even if you don’t know how to personally implement it all.
I believe the answer is depends: depends if you work in a PR consultancy or client side. Depends on the size of the firm — if you work for a large brand, the size of the marketing department will have room for specialists. If you work for a smaller firm, one or two people will need to know a little about a lot. I am a firm believer in breaking down silos. The work we need to do in the field is public engagement — finding ways to engage with a variety of publics. i think the real skill set that we all need to have to be good in our jobs is strategic thinking. Strategy necessitates knowing how everything fits together, even if you don’t know how to personally implement it all.
Nice Post!
The Internet provides great opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses, but doing business online presents unique challenges and requires new skills. Per my experience search engine optimization would be the best practice to improve your online business.
Beth I think that this is a great post. I have to say that I am relieved to finally hear someone’s perspective be that they think that being a jane of all trades is an advantage. I feel like for so long people have been looking for “experts” of just one subject area and don’t see the value in someone that has a basic understanding of all channels, which in turn leads to a more comprehensive understanding of how everything comes together. I think that experts are great but I think that every company needs a balance of both experts and jane of all trades to be as successful as possible.
Indeed, there are many issues marketers face in the 21st Century, however, I feel that no other change than Search Advertising
has had as a profound impact on the way we do business.
Valuable discussion here. I believe that anyone working in a marketing specialty area should have a basic understanding of marketing and branding principles. How many Web designers, for example, know their particular area well but don’t always understand the overarching marketing strategy or that a brand is more than a logo?
Similarly, marketing consultants and senior-level agency staff should have a basic understanding of all marketing specialty areas so they can do what they do best and delegate the detailed tactics to those who are experts. The advantage in this scenario is that one person or team is managing each project with the overarching strategy in mind. What’s the point in doing tactics without knowing where you’re going? And that’s what a good marketing generalist/strategist brings to the table – to weave a thread through it all for consistency and brand building.
Something else to consider in this discussion is the fact that in this economy, the more arrows you can add to your marketing quiver, the better off you are as an employee or potential employee. As my department has adjusted to budgetary changes, I’ve been more and more active in trying to spread out my areas of competencies. Although I do consider myself proficient in many areas and a master of few, I’ve had several circumstances where I was able to avoid a pitfall like what Beth describes with the Flash site, and in many other cases I’ve been able to actually save us resources and increase our effectiveness by understanding impacts of one initiative on other marketing or sales channels.
A really interesting part of our approach is that we’re trying to do this with our vendors, in not choosing an AOR, but rather trying to pick the competencies of those groups we work with and not expecting them to be Jack/Jills of all trades.
@Venkat, that’s a great point. I think the first generalist is doable, but it takes years of and a lot of different experiences to get there. Marketers who are willing to pitch in or who aren’t afraid to try something different will head down the path of becoming both the generalists you mention. Thanks for letting me know about David Aakers’ Spanning Silos, I hadn’t heard of it before…just added it to my Amazon wishlist. Good luck with keeping your head above water until you find marketing talent!
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@KevinHorne, for me being the “ultimate” Jack/Jane in marketing is having experience in all four Ps, which, fortunately, I have been able to achieve with both products and services. But you have a valid point about client- and agency-side…I think with agencies there is less of an a chance to expand one’s marketing horizons. And your absolutely right, it does come with age (or years of experience)…it also comes with working with a manager or team that’ll allow you the ability to spread one’s marketing wings a bit. And to your point, that’s not for everyone.
@SarahEllis, I’ve always liked working for small- to medium-sized companies for the very reasons you point out. I think every marketer should be in a position like yours at least 2-3 times throughout their career.
@JeliseBallon, I wore those same shoes! Agencies especially had a hard time with figuring out what to do with a “Marketing Jane.” I think the other issue Jack/Jane’s face is one of being an one industry, that’s an entirely different hurdle.
@JohnCass, Indeed, vendor management is really important and if a marketer lets the vendor continue to be the expert, well…let’s just say I’d hate to see how many flash sites show up!
@TostenHerrmann, being a Jack/Jane of marketing definitely lends itself to stronger marketing strategy because you can see and manage all the smaller tactical pieces with ease.
@KarenNorman, “skill up.” I love that term. I had someone once ask me what I disliked most about marketing (meaning which tactical area), and I said none. He was astonished. I think that’s the mindset of a Jack/Jane of all trade and master of one.
@SupriyaKopf, understanding accounting, customer service and manufacturing has always led me to know when to stay on board or jump ship too. Personally, I don’t believe a marketer needs to have “deep” industry experience because I think a good (dare I say, great) marketer knows that they need to dive into the market and they will do so immediately. I think any hiring marketer that doesn’t get that is severely limiting their talent pool. [You can tell it's summer...lots of water references
@LindaRussell, great advice! I kicked off my career in high-tech marketing and there I stayed for over 14 years (until now) because other industries didn’t recognize that I could indeed learn their industry just as well. I think it’s also important for a young professional to get corporate and agency experience.
@Janine_of_all_Marketing_Trades, (sorry, couldn’t resist), I think Supriya Kopf said it well, marketers need to have experience outside of marketing also and it seems to me that your experience fits that bill. I love this and it’s been my reasoning for getting people to hire me outside the tech world:
“If you always hire people with similar experiences or similar backgrounds you’ll always come up with similar solutions.” Time to think creatively – after all, isn’t that what Marketing is all about?
BINGO!
@Patti Schom-Moffatt, I think sometimes agencies/organizations think that strategy = VP and tactics = marketers. If more marketers were strategic (and the VP let them), it would lighten the burden on the VP and lend itself to better marketing.
@Kate, it seems a lot of people, including myself, have faced that. WHY? That’s all I want to know. Why are senior marketers or hiring folks trying to limit marketers? Honestly, I just don’t get it and I would love for someone who believes it to explain it to us. I’ve worked in departments of “experts” and when one leaves…all hell breaks loose. I never understood operating like that…it’s counterintuitive to success. I might not want to do a co-worker’s job, but if I understand it then I am more likely to respect the challenges and the workflow. And if ever needed, I can pitch hit.
@ElaineFogel, it’s the generalist who can say “did you talk to IT about X, Y, Z” or “did you ask the product manager about A, B, C?” When there are silos sometimes a company needs the generalists to make sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed.
@EricHoffman, the economy will be a huge factor. Back in the dot.bomb days I was laid off twice and with each new job they wanted a marketing Jane because they had let go of their staff six months before. We’ll see that again, no doubt about it. And thanks for the “inside” insights. I’ve been curious how marketing teams have been making it through the downturn.
Thanks for all the thoughtful comments, they’re much appreciated!
Beth
Great post. I was just thinking on this question. My first love and expertise is words. I’m a copywriter turned marketing Jane. Just today I rec. to one of my freelance clients that I remove myself so they can hire experts in several areas I believe they need. In this case I knew enough in the different areas to know I’m not their answer…too bad they didn’t just need SEO copy then I’d say bring it on.
This post really resonated. I admire the Jack/Janes of many marketing trades (Being 1 myself). It comes from years of experience often in many companies and/or industries. Sadly, Jacks & Janes tend to get pidgeon-holed into one speciality or another because of limited vision of HR and hiring practices. Smart management will take advantage of the multi-dimensional thinking and expertise that these talents can offer and inspire.
@KarenDaniels, But I am sure you are one step further in the direction of solidifying the relationship with your client because they know you have their best interests in mind. When I was on the client-side, those types of actions were respected and a vendor like that was always on the top of my call list for projects.
@Rayna, Unfortunately, you are all to right about HR. And I’d even go so far as to say marketing management makes that same mistake. If a marketer’s resume doesn’t completely line up, they are out of luck. A lot of organizations are missing out on great marketing talent!