The Marketing Talent Dilemma In Silicon Slopes

An interesting trend is happening in Utah’s marketing community; there are so many startups and emerging tech companies here that the talent base has been significantly diluted. In addition, the local universities (except for a new digital lab at BYU) are teaching digital marketing tactics that are antiquated and fail to prepare the modern marketer for a job in the Silicon Slopes. The combination of diluted talent and inadequate education results in two problems that nearly every company in the industry is facing:

1. Junior people in senior positions

2. Specialization creates tunnel vision for members of the modern marketing team

Junior People in Senior Positions

A young, ambitious marketing person tackling the challenges of up and coming startups in the tech community provides incredible value. However, without the correct, relevant experience of scaling a startup, the likelihood of success for these employees decreases. When an employee is put in a high-level position that doesn’t set him/her up for success, neither the employee nor the company benefits.

Unfortunately, because of the number of startups that are growing and attempting to scale, more and more young, talented, ambitious marketers are finding themselves put into senior positions prematurely.

Specialization Creates Tunnel Vision for Members of the Modern Marketing Team

The major tech giants in Utah have built sophisticated marketing teams that use a combination of tactics to generate leads and feed their sales pipelines. Many of these companies are spending upwards of seven figures per month on digital marketing tactics. Spending that much money allows their employees to specialize in certain marketing channels such as social media, marketing automation, content syndication, and others.

While specialized employees can go in depth on a specific channel, they don’t get much exposure to the variety of components that make up an effective marketing strategy. The lack of exposure leaves the employees at a disadvantage when the opportunity arises for a promotion or to lead a marketing team at a startup.

The Solution

Utah companies need to develop comprehensive marketing training programs. Training will help employees progress and not get stagnant in their jobs to keep talent from bouncing around and leaving to greener pastures.

If the training programs aren’t in place or are unable to be implemented, agencies can always help bridge the education/talent gap for the Utah tech community. Ad agencies work with a variety of companies with marketing teams of different calibers, experience, and situations. Agencies can provide insight for inexperienced marketing teams and help fill in the missing pieces that exist on nearly every internal marketing team. Several incredible agencies in Utah are capable of helping tech startups scale.

The Future

BYU’s new digital marketing lab, Y Digital, is teaching modern marketing tactics that fits today’s landscape. The impact of the new curriculum is going to have an enormous impact in the local marketing industry. Keep an eye on BYU’s program, graduates, and news over the next several years. Supporting the amazing companies in Utah starts with education.