Digital Marketers: 3 Tips on How to Maximize Your Full-Stack Marketing Potential

As CMOs are increasingly expected to prove the ROI of marketing spend, the need for full-stack or hybrid marketers who can fill the gaps in marketing technology to deliver results to the bottom line is immense. As a digital marketer and a graduate student in the Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, I have found two articles that will help you maximize your potential as a full-stack marketer and navigate the rough seas of today's dynamic media environment.

Article 1 - “Why ‘Full Stack’ Marketers are the Future of Digital Branding” by Rishon Roberts

Roberts writes about how “full-stack” marketers are becoming an essential part of start-up culture, just as full-stack developers are writing code in multiple languages. She attributes the rise of the full-stack marketer to the need to measure marketing programs and quantify success. She also makes a good point that younger generations, such as Gen Y and Millennials, enter the workforce with the “start-up” mentality and expect the work environment to satisfy their desire to influence and learn. Therefore, larger companies will need to adapt to accommodate the younger workforce.

Read the article on Fast Company.

Article 2 - “Full Stack Marketing is a Waste of Time” by Cody Boyte

In this article, Boyte tells his personal story of how his goal, when he started marketing, was to be a full-stack marketer. Boyte examines the definitions of being a “full-stack” marketer and why it’s better to find your “circle of competence,” what you do best and find out how to use your skills to your advantage. He also cautions against trying to be the Jack-of-all-trades and the master of none, which he equates with the self-proclaimed “full-stack” marketer.

Read the article on Medium.

Next Steps: 3 Tips

1. Keep Learning

2. Find Your Circle of Competence

3. Delegate

As a digital storyteller and technology marketer, I am very passionate about learning and constantly try to add to my digital toolbox. My advice? Determine your circle of competence, areas of interests and the projects that will give you the greatest upward mobility on your career path. That's how you'll succeed at full-stack marketing.

About the Author
Trish Chan leads the Digital team at Vendavo, an enterprise price optimization software firm in Silicon Valley. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s in English and Communications Studies from the University of Maryland.


Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.