In case you missed it, the Big Two rolled out some big changes recently, speaking of course of  Facebook’s new clear history tool and Google’s recent pushback against cookie tracking on Chrome. 

And although we all want improved ad experiences and a more transparent industry that will be supportive of all stakeholders, it can be difficult for those working in the industry to quickly react to big changes. 

Recently on the Mobile Masterminds online publication, leading app marketers discussed the most important new skills mobile marketers should be learning in order to navigate the constantly evolving industry, and many leading marketers sighted the ability to adapt to be the defining new characteristic mobile marketers need. Sam McLellan, Head of Growth at Yousician app, made the following comment to the Mobile Masterminds publication.

 “Adaptability is one of the most important skills for anyone in mobile marketing. The landscape is constantly changing, be it ad units, new platforms, new optimizations or technologies, etc. The ability to adapt to what works best currently and maximize your marketing dollars while also keeping feelers out there for what could be the next channel is key to success in the field. 

Reading case studies and being active on the various UA-centric Slack channels is a great first step, but actual hands-on testing is where you’ll find the most actionable insights.” 

Many of the other mobile marketers questioned stated that they are focusing on developing new skills in analytics and data analysis to quickly spot when their strategies are successful/unsuccessful, and allow themselves more freedom to experiment and react quickly to changes. The User Acquisition and ASO Manager at Runtastic, Ekaterina Shpadareva, shared her thoughts on the subject with the online publication.

“The skill that I think is most important to have nowadays is the ability to visualize data. Data analysis and statistics can open up a world of insight and it’s very empowering in my opinion. It lets you discover trends and notice significant shifts, find correlations or spot the lack of them. Looking at your data retrospectively is helpful, but plotting projections and trends for the future based on past performance is even more useful. And app marketers can use their deep understanding of trends and changes in the industry to better pinpoint issues and spot things that a data analyst might miss.

There are a lot of free courses on Coursera, Udemy and other sites that make it possible to enter this field without any prior data-related experience, and sometimes a super strong math background is not needed either. But if taking a course is too much of a commitment, you can benefit from watching tutorials and reading manuals for software like Tableau, Qlik, Google Data Studio and trying to apply what you’ve learned in their free versions.”

Industry changes are inevitable and the experienced mobile marketers seem to agree that even though the unknown is challenging, we seem to be headed in a good direction, for advertisers and end users. As long as marketers continue to hone their analytic skills they will be able to spot new opportunities and adapt quickly to changes.