Extension to marketing-related skills coverage in SFIA

SFIA has been used for defining professional skills and competencies across various industries for over two decades.

Regular updates

Since its inception, SFIA has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of the workforce and to reflect the latest trends in technology and business practices. This evolution has been driven by the need to ensure that professionals have the skills required to succeed in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

SFIA is regularly updated to incorporate new skills, refine existing ones, and align the framework with current industry standards and practices. These updates are critical to maintaining the relevance and applicability of SFIA in a rapidly evolving professional landscape. Each update cycle involves consultation with employers, professional bodies, and the broader SFIA community to ensure that the framework remains comprehensive and up-to-date.

Introduction of new skills in SFIA 9

For SFIA 9, we are introducing a set of new skills specifically designed to enhance the framework’s coverage of marketing and marketing-related disciplines.

Rationale

SFIA has had a single skill for Marketing since the very earliest version of the framework.
The expansion of marketing-related skills within the SFIA framework addresses the evolving needs of modern marketing professionals and teams.
By recognising a broader spectrum of marketing skills, SFIA ensures that the skills required for effective marketing management are comprehensively covered.
Marketing professionals can also make use of a wide range of existing skills in SFIA.
This extension is designed to align with the current trends and challenges in the marketing landscape, providing a structured and unified approach to skill development and assessment.

Benefits to marketing professionals and teams

Enhanced capability: Marketing professionals gain a clear, structured pathway to develop a wide range of skills, from strategic planning to execution and analysis.
Versatility: Teams can leverage a diverse set of skills to adapt to changing market conditions and business objectives.
Standardisation: The use of SFIA ensures consistent skill definitions and levels across the industry, facilitating better communication and collaboration.
Cross-functional integration: Marketing teams can easily integrate other professional skills shared with different disciplines, enhancing overall performance and innovation.

New marketing-related skills

The new marketing-related skills added in SFIA 9 include:

SFIA skill - name	Code	Levels	SFIA skill - concise description
Brand management	BRMG	4 - 6	Developing and managing a brand strategy to establish, enhance, and sustain brand identity, positioning, and value aligned with organisational goals.
Customer Experience	CEXP	2 - 6	Ensuring the delivery of high-quality interactions and experiences that meet customer expectations across all touchpoints and channels.
Customer engagement and loyalty	CELO	3 - 5	Developing and executing strategies to attract, engage, and retain customers through targeted communications, experiences, and loyalty initiatives.
Market research	MRCH	3 - 6	Gathering, analysing, and interpreting data about markets, customers, and competitors to inform business decisions and strategies.
Marketing campaign management	MKCM	3 - 5	Executing, monitoring, and optimising marketing campaigns across various channels to engage target audiences and achieve desired outcomes.

Changes to marketing-related skills

Content design and authoring	INCA	1 - 6	Planning, designing, and creating content that meets user-centred and organisational needs, encompassing textual information, graphical content, and multimedia elements.
Marketing management	MKTG	5 - 7	Developing, implementing, and managing marketing strategies and plans to achieve organisational objectives and optimise marketing effectiveness.
User research	URCH	2-6	Identifying users' behaviours, needs and motivations using observational research methods.

Community feedback and future additions

Driven by community feedback

The development and refinement of SFIA are community-driven processes. We highly value the feedback from our users, as it helps us ensure that the framework remains relevant and useful. The introduction of new skills, such as those related to marketing, is just the beginning. We anticipate further additions and refinements based on the feedback we receive.

Encouraging participation

We encourage all users of SFIA, particularly those in the marketing domain, to actively participate in this feedback process. Your insights and experiences are invaluable in helping us shape the framework to better meet the needs of professionals and organisations worldwide. By contributing your feedback, you play a crucial role in the continuous improvement of SFIA.