Career in Marketing
Career in Marketing are mostly taken by creative and driven individuals. Though most marketing jobs are specialized, marketing typically draws on your ability to match perception of the market with achievable plans of action. People who are self-starters and can manage multiple tasks are considered suitable for career in marketing-long hours and travel are often required-but the field rewards merit and performance.
What education or certification will I need to work in marketing?
A Bachelor’s degree is the usually preferred degree type to enter the world of marketing and there are many degree options available for students who wish to attend a traditional school or an online school. But a career in management will be aided by a master’s degree or a master in Business Administration(MBA).It generally is of one or two years duration.
Generally, certification is not a pre-requisite for various marketing profiles, but some professional credentials are available. These certifications indicate that you are committed to staying abreast of changes in your career field as well as establishing you as a qualified professional. Too, completing these programs may give prospective job candidates a competitive advantage. Here are three of the top certifications in the field:
The Public Relations Society of America offers professional certification based on years’ experience and passing an exam
The Marketing Research Association offers the Professional Researcher Certification (PRC) for market research analysts
The American Marketing Association recommends the Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) credential, which demonstrates that you have mastered essential marketing practices and stay current in your professional knowledge
Learn more about marketing degree program curriculum on what you’ll study.
What does a marketing professional do?
The duties performed by marketers in mainly dependent on the career path they chose. Here is a list of career paths they normally follow:
Negotiate contracts, advertising media, or products to be advertised
Research and plan advertising campaigns
Decide which media to advertise in, such as radio, television, print, online and billboards
Negotiate contracts
Inspect creative elements and layouts
Organize market research studies and analyze their findings
Develop pricing strategies for products to be marketed, keeping the client’s budget balanced with the firm’s needs
Meet with clients to present campaigns and offer advice and strategies
Oversee staff and ensure deadlines are met
What career paths can I take in marketing?
The marketing field covers a broad range of career paths, from the creative to the analytical:
At the entry level, you find media buyers responsible for purchasing advertising time and materials.
At smaller companies, marketing specialists handle that task, and they also provide promotional copy and package design and help with marketing strategy.
Public relations assistants help relate a company’s goals to the public, through press releases, research, press coordination and events.
These entry-level marketing career paths may lead to a job in product or brand management, in which you would be responsible for the success of a brand in a competitive marketplace. Or you may decide to go into market research, the information-gathering arm of marketing. Experienced marketing professionals often start their own businesses or go into senior positions at companies or marketing firms. The marketing field is demanding and competitive, but offers great rewards for those with talent and the drive to excel.
Here are some common types of top marketing managers:
Advertising managerscreate interest for products and services and work with sales staff to design advertising campaigns for clients. They also prepare the budgets for these campaigns. There are two types of specialized advertising managers: media directors, who oversee how a campaign will reach customers through the use of various types of media; and account executives, who manage accounts but do not participate in the creative and media output angles of a campaign.
Public relations managersare responsible for maintaining a positive public image for their client base and generate press releases and programs to promote that image.
Marketing managersestimate the demand for a product and identify markets in which the product will best thrive and prosper, as well as develop pricing strategies to help maximize market share.
Promotions managersdirect and plan programs by using direct mail, Internet advertising, store displays, special events, sweepstakes and contests, social media and endorsements to increase sales and profits.
Brand managersare responsible for creating and instituting brand assets for a company or product.
Sales managersdirect sales force and set goals and enforce profit projections for the team and for the organization.
Market research analystsstudy market conditions to explore the potential sales of a product or service and estimate its profitability; gather data about who will buy a product and at what price.
