Tips for a Successful Career in Marketing
Marketing has undergone a number of changes over the past decade or two, requiring far more technical savvy than it once did. However, it would be a mistake to think that knowing how to optimize for SEO or run a savvy social media account is a substitute for more traditional marketing skills such as strong communication and creativity. Marketing is a competitive field, but whether you’re a career changer or a young person heading off to or already in college, there are steps you can take to increase the likelihood of landing the job you want and succeeding in the industry.
Education
If you already have a bachelor’s degree and have been working for a while, this step may not be necessary for a pivot into marketing, but otherwise, you should study marketing in college. This will give you a good grounding in the field and also the opportunity to network via your professors, alumni, student organizations, internship opportunities and even your fellow classmates. If your degree was something completely unrelated and you have been working in a very different area, you may also want to consider going back to school for a degree, particularly if you follow some of the other steps here and are still unsuccessful in landing the opportunities you want. To pay for college, there are several funding sources, including student loans from private lenders. These types of loans can be easily researched online, and the application process is often quick and easy.
Data and Other Analytical Skills
One of the best ways to make yourself invaluable in a marketing context is to master data analytics, SEO and technical tools that allow you to better understand the customers a brand already has or is trying to reach and then design a marketing campaign that specifically targets them. If going back to get a formal degree isn’t part of your game plan, there are a number of reputable online courses that can help you learn about and improve your skills in these areas, including classes offered by traditional brick-and-mortar universities.
Soft Skills
As mentioned above, soft skills are still critical in the world of marketing. This means improving your problem solving abilities, your team-building skills and your communication. Both written and spoken communication skills are important. The great thing about all of these soft skills is that they are transferable across technologies meaning that as the tools you use change over the years, you will be able to easily adapt even if there is a steep technical learning curve at first.
Brand Building
Brand building is more important than ever before if you want to succeed in marketing. There are a number of ways you can do this, including having your own online presence and guest posting on the blogs of other people and organizations. You need to develop both a written and visual style that is distinct. This will help set you apart from others in the industry and make you a more memorable presence, which in turns demonstrates to businesses that you will be able to create a memorable campaign for their products or services.
