Marketing Careers

Marketing is used by every organization. Companies use marketing to promote their products or services. Government uses marketing to promote legislation. Non-profit groups use marketing campaigns to promote a message and raise money for various causes. Therefore, earning a marketing degree can lead to many interesting career possibilities.

Marketing can be found in many different layers of a company. Some degrees in other fields may limit your opportunities. But with a marketing diploma, you can work in advertising, sales, market research, product placement, purchasing, distribution, or pricing. Each of these areas needs someone who has the latest marketing knowledge.

Marketing careers come in wide varieties. Advertising is a popular career choice for many recent graduates. You can work at a large advertising firm developing print or television campaigns. Companies also have in-house advertising departments that work on promotions, sponsorships, and contests. Public relation firms need marketing experts to craft messages to highlight companies, products, or services.

Sales positions are very lucrative marketing jobs to pursue. People with marketing skills can be a product representative for a company. Pharmaceutical companies hire sales representatives to promote their products or services to doctors and hospitals. Many consumer product and industrial companies have their own sales force that calls on buyers and directors.

A company has an idea about a product that could be a huge hit with consumers. However, they must first research the market and make sure the demand is there. They must examine the marketplace and competitors. This is market research. Good math skills and an analytical mind are needed to be successful in these marketing careers.

Market managers or brand managers work in product management. Each product that comes to market will have a marketing plan associated with it. A company's product mix constantly needs to be examined. Weaker products are either eliminated or retooled while new products are introduced. Marketing experts play a key role in these decisions.

Buying departments hire marketing majors. A buyer works with a company's sales force to negotiate the best price and product mix for an organization. Buyers also work closely with the advertising department.

You can also use your degree to help your community. Non-profit organizations are constantly competing for donations. You can work with them to craft marketing plans that will raise much- needed money.

Marketing is a broad field with plenty of variety. Decide what your strengths are and determine which marketing career path best suits you.

Marketing Job Search

Advertising and Public Relations

A company may develop a terrific product or service. But if the public does not know it exists, the life span of the product will be short. This is where advertising and public relations come into play. The marketplace is very crowded. A company must create a strong desire for their product or service along with a powerful promotional message that will stand out. This is where marketing careers come into play. Individuals holding marketing diplomas can break into the advertising and public relations field. Understanding buyer behavior and having the ability to craft strong promotional messages are cornerstones of successful advertising.

For years, print and television ads were the main tools a company used to advertise products or services. As the Internet continues to grow, most companies have now incorporated Web sites, e-mail marketing, and social media into their advertising strategies. Advertising continues to evolve. A company must continually adapt its advertising plans.

Every company and organization uses advertising. It doesn't matter big or how small a company is. Companies also create a variety of marketing messages for products. Some ads may be designed only to only create awareness. Other ads may be created to spur the customer to action. Ad campaigns are designed for new products and designed to add spark to older products. Ads are constantly being retooled and re-launched.

Large ad agencies create many of the flashy television and print ad campaigns. Consider a job as an advertising executive. A person in this position would work closely with clients designing and managing a variety of marketing campaigns. Strong understanding of the latest marketing principles and a creative side would be required.

Many companies have their own in-house advertising departments. Advertising managers work in these departments. They may design promotional materials to be distributed to the public, develop contests, and even secure sponsorships of events. Ad managers work closely with the sales department.

Companies must have a public relations strategy. A good public image can increase profitability. A poor public image can doom a company. Think about becoming a public relations manager. PR managers help manage a company's reputation. Putting a positive spin on events is easy. The challenge comes when negative news affects a company. Strong verbal and written communication skills will be required for these positions.

If you have just graduated from school, expect to be offered lower level positions. This is a field where you must prove yourself and the competition can be cut-throat. But once you create a dynamite campaign, watch your career take off.

Market Research

One option after earning a degree marketing is to go into market research. Before a company brings a product or service to market, it engages in market research. Companies perform research to pinpoint their target consumer. They research the marketplace and their competitors, then, a decision is made whether to bring the product to market. Market research comprises a large segment of marketing careers.

Market research is one of the most important aspects of marketing. If a company does its research properly, it has a much better chance for success. If a company skips the research phase, the likelihood of success is greatly reduced. Research isn't just for new products or services. Companies are constantly performing research to ensure that each product or service they offer is achieving the desired results.

A market researcher will be given an issue to analyze. A variety of data will need to be collected. The iInternet has made collecting data easier. Many databases are available to access information on competitors, demographics, current market trends, and company profiles. Researchers may conduct surveys to understand their customers' desires and frustrations. Some may conduct focus groups to test products.

Consumer behavior will be examined to better understand what influences buying decisions. Do cultural influences affect purchasing decisions? Do consumers bend to societal influences when purchasing a product or service? Does the product or service fill an immediate need?

Market share will be thoroughly reviewed. The better a company's market share, the higher its profits. Analysis will examine criteria that influence market positioning. Competitors' products will be taken into consideration along with competitors' marketing messages.

After the data is collected and analyzed, a researcher will present the results. Results may be presented to managers in many different departments to assist in the decision making process.

A person with a marketing major can find work as a market research analyst in a variety of different companies. You may think that all marketing professionals sell, sell, and sell, and are very outgoing. That may be the case sometimes. But, market research positions don't require much selling. They require someone with an analytical mind. A perfect candidate would be able to understand marketing concepts, analyze complex data, and present actionable marketing proposals to a variety of managers.

Market research careers can be found inside companies or at market research firms. Market analyst jobs are not just based in a marketing department. These jobs can also be found in areas that focus on new product development, pricing policies, or data analysis.

Product Management

Each product has its own life cycle. Products, successful or unsuccessful, move through an introduction, growth, maturity, and decline stage. Every step of the way there is a person managing the product. These product managers usually have a degree in marketing. Product managers usually have successful marketing careers on their resume before reaching that level.

A company must constantly look at its product mix. Does it have the right mix of products? Should it introduce new products to meet its customers's needs and desires? Product managers play a huge role in these decisions. They examine the existing product to determine whether a product line extension should be considered. Individual products are examined to make sure they increase the company's importance in the marketplace and meet profitability objectives.

Product managers engage in product positioning to ensure maximum exposure. A product may be great, but if it is not positioned correctly, sales will slump. New marketing and product development strategies need to be designed. Decisions may be made to delete certain products.

Managers may help set prices. If a price is too low, customers may think the product is of low quality. If the price is too high, customers might not purchase it all. Understanding a customer's perception of the product plays a role in pricing.

One of the most important aspects of product management is the overall marketing strategy. Customers usually don't stumble across a product. They are marketed to and shown why they cannot live without the item. Product managers are responsible for the marketing strategies. Decisions are made on the type of advertising to use. Advertising continues to evolve and product managers need to react quickly. Product managers decide whether coupons or other promotional materials are needed to help drive sales. Sponsorships are considered. Will the brand earn good will if it sponsors a community event? Does it make sense for a brand to sponsor a sports stadium?

Brand managers, category managers, product managers, and marketing managers are careers to consider if you are interested in product management. These managers may manage an individual product or product line. They will interact with many departments, including research, distribution, pricing, and sales.

These lucrative careers can be found at many companies in a variety of industries. Companies like General Mills, Ford Motor Company, and Bristol-Myers have product managers. A strong understanding of all aspects of marketing will be required. Keeping up to date on the latest marketing trends is essential.

Retailing

Many marketing grads find a job in retailing. A company can have a great product and a terrific advertising campaign, but that only goes so far. To sell its goods or services, it needs to have employees in the field making sure the product is properly marketed. To a customer, the sales force is the face of a company. Sales people interact with the customer to provide a positive buying experience. A sales position is a popular choice for people looking for a marketing career.

You may think retailing involves working for a department store, drug store, grocery store, etc. Yes, these stores will have department managers, stores managers, and regional managers. They may work with the advertising department to display promotional materials or build displays. But, many companies have their own sales force to call on stores, corporate offices, hospitals, medical centers, and more. These sales jobs can be lucrative and very rewarding.

Retail sales representatives interact one on one with customers. They listen to customers' needs and help them choose a product or service. These representatives will weave the company's marketing message into the sales pitch. Benefits and features will be discussed while creating the sense that you just cannot live without the product. How many times have you walked into a store intending to purchase one specific item and walked out with a slew of other more expensive items? A retail sales representative probably helped you out.

An account executive can work at the retail level but call on store managers, district managers, or buyers. Account executives usually work for companies that sell products or services to a store. Many consumer packaged goods companies have their own sales force. They will call on management to sell new products, discuss pricing strategies, and sell upcoming promotional tie-ins. Often, they will check the distribution of a product to make sure it is shelved and merchandised properly. An account executive will also keep a sharp eye on the competition, helping the company stay informed about competitors's activities with regard to new products, placement, and advertising. If you prove yourself as an effective account executive, you can move into a sales management role.

The health-care industry has a large fleet of sales representatives. Pharmaceutical companies have representatives who call on doctors and hospitals. These reps provide literature and samples of medicine in the hopes that more doctors will prescribe their products. Medical manufacturer representatives call on hospitals and surgery centers to sell surgical equipment and supplies.

A career in sales can be quite rewarding. There are many job opportunities available for people who are persuasive and know how to market to customers. Earning potential is another plus. Many sales positions are salary based with commissions and other perks.

Non-Profit

There are over 1.5 million non-profit organizations operating in the United States, and many of them hire people with marketing diplomas. With so many non-profit organizations competing for attention, their messages must stand out. Strong marketing campaigns are needed, and thousands of people are employed in marketing career by non-profit groups.

Non-profit organizations span the spectrum. There are non-profits for religious organizations, museums, libraries, schools, colleges, symphonies, fraternal organizations, political parties, hospitals, and labor unions. Organizations like the March of Dimes, the USO, the American Cancer Society, and Toys for Tots are non-profit groups. Think of all the mail you receive each week. A large part of the mail probably comes from non-profit organizations for seeking donations.

Each of these non-profits needs people to assist in their marketing campaigns. Because of the sheer number of organizations out there, marketing campaigns need to immediately capture a person's attention. The message needs to quickly spur an action, whether it is raising awareness or making a donation.

Cause marketing is used by many non-profits. Think about letters you have received in the mail from organizations. Many of these letters will inform you about a social issue or cause. They may tug on your heartstrings or vividly describe the importance of supporting the organization. These marketing messages need to be so compelling that a person will whip out the checkbook and write a donation immediately. Many times, small tokens of appreciation will also be included in the letters. Items like personal name labels, calendars, key chains, or bookmarks are used as an extra incentive to urge a person to donate.

Non-profits will also use event marketing. Think of the charity events in your community. Event marketing campaigns may use television and print ads along with local celebrities to draw attention to the event. Museums are also heavy users of event marketing to promote new exhibits and additions.

Place marketing may be used to promote certain areas. Regional tourism offices may design splashy ads to lure visitors. Many local chamber of commerce offices use place marketing to attract new businesses to the area or lure foreign investments or exports. A person with a marketing degree may want to consider working for a non-profit group. Since most non-profits are small, one person may handle all of the marketing functions. Market research, product management, advertising, public relations, and selling will usually be handled by one person. Most for-profit organizations will have at least one person who handles each marketing function. Working for a non-profit can give you a wealth of experience while you are helping a cause close to your heart.