How to Become a Marketing Manager and Specialist
Becoming a marketing manager or specialist is an inspiring journey which seamlessly blends all forms of creative talent the purposeful acuity of a highly developed sense of business acumen.
The foundation for becoming the very best you can be in a competitive-by-nature industry begins by deciding to earn a bachelor’s degree and/or a master’s degree from an accredited college or university. Before deciding which institutions of higher learning might be the perfect match for you, a look into what marketing really is, what managers and specialists do, and how they arrive at the career of their dreams is an ideal jumping off point.
What is Marketing?
The American Marketing Association (AMA) https://www.ama.org/the-definition-of-marketing-what-is-marketing/ defines marketing in this way, “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.” They go on to break down what they call “The Four P’s of Marketing,” Product, Price, Place (or Distribution) and Promotion.Products are the things to be marketed, and can be goods, services or ideas. Price involves assessing how a product can be acquired by the public while affording the manufacturer the greatest amount of profit. Place (or Distribution) is the process through which the product is delivered to consumers. Promotion is the art of persuasion steeped in hard data regarding what the end demands of purchasers will be. It is made up of branding and the development of strategies to ultimately elicit the most powerful response possible from the consuming public. When the Four P’s are combined, the result is most commonly referred to as advertising.
One of the history’s first and certainly the most prolific marketing managers was Leo Burnett (October 21, 1891 – June 7, 1971). He created some of the world’s greatest marketing campaigns for companies such as Heinz, Green Giant, Kellogg’s, Kraft, Mattel, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, General Motors, Starkist and United Airlines, just to name a few. One of his most recognized quotes about what marketing/advertising is “Advertising is the ability to sense, interpret… to put the very heart throbs of a business into type, paper and ink.” One of the reasons he achieved such a high level of success in the industry was his young adult life perfectly coincided with the effects of the Industrial Revolution which gave manufacturers the ability to produce at speeds and levels that were hitherto unknown. The Industrial Revolution also heralded the birth of extreme competition for manufacturers and businesses to acquire and secure the disposable incomes of consumers. Economists for decades had been on the sidelines propounding that a consumer is someone with unlimited wants but subject to limited resources. In fact, in 1759 one of history’s most famous economists, Adam Smith, introduced to the discipline the notion of an “invisible hand” which was a metaphor for how society benefits when individuals (consumers) act ultimately in their own self-interest. The assimilation of these schools of thought, combined with the production boom of the Industrial Revolution, gave birth to what today we call marketing.
What Does a Marketing Manager Do?
Marketing managers are the creators and monitors of advertising strategies which promote the client’s product. The following are examples of how this is achieved.
- Research
In order to construct a successful strategy, the marketing manager/specialist must define who the target audience is and collect hard data regarding trends in their purchasing and all relevant aspects of what they buy and why. Facts are what is important in research and data collection is imperative in launching a successful marketing campaign. - Developing a Strategy
This aspect of the career involves a total assessment of the objectives of the particular client/business and designing a roadmap to get from where they are at present to arriving at where they would prefer to be. Goals, budgets, timelines and monitoring mechanisms make up this phase of marketing. - Creating a Marketing Campaign
A campaign is that which will be delivered to the public through the various branches of social media, digital media, print advertising, events and promotional activities, and the like. This aspect necessitates the building of teams which specialize in what goes into the campaign content, such as artwork, music composition, disbursement of the campaign on social media, etc.
Managing the Brand
The marketing manager is responsible for overseeing the development of the brand, what it communicates, and making sure it maximizes the product’s full potential.
- Online Marketing
The marketing manager must develop viable approaches to the product’s digital or online presence. This involves all aspects of website marketing and monitoring, the tracking and analysis of digital advertising metrics, email presence, different forms of social media, etc. - Communication with ClientsThe marketing manager is responsible for keeping the client informed of fact-based developments within the campaign. They must be alert to re-routing options in the event that a strategy is not effective and keeping a close eye on whether the campaign is optimizing all possible opportunities, and then keeping the client in the forefront of the assessment process.
Becoming a Marketing Manager and Specialist
Education is the key to becoming a successful marketing manager. To secure employment in top level positions in the industry, a bachelor’s degree is essential. A master’s degree can afford even more opportunities. The wonderful aspect of both degrees is that they are readily available at the finest institutions in both a traditional approach and in online format. In addition to your education, work experience in related occupations will boost your employment appeal. You might volunteer to intern at any business which embodies a component of the marketing field (such as print advertising, web development, sales, public relations, etc.), or any of the aspects mentioned above, or even secure an entry-level position in one of the branches of the marketing industry which would make you an attractive candidate for hire.
Job Outlook for Marketing Managers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/), Advertising, Promotions and Marketing Managers have wonderful opportunities in store for the time period spanning 2022-2023. The field is growing by 6% per year, which is a faster than average rate. In 2022 there were 389,000 jobs, and the median pay per year was $138,370, while the median hourly wage was $66.70. (As a reminder, the “median” amount is not an average, it is the middle value of a dataset. For the U.S. BLS definition go to: https://www.bls.gov/cps/definitions.htm#medianearnings ).
By pursuing your educational goals and securing practical experience in industry related fields, you will be on your way to a satisfying and rewarding career as a marketing manager and specialist.
