If you fancy trying your hand in the marketing industry, there’s no better time to do it. Companies are taking the effects of marketing more and more seriously: it’s no longer just the ‘fun department’ that spends all the money. Instead, it’s forging its own seat at the top table, and proving that it’s worth the big budgets and talented teams. Many people either start in marketing straight out of university or change later in their careers, so you don’t necessarily need to have any previous experience. As long as you’ve got the good logic, common sense and management skills, you’ll be able to learn as you go. If you’re after higher, more senior roles, you’ll have to do your qualifications and learn the planning and strategy behind the moves. However, if you’re just thinking of starting out, or you want to boost your career, these skills will give you extra kudos on your resume.
Project and account management
A lot of marketing comes down to management. If you work for an agency, you’ll need to learn about account management. This is looking after your clients, taking briefs, and ensuring your creative team produce something the client is after. Account management is intensely rewarding, but can be very stressful; especially if you have a hard-to-please client, or more commonly, a client with big ideas but a small budget.
Likewise, project management is very important. All different kinds of marketing campaigns require different kinds of expertise. For example, managing a digital project is very different to managing a direct mail (DM) campaign. So, it’s worth looking out for courses that specialize in various kinds of project management. This means that you’ll be able to add value to any agency or business, and may even be able to optimize and improve any existing processes, thanks to your in-depth knowledge.
Martech
Martech – or marketing technology – is the latest tool in every marketer’s belt. It comprises of everything to do with digital – from creating new digital tools to managing them and using them. So, you need a bit of digital know-how here. Martech makes it possible for you to introduce marketing automation software into the business, and therefore free up time and resource, and offer a better experience to both your clients and their targeted audience. From email automation to artificial intelligence, there’s a lot out there when it comes to martech, and knowing how to use various programs and software, and understanding the theory and strategy behind it, will really set you apart.
It’s very much a burgeoning art still, and while there are already many martech experts, the majority of agencies and businesses don’t have this expertise in-house. So, add this skill set to your resume, and you’ll have all the offers rolling in.
Creative
While nearly all agencies have a fully integrated creative team, comprising of art directors, copywriters, art workers, and video editors having some creative skills will set you apart. It might be some working knowledge of InDesign, meaning you can fix any small changes, or enough knowledge of good writing to edit typos and proofread. Either way, having experience of working in a creative role will stand you in good stead for securing a job in marketing.
