There’s no doubt about it – when you’re first starting your marketing career, it can be overwhelming to begin with! This is especially true if you don’t know anyone in the industry, or have many professional contacts. So, how exactly do you navigate the maze that is the marketing industry?
The first step, of course, is to obtain the relevant tertiary qualification. But, that is not all it takes. As a professional marketer, networking is key. In an industry like marketing, it’s often not about what you know, but who you know, and getting familiar with your cohorts is essential. Lastly, you need to build a stellar professional portfolio to stand out from the crowd.
But how do you go about doing this? Let us guide you!
Where to Begin? Learning the Foundations of Marketing
When you first decide to go down the path to becoming a marketing guru, you’ll need to learn the basics. An online masters degree in marketing can help teach you all you need to know about this fascinating industry. What does it take to become a marketer? What does a marketing professional do? And, perhaps most importantly, what even is marketing?
Completing a tertiary qualification in marketing can help answer all these questions for you, and more. It will also teach you the key concepts that are involved in creating a marketing strategy. Commonly referred to as the five main marketing concepts, these are:
Production
Traditionally, the Production concept of marketing asserts that more affordable products are more desirable by consumers. This is because they are less expensive to purchase, and, due to the lack of a hefty price tag, are more likely to sell well.
Product
The Product marketing concept, on the other hand, focuses more on the quality of the product being sold. It argues that with cheaper products saturating the market, consumers prefer to seek out more unique and better-quality products instead.
Selling
In the Selling concept, it is argued that concerted efforts need to be made to reach, influence, and ultimately, sell to the consumer. As part of this concept of marketing, the emphasis is on making customers aware of the product.
Marketing
This concept explores the needs of the consumer and how a product can serve those needs. It highlights the importance of conducting market research to understand this.
Societal
The Societal marketing concept focuses on the end-to-end customer journey. As such, it places great importance on how a product serves the market in the long term, as well as the future and continued viability of selling that product.
Next Stop: Networking Nirvana
There’s no doubt about it – when you’re in marketing, networking is king! Rubbing shoulders with both your clients and your colleagues is the best way to make a name for yourself in the marketing world. You may even find yourself a mentor!
Teaming up with a mentor who knows the ropes can help you make your way through the marketing maze, and forge a successful career path for yourself in the industry. They can even guide you with the experience and knowledge they have gained throughout their own marketing career. Best yet, they can also introduce you to their peers. This will help you expand your network of professional contacts further, and perhaps, even provide you with job opportunities.
You should also take this opportunity to build up your personal brand. Doing this will secure your reputation, and help you when attempting to get your name out there in the industry.
Building Your Professional Portfolio: Make it Memorable
So, how do you build a professional marketing portfolio? And, more crucially, how do you create a memorable one that makes a lasting impression on the reader and helps you stand out from the competition?
First, be sure to include details about yourself, your attributes, and your achievements. You can also include a short biography describing your key competencies, your professional and educational accomplishments, and also, your career aspirations. Be sure to include examples of your best work!
Navigating the marketing maze can be a challenge.
But, by completing the requisite tertiary studies in the field, networking with your peers, and building your marketing portfolio, you will be well on your way to making it through the maze and forging your career as a successful marketing professional.
