How to Start a Career in Marketing

Marketing can evergreen and profitable jobs which attract many people to start their career in this field. If you are one of them and have the vision to make a bright future in this field, you are on the right page. On that note, I’d like to discuss what to consider how to gain some knowledge based on my experience.
So, how to become a marketing specialist?
Let’s start from the beginning. If you are interested in becoming a marketer this year, you are probably wondering what salary to expect.
Junior marketing manager salary (US)
The average annual salary, based on the data from indeed.com and glassdoor.com, is $65,598 per year (for candidates from 0 to 1 year of experience).
Among the positions open for people with no experience, are Junior Brand Manager, Marketing Communications Manager and other types of marketing specialists.
This takes you to the next portion of the information that the marketing manager can handle different roles within two main categories, offline (classical marketing like TV advertising) and online (digital) marketing. Among digital marketing paths are the following.
- Marketing analyst (who analyzes the market, competitors, profit or anything within).
- Marketing communication manager (who is responsible for how a company delivers its messages and news to their audience)
- Brand manager (who is responsible for brand visibility)
- Content marketing specialist (who develop a content strategy and manages all the content operations)
- SEO specialist (who works with websites to help them gain organic traffic)
- Affiliate marketing specialist (who works with referral programs)
- PPC specialist (who works with paid advertising)
- SMM specialist (who manages social media)
- Email-marketing specialist (who generates profit through emails).
- And other roles.
Decide on which direction you would like to develop in after conducting your research on each field. Here you need to realize that these could be separate positions or responsibilities of one employee. It all depends on the company you choose to work for.
So, now we have come to the point.
Tips to become a marketer
1. The most obvious step, education
This seems like an obvious tip, right? But take it seriously as your education can be a real asset if you know how to put it into actual use. There are many educational programs of different durations that can teach you the basics of marketing. Additionally, they are prepared by keeping modern techniques and practices in mind.
Online marketing courses
Among them are many online courses which will help you to get practical knowledge. There are dozens of such classes but you need to choose carefully before enrolling in one.
Here are some aspects to consider before choosing the best online marketing course for your needs:
- The trustworthy platform. These are Coursera, EdX, Udemy, Linkedin Learning and many other websites that are tested by millions of clients.
- The completeness of the course. Make sure you choose the class which fully covers marketing issues, such as building a strategy, identifying your target audience, etc. A good way to do so is by carefully looking through the syllabus.
- The instructor. This is really an important part to find the person which is a true professional in their field and can share their knowledge in a way that is appropriate for you. A good way to find out is to find their social media accounts, blogs, etc.
- The reviews. This is a simple tip but the hardest part is to pick out which reviews are written by real clients and which ones are fake.
Marketing literature
Also, don’t forget about marketing literature as a parallel way of educating yourself. Books which I recommend for starters are
- The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
- Digital Marketing for Dummies by Ryan Deiss and Russ Henneberry
- This is Marketing by Seth Godin
- Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy by Phil Barden
- Buy.logy by Martin Lindstrom
2. Build confidence by training and free job
Simultaneously, you can try to find some training, internship or a freelance contract to practice new information. This is a proven technique that most successful professionals have been attempting in their early days. Offer free services to enhance your skills and build your portfolio (as many companies what to see the tangible results of your work). When you gain some experience, people will be willing to pay you to grow their sales and revenue.
3. Have the right people around
It’s true that your personality and life are affected by the company you have. That means you have to surround yourself with people successful in marketing. Make connections with people from the marketing field and have regular conversations with them – or just follow their social media where they can share valuable professional information, cases etc. with their audience. This is the easiest and pleasant way to share and gain valuable ideas that will improve your skills and expertise in this field.
Remember, you would need motivation frequently when you are a starter on this road. For this, follow successful marketers and consume their content like articles, videos, and podcasts. They will show you the path and will make you determined to do better.
Apart from this, keep in mind that though the marketing field is not rocket science, it’s not that easy either. Also, you will be facing tough times and demotivating results often and will need motivational support.
4. Stay updated with the latest marketing trends
Like any other profession, marketing is also an ever-growing career. Therefore, you have to keep yourself updated with the latest trends and developments. In this context, workshops, seminars, and corporate events are crucial or a beginner like you. Attend such opportunities whenever possible.
Additionally, you can read articles, blogs, and watch videos of seasoned marketers. Their valuable inputs, tips, and suggestions based on years of experience can make a serious positive impact on your career in marketing.
Some media I really recommend you to read are
- Marketo
- GrowandConvert,
- Intercom
- Seths
- Moz
These sources are written in quite a simple language and by reading it on a regular basis, you’d get used to some terminology (like target audience, conversion, customer, marketing funnel etc.), some rules, and some authors.
5. Look for marketing-related problems all around
Do you know that most people buy things when they actually need it? However, even more people buy things they think they need but actually they don’t need – as a result of good marketing done. That means you have to identify their needs and problems and showcase your products and services accordingly. More importantly, if you can understand the emotions and needs of your potential customers, you can surely do successful marketing of any product or service.
So, as you have already understood, to become a successful marketing professional, you have to pay attention to the little things. You can already start by analyzing some marketing campaigns that you see or some banners on the websites you visit. Try to analyze some sorts of things every marketing specialist regularly does.
- What is the target audience of this website? (For example, students, parents with small children, career people, entrepreneurs, expats etc. )
- Is the copy or a visual material effective? Does it stuck in your mind? (It should!)
- Do you easily understand what the brand is being advertising?
Your next steps.
Find some good online courses for beginners. Start reading a marketing book. Subscribe to at least five blogs & professionals from the marketing field (Linkedin seems to be the best platform for this). Remember that practice is everything so gain it by getting some unpaid tasks or by some internship. Become a junior marketer!
Wrap-up
If you are a self-starter who is just thinking about jumping into the sea of marketing, preparation is inevitable. Further, right from the education and training to getting actually started in this field will need determination and willingness to work hard. In this context, the tips and ideas given in this article will be of great help, and we hope you will benefit from them.