A day in the life of a Marketing professional!

Traditionally, we learn about the 4Ps of marketing – product, price, promotion and place. Today, marketing involves so much more. Marketing professionals in the digital world need to understand the full spectrum – from branding, PR, internal communication, digital marketing, content development, blogging, social media, designing, websites, data analysis, strategy, market research, product design and more.  – everything that promotes you and your company! So what are some skills that marketers need?

• Creativity: As cliche as this sounds, marketing requires creative people. This is the team that comes up with new ideas and out of the box concepts! Creative thinking combined with aesthetic sensibility and an eye for design will take you to the next level. Strong marketing professionals are constantly thinking of new ways to differentiate their brand from others.

• Consumer connect: Marketing requires you to research and understand the end consumer to whom you are selling. You would be required to put yourself in their shoes and think from their perspective. Your campaign ideas would eventually be communicated to the sales team and the effectiveness of your ideas would be measured based on the return on investment in terms of product purchase. If you can cater your campaigns according to what the user is looking for, you will see maximum return and appreciation for your work!

• Communication skills: Written and spoken communication forms a vital part of marketing. Be it PR communication, blogging, email marketing, newsletters or pitching your firm to external stakeholders. The marketing team is often out meeting clients and using powerpoint, prezi or other tools to present and pitch the company to various stakeholders. Getting the right messages out and articulating them effectively is critical for this department.
• Detail-orientation: An eye for detail is a must when it comes to graphics, content and design. Uniformity of text and design, proper branding and persistence is important in marketing.

Beyond these core skills, a day in the life of a marketer requires making connections, keeping up to date with current trends, dealing with crises and client issues, budgets and planning. It is a fast-moving department so be ready to be on your toes! If you are keen on this career path, you can apply for jobs at marketing agencies or branding departments of companies directly out of college. Given the current focus on digital and online, a Master’s Degree is not required for a career in marketing! If you already have a Master’s in Marketing or an MBA, that would also work as a platform to apply for marketing roles. All the best!