6 reasons why marketing could be your dream career

If you’ve got a way with words, images, people and strategy, and are plugged into what’s ‘now’, you could have what it takes to enjoy a successful and stimulating career in marketing.

Here are six reasons why marketing could be your dream career.

1. The industry is at a dynamic crossroads

These days people spend an inordinate amount of time online – working, playing, connecting … and shopping! According to an NAB report, in April 2015 Australians were spending $16.9 billion a year shopping online. With e-commerce becoming such a driving force, online marketing is, without a doubt, a marketing frontier that’s here to stay.

And then there’s social media. With one in every four human beings on the planet on Facebook and 6 billion hours spent per month on YouTube, social media has mushroomed to completely transform the way in which consumers are engaged and target demographics reached. It’s an exciting and transformative time in the marketing world, and you could be right in the thick of it. 

2. You have more creative avenues on hand than ever

But it’s not just social media. Mobile computing and apps, online advertising, search engine optimisation, RSS feeds, online press releases, blogs, email marketing, viral marketing, affiliate marketing, branding – all these form part of the emerging digital marketing landscape of 2016. This means organisations not only have new markets but a new set of avenues through which messages can be delivered to consumers – which means that on top of being creative, you will have to get your head around how to exploit all the available media and technologies. It certainly makes for a more eclectic approach than the old days of billboards, radio and TV ads!

These are exciting times, with almost limitless possibilities. The challenges, and the rewards, have never been greater.

3. You get to connect with loads of people

At its core, marketing is about getting your message through to people and convincing them to buy your product or service. Marketing requires constant communication with people and, as a marketer, you need to find ways to engage your audience.

For this, you need to really know people and understand what makes them tick. An account manager needs to be able to get along with clients; a market researcher needs to anticipate what target audiences might want; a public relations pro needs to know how audiences will respond to news. To be a truly effective marketer, you need to be able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand how they think and feel.

Marketing work also involves working in teams to develop and nurture creative ideas for a campaign, so it helps if you’re a people person. If you love collaborating with others, a marketing career could be just what you’re after.

4.There are good opportunities for progression

There are two main areas for marketers: the client side and the agency side. The client side involves working in the marketing department of a business, non-profit organisation or public sector department. Agency work means working for a business (agency) that provides advertising and marketing services to other businesses, and doing their marketing for them.

When you start out in client services, you might be a marketing assistant helping out with different entry level tasks. The next rung up might be to become a marketing coordinator, and if yours is a company that sells a product, you’ve also got product designers and managers. Above that you’ve generally got the department head honchos: marketing managers and directors.

On the agency side, there are multiple opportunities in project management, public relations and market research, with a range of levels of progression. There are also media buyers and account management roles for those with strong management, negotiation and financial skills.

If you’ve got the talent and drive, there are plenty of opportunities for both frontline and behind-the-scenes roles.

5. It’s vital to business and all industries need it

Marketing is used by virtually every organisation, both commercial and public, and the quality of that marketing often determines a business’s success or failure. Whether it’s a financial institution, fashion retailer, government department, e-business or charity organisation – each needs good marketing to succeed, and each requires a different kind of sell.

By applying your marketing nous in whatever field or industry interests you, you can be a key player in driving the success of any business.

6. It’s one of the most creative industries out there

Marketing messages need to be constantly refreshed, renewed and transformed in order to cut through the noise of competing messages. You have to continually work at new ways to approach a problem and think outside the square, and there’s no place for complacency. Few jobs hinge on creativity and innovation the way marketing does.

You can apply your creativity in all sorts of ways – from developing big-picture marketing strategies to the details of what text and images to use.

And when it all clicks – when a campaign gets a massive response and transforms a business’s fortunes – just ask any account or product manager how that feels. They’ll tell you. It’s awesome.

Want to launch your marketing career? Check out our marketing courses

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This article first appeared on Career FAQs.