How to pursue your career in Management Marketing

What does a Marketing Manager Do?

Who doesn’t want to climb the career ladder in leaps and bounds, but before you aspire to pursue a career in management marketing one day, you need to learn what the role entails!

According to the popular job description of management marketing, marketing managers are responsible for identifying, assessing, and connecting with the appropriate markets before launching and marketing a product or service. You will conduct in-depth market and competitor research to get a better idea of the public interest and determine the marketability of products and services. This ensures that your marketing plans factor in target audiences, campaign-specific tactics, budget, and goals. As such, marketing managers are fully involved in every aspect of the product, from development to packaging design, pricing, distribution, and of course, creating unique strategies to drive customer interest through multiple media channels such as social media, tv, billboards, and newspaper articles. Marketing managers also monitor the effectiveness of a marketing campaign against set goals and use consumer data to predict current and future consumer trends.

Additionally, you will also be in charge of managing budgets for media and marketing campaigns. Marketing managers are also required to manage marketing department employees as well as educate employees and other departments about industry marketing trends, in addition to liaising with the customer service department to address problems. You will also be working in close coordination with designers, videographers, copywriters, developers, and more, to bring elements of the strategy to fruition.

How much Does a Marketing Manager Make?

The average salary for a marketing manager in the U.S. is $62,461 per year, though salaries can range from $14,000 to $144,000 per year, while the average UK salary for a marketing manager is £32,081. This shows that the salary varies from country to country. Not to mention, your salary as a marketing manager depends on your experience and education levels, as well as the size, type and location of the company.  Larger companies will be more likely to offer higher salaries and assign additional responsibilities. Your pay scale also depends on whether you are working part-time or full-time.

Skills Needed for a Marketing Manager?

• Communication

Between communicating with customers, employees, stakeholders and selling leaders on your marketing plans and strategies, you will need to hone your communication skills. Not to mention, you need to communicate with your customer base by crafting creative content for advertisements, videos, and articles. Unless you possess strong communication skills, your content won’t be in sync with the tone, branding, and voice outlined in the marketing plan. Also, since media buying requires negotiating with vendors for a better price or placement, you should also up your negotiation power.

• Analytical Skills

Your success as a marketing manager depends on how well the implemented strategies are doing. The success of a marketing campaign can be gauged by metrics such as conversion rates, statistics, market trends and traffic results. As a marketing manager, you should be adept at tracking metrics and analyzing the performance of various strategies, channels, and campaigns, and optimize marketing campaigns for highest return on investment.

• Budgeting Skills

Marketing Managers are usually in charge of everything from campaign budgets to pay-per-click ads to influencer marketing. The key task of a manger is to prioritize allocation across multiple channels so that everyone has the resources they need. Also, it is the job of a marketing manager to make sure that the marketing initiatives fall within the allowed budget while still meeting organizational goals.

• Adaptability

Marketing is ridden by constant disruption. Customer behavior and markets are forever changing. Even the best-laid strategies may fall short on expectations. A successful marketing manager is flexible and ready to adapt to new channels and tactics as needed.

• Planning and Execution skills

A marketing manager needs to plan for the long haul, evaluate all intended outcomes, plan for intended results, and execute the strategy to follow through. They need to define the brand’s long-term goals, carve out the best path to get there and determine all the steps along the way. Even though they have their hands full with managing multiple marketing channels, they need to allocate their time to different tasks. Last but not the least, a marketing manager needs to be able to meet deadlines, deliver the best quality of work and work well under pressure.

• Interpersonal skills

Marketing managers not only lead the entire marketing team, they are also in collaboration with other teams, such as advertising, public relations, and customer service departments. As such, marketing managers need to be able to work well in groups and build lasting relationships with their peers. Marketing managers should also know better than to wear all hats at once, and need to be able to delegate effectively to make sure all team members are assigned tasks to the best of their capabilities. They also need to be good project managers to ensure that the entire marketing team produces content and campaigns smoothly and on time.

• Creativity

The field of marketing management demands creativity, freethinking and imagination. You will indubitably be expected to come up with innovative campaign ideas, which means that creativity will be your savior. Successful marketing leaders stay abreast of emerging industry trends and decide how to react.

How to become a marketing manager?

Earn a Bachelor’s Degree

Marketing is the backbone of every organization, which is why the role of the marketing manager is so important. If you have set your eyes on entering management marketing, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business management, communications or another business-related field. Since the field of marketing is so vast, it is important to select one area you wish to specialize in. During your study, you will get to grips with traditional business practices, including promotions and advertising, data and statistical analysis, public speaking, business writing and communications, as well as advanced technology such as SEO, UX design, content management, and multimedia. Your degree will prepare you for a dynamic work environment and help you translate theoretical knowledge to customer-focused product development. On the other hand, if your company doesn’t list any education prerequisites, such as a preference for candidates with a bachelor’s degree or an MBA, you can take online courses to help you learn specific marketing skills and show that you are cut out for the job

Complete Certifications

When you start applying for jobs, you will notice that some companies ask for niche specific certifications, such as Facebook Marketing Analytics or Google Ads certifications. Not only will these certifications bolster your credentials and strengthen your CV, they will also help you develop key marketing skills which will go a long way towards landing the job of your dreams. While we are talking about certifications, some skills to brush up on include writing and public speaking, SEO fundamentals, analytical skills, leadership skills, creative thinking, Interpersonal skills, and project management skills.

Get an internship

Apart from your degree and certifications, you should also look for internships in the marketing field. Marketing managers should have several years of on-the-job experience before they can be considered for a management position. Even before getting a degree, you can apply for entry-level positions to build your professional experience and understand the way of the trade. Start as early as possible to gain maximum exposure.

Prepare your Resume

It’s time to show your prospective employers what you have got. Craft a stellar resume, highlighting your education, achievements, skills and other information relevant to the role you are applying to. In fact, it pays to tweak your CV for each new job, matching your skills and tasks with their posted description. Also, make a portfolio of your best works (if any) as well as any projects you have undertaken during college.