Marketing Degree and Careers

Navigating the expansive landscape of marketing can be a daunting endeavor, especially when pondering career paths and educational requirements. A marketing degree serves as both a foundation and a catalyst in this dynamic field, offering insights into various roles and specializations. Whether you’re contemplating the value of a marketing degree to launch your career, or seeking to understand the multifaceted world of marketing from a bird’s-eye view, this comprehensive guide is your go-to resource. We delve into what marketing really means, the skills you’ll need, and the types of marketing degrees that can set you on the path to success. Read on to unlock the full potential a marketing degree can offer you.

What is Marketing?

Marketing is the process of communicating a brand’s message to its potential clients. In short, the main purpose of marketing is to develop a strong and justified demand from the customer, society, or client for the product or service being presented by the company or brand.

With this, the marketing department in a company does its part in contributing to the overall success of the company’s mission. And that’s why in some cases, where a strong marketing team has not been properly developed, a company may find it more challenging to deliver its message to its potential customers. People may be confused by or unresponsive to the brand’s output, or they can even be unaware of its product, which ultimately affects the said brand’s overall success.

What makes a successful marketer?

With the purpose of marketing in mind, what makes a successful marketer is their ability to create an efficient communication line between the brand and its clients. The effectiveness of that communication stands on the shoulders of the marketing department; when the department is made up of well-versed individuals who can accurately deliver the message behind the brand to the masses, influencing their demand for its product, the whole company benefits in return.

To successfully contribute to their role, an individual in the marketing field may need to put their curiosity to use; one will need to spot their potential customers’ behavioral characteristics to understand their tendencies into creating a marketing strategy that would appeal to their needs. Innovation also plays a great role in attaining a good marketing strategy; marketers aren’t afraid to be creative. They are willing to present original and new ideas to evoke their customer’s attention.

What does a marketer typically do on their job?

A marketer’s job can be split into two main categories that typically overlap to create a coherent marketing plan.

The first part would be the corporate tasks that include but are not limited to, developing plans and creating schedules for the initially devised plan to be executed. The second part would include the social tasks needed to reach the targeted audience at a personal level. Those may be identifying the client’s purchasing habits and creating advertisement campaigns tailored to said clients’ exact needs.

Those two aspects articulate together to fulfill the bigger purpose of a marketing strategy, drawing people’s attention to the product being marketed and highlighting it as an essential item in consumers’ lives.

Do you need a marketing degree to work in the field?

While it is possible to land an entry-level job in the marketing field without a graduate’s degree, most marketing professions require a bachelor’s degree as a standard minimum for eligibility. A degree not only better qualifies you for a marketing position but will also improve your overall career once you land your first marketing job.

Recruiters mostly look for qualified marketing graduates who are well-informed and understand how the business works. However, a traditional degree may not be the only thing recruiters want in a candidate. Through online certifications, books, and articles, many people have managed to develop the required knowledge and skills to earn themselves an entry-level marketing job and work their way up from there.

What are the benefits of attaining a degree in marketing?

As aforementioned, individuals that acquire a marketing degree are more sought-out by employers. Besides the higher chance of landing a job, those who have a degree have a better chance of advancing in their respective careers and can later pursue managerial roles in the marketing industry. Employers tend to hire and promote those with skills and a degree more than those with skills and no degree.

Another benefit that comes along with attaining a degree is higher pay. A bachelor’s degree is said to add an average of $4k to a marketer’s annual salary, while an MBA may add up to $11k to an annual salary at the same level job.

It would help if you also kept in mind that MBA holders have an even better chance of landing a higher-level job at the beginning of their careers and advancing further into managerial jobs with higher pay.

Will you be able to land a job straight after graduating from your marketing program?

Due to the ever-expanding marketing industry, job opportunities are on the rise, and many fresh marketing graduates get hired within the first year of graduating. In fact, 85% of marketing graduates are undertaking work, not only six months after graduating.

What are the different careers you can pursue with a marketing degree?

Marketing is a huge industry; however, in a company, it is made up of several smaller departments with several different individual roles, each having different duties that contribute to the purpose of a marketing campaign. Some of these individual jobs include:

1. Product Marketing Manager – Product marketing managers are responsible for the brand’s product, from production to induction. Think of these managers as the caretakers of the product; they have to ensure that the product or service does well in sales. That makes developing a marketing strategy timeline one of the main tasks of a product marketing manager.

2. Market Research Analyst – The job of a marketing research analyst is exactly what it sounds like; they collect and assimilate data and, through it, deduce market changes and future trends. Marketing uses the analyst’s findings to identify sale patterns and consumer behavior and develop the best-fitting marketing strategy.

3. Sales Executive – Sales executives are the main contact between the brand and the customer. They must organize sales to demonstrate and present the brand’s product to widen the prospective customer base.

4. Marketing Copywriter – Copywriters work on the linguistic content of marketing. They work with visual content creators to produce applicable advertorial content that includes catchphrases, slogans, video scripts, etc. Most of their job entails a clear understanding of what the customers want to hear – what makes the customer tick – and using that understanding for the company’s favor.

5. Media Planner – Media planners are responsible for putting all the marketing strategies into action. They analyze and research the market and work together with different departments to develop appropriate financial plans and effective media tactics to execute and actualize the developed marketing campaign.

6. Marketing Executive – Generally, executive positions hold a great deal of responsibility as they oversee most marketing procedures. As well as their managerial position, marketing executives must develop a marketing campaign by conducting research, analyzing data, and presenting ideas to maximize profits through sales strategies.

7. Marketing Assistant – Working and marketing executives, a marketing assistant, support their executives’ tasks. They are responsible for undertaking the more practical aspect of research, analysis, and promotional activities.

8. Brand Manager –A brand manager’s main aim is to keep customers’ interest in the company’s products or services at peak. They are responsible for how the brand is being perceived by potential customers so, in turn, they have to stay up to date on consumer trends to use these trends as a guide for managing the brand’s image. This entails a lot of market research to pick up on current trends and predict future ones.

9. Public Relations Officer – PR officers’ tasks revolve around sustaining the company’s image and making sure it’s well-perceived. An individual who works in PR has a closely related job to an individual who works in brand management; the main difference is that a brand manager works on triggering the demand for products while a PR officer works on its overall reputation.

10. Social Media Manager – This type of manager puts social media platforms to use by running marketing campaigns to promote the brand and communicate with existing and potential customers. Social media managers are responsible for creating that promotional content – whether directly or indirectly – and developing strategies in which that content will reach the market. Usually, brand managers cross-work with other existing marketing departments to ensure that the promotional campaigns developed are coherent and comprehensive.

What are the different types of degrees in marketing you can study?

While marketing as an industry is split into departments that work in harmony to achieve the broader objective of marketing, marketing as a field of study is also diverse in terms of bachelor’s degrees. Bachelors in marketing differ in their focus in which each division condenses their studies on a specialty whilst still providing the essential base for a marketing degree.

These are the five most popular bachelor’s degrees in marketing:

Marketing Management Degree

Marketing’s practical application is the main area of study during a marketing management degree, although studies include marketing methods and techniques and organizational management. Curriculums of such bachelors also cover marketing trends, consumer behavior, strategies, and research. A bachelor’s in marketing management is one of the most popular business degrees because of its demand in the work field.

Public Relations Degree

A bachelor’s in public relations offers studies that revolve around public affairs, communication, media relations, strategic communications, and crisis management, amongst other things. Because of the growing need of companies and even individuals for a public relations team, graduates of this field have a wide range of opportunities that meet their interests and a wide range of job options to choose from.

Marketing Research and Analytics Degree

A student will learn all the business and market research methods during marketing research and analytics degree. They will also learn how to gather information about the market, assess business opportunities, and put that knowledge to use, and direct the marketing campaigns according to the reports and analysis they provide.

Digital Marketing Degree

A student in this department essentially learns how to create marketing campaigns tailored for digital platforms. A bachelor’s degree in digital marketing offers the chance to study everything related to a company’s online marketing and presence. And while this area of study is very similar to that of a social media bachelor’s degree, digital marketing degrees offer a wider study of digital platforms, giving students a broader range of marketing positions.

Integrated Marketing Communications Degree

And IMC degree offers its students a combination of both; studies in marketing strategies and studies in constant messaging communication platforms. It fundamentally teaches the student how to maintain the company’s marketing flow most cost-effectively. Courses in this specialty are diversely ranged from public relations to advertising and sales promotion.

Different Marketing Degree Education Levels

In addition to the different areas of study that you can choose from, marketing degrees stand at different levels and offer different opportunities to graduates of each level.

Here are the four main degrees in marketing you can attain and what they’ll mean in terms of job opportunities:

Associate’s Degree in Marketing

It’ll take you about two years to earn an Associate in Science (AS) or an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Marketing. This degree opens up the opportunity for you to apply for entry-level jobs in retail, customer service, and logistics, amongst other things. Some of the classes you may study in an associate’s degree include but are not limited to:

• Principles of Marketing
• International Marketing Strategies
• Introduction to Retail

Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing

A bachelor’s degree is the most common degree students opt for because of its benefit in the workplace. It takes an average of four to five years to graduate with a Bachelor’s in Science in Marketing (BS), Science in Business Marketing (BSB), or a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing (BBA). A bachelor’s degree will allow graduates to apply for managerial positions in the industry and allow them to pursue a master’s degree later and expand their level of expertise. Some of the classes you may undertake during a bachelor’s degree include but are not limited to:

• Public Relations
• Principles of Marketing
• Business to Business Marketing

Master’s Degree in Marketing

This degree requires the student to have received a bachelor’s degree first. After you graduate with a bachelor’s degree, you could go to graduate school for a more focused study and earn a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) or a Master’s in Science (MS) with a concentration in marketing. It would typically take you two years to earn your master’s degree. It will help you as a student develop an expansive set of skills that apply to most business industries, and with that, you’ll have the ability to lead in the business field. Some of the classes covered in a master’s degree include but are not limited to:

• Product Innovation
• Global Marketing Strategies
• Internet Marketing and E-commerce

Doctoral Degree in Marketing

This degree is typically pursued by those who seek to research, consult, or teach. Doctorate degrees in marketing generally focus on analysis and evaluation, teaching techniques, research, and marketing psychology. Some of the classes you may want to take during your Ph.D. include but are not limited to:

• Behavioral marketing
• Concepts and Foundations of Product Planning
• Multinational Marketing

How much can you earn with a marketing degree?

Most entry-level marketing jobs provide pretty decent salaries that range anywhere between $35k and $45k annually and progress respectively with time, level of experience, and according to skill; in other words, salaries increase as you get promoted. For example, an entry-level associate marketer can earn around $43k a year while a chief marketing officer can earn up to $250k annually plus bonuses.

These are the salary estimates of the previously mentioned marketing careers for the year 2019 based on PayScale:

How are salaries different in comparison to other majors?

When compared to other business fields, PayScale states that the median salary of marketing professionals exceeds the median salary of accounting professionals by an average of 17% and falls just below finance professionals’ earnings by 2%. And while that is the case in many states, numbers vary in different regions of the US.

What are the chances of market growth, and will it affect your job?

As of 2017, the marketing industry has reached an estimated worth of $1.2 trillion; however, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for marketing jobs is increasing the same way the demand for jobs in other field is, nevertheless, recent changes in marketing trends are affecting demand on certain marketing jobs as opposed to others. For instance, due to the industry’s inclination to shift its marketing means from traditional outlets to more modern ones, becoming more internet-based, employer demand for digital marketers is expected to increase in the coming years. This also means that employers’ demand for other outdated jobs in the marketing industry will decrease in turn, eventually becoming obsolete.

What are the requirements and prerequisites you need to pursue a degree in marketing?

To pursue a marketing degree, a high school student should consider undertaking some electoral classes like introductory business and marketing, communications, and economics classes. High school students should also check with their guidance counselor or admissions counselor to better understand the preparatory classes the school they plan to apply to recommends. Some of the prerequisites you may need for a marketing degree could include core business classes in marketing principles.

What do you typically study in a marketing degree?

The courses undertaken for marketing majors broadly vary according to different institutions; however, they mostly cover the same main courses. The following are an example of the common courses you may undertake during your bachelor’s degree:

• Business to Business Marketing
• Consumer Behavior
• Corporate Finance
• Global Marketing
• Logistics Strategies
• Marketing Channels
• Marketing Management
• Marketing Research
• Marketing Strategy
• Product Management
• Retail Management
• Sales Management

Along with these commonly required courses, you may also find interest in some of the common electives offered in a marketing degree, including psychology, mathematics, and introductory computer classes.

A complete and well-rounded marketing degree assures that the undertaking student develops the necessary knowledge and skills for future use in the work-field by nurturing their sense of analysis, productivity, and innovative problem-solving techniques.

Through the thorough and attentive process of acquiring a marketing degree, graduates are taught ways in which they’ll be able to initiate and sustain a successful career in their respective marketing fields and, through that, be able to make their way up the career ladder to their dream job.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to attain a bachelor’s in marketing?

A bachelor’s degree usually takes four to five years to complete.

Can I attain my marketing degree online?

Yes, there are several certificates and degrees in marketing that can be attained online through certified courses.

Is it better to attain my marketing degree the traditional way or online?

While studying online is always a feasible option, nothing can substitute the quality of live teaching where professors can transfer their experiences directly to the student.

What are some of the jobs I can get with a marketing degree?

A variety of jobs is available for marketing graduates. Some of these jobs may be:

• Account Executive
• Advertising/Promotions Manager
• Brand Manager
• Copywriter
• Marketing Manager
• Market Research Analyst
• Media Planner
• Production Manager
• Promotions Coordinator

What is the typical salary for a fresh marketing graduate?

Most entry-level salaries for marketing graduate range from $35k to $45k plus bonuses

References:
bls.gov/ooh/management/advertising-promotions- and-marketing-managers.htm
bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/ market-research-analysts.htm
payscale.com/research/US/Job= Marketing_Coordinator/Salary
payscale.com/research/us/Degree=Bachelor%27s _Degree%2C_Business_%26_Marketing/Salary
careercenter.georgetown.edu/major-career-guides/what-can-i-do-with-my-major/business/marketing/
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/business/blog/how-to-get-into-marketing/
https://www.cmocouncil.org/
https://www.marketing.org/
https://www.ama.org/

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