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Degrees and Schools
Employers look for marketing managers with a bachelor's or master's degree from a college or university in business administration, advertising or journalism with an emphasis on marketing. In highly technical industries, companies may require a bachelor's degree in science or engineering.
Classes
Marketing students usually study:
- Management and business law
- Economics, accounting and finance
- Mathematics and statistics
- Market research and data analysis
- Advertising, communications and sales
- Psychology and consumer behavior
- Creative writing, journalism and public speaking
- Graphic design, art and photography
Internships or related work experience are important, and an excellent way to increase employability. Optional certification through organizations such as The Public Relations Society of America can provide additional leverage for job seekers. Being fluent in additional languages can add significant advantage for many positions.
Online Classes and Programs
There are many marketing degree programs available online, from associate's to master's degrees. Although these programs usually do not offer the internship or job placement opportunities that on-campus programs do, they provide a great deal of flexibility and convenience. When comparing programs, look for accreditation through direct-learning oversight organizations. Consider also how well courses included in the program support specific career goals.
Employment Requirements
A bachelor's degree in business administration, journalism, advertising or marketing is considered a minimum requirement by most employers. High-tech industries often prefer at least a bachelor's degree in engineering or science.
How to Evaluate Schools
Degree programs for marketing managers should be evaluated for:
- Tuition and amenities - Does tuition for the program seem to go more toward faculty and course offerings, or amenities such as fitness clubs, performing arts or athletic programs that may not be as beneficial? What resources are made available to students to help them take advantage of financial aid options such as grants, scholarships, student loans and work/study?
- Flexibility and focus - How flexible is the school in allowing students to choose courses of emphasis or customize their degree? Do course offerings comprehensively cover topics relevant to specific career goals?
- Class size and experiential learning - In popular majors like business and marketing, classes can be quite large. What is the student-teacher ratio in introductory classes? Are internships coordinated by the program, and are there plenty of desirable ones to choose from?
- Graduate success - Does the school have regular career fairs that feature many employers that hire marketing staff? How many students get employment in their field upon graduating?
Marketing Manager Job Description
A company's success relies heavily on the effectiveness of its marketing. Marketing identifies potential products and the customers who are most likely to buy them, communicates the availability and benefits of these products, and motivates customers in target markets to buy (either other businesses, government agencies or individual consumers). Marketing managers plan and implement marketing campaigns constantly, always looking for new ways to identify potential customers and promote brand awareness to bring in sales leads.
A marketing manager's responsibilities can include:
- Developing a complex marketing strategy
- Estimating the demand for products and services
- Working with web developers and designers to create websites that are powerful marketing tools
- Coordinating promotional events such as contests; speaking engagements or charity events to draw media attention
- Overseeing the creation of marketing collateral such as brochures and flyers
- Writing blogs and bulleting board posts, and networking through social media such as MySpace, Second Life and LinkedIn
- Coordinating presence at events such as trade shows and conferences
- Developing presentations and handouts for sales staff and company leaders
- Analyzing markets to learn information about target markets and customer profiles
- Writing press releases to distribute announcements to news outlets
- Researching competition
- Identifying potential products, creating unique ways of packaging them to meet the needs of customers, and setting pricing
In many small businesses, marketing managers do a lot of the implementation work themselves, often on tight budgets. In larger companies, marketing managers have teams including product development managers, market research managers, graphic designers, web developers, tradeshow coordinators, etc. and may work with multi-million dollar budgets. They may collaborate with advertising managers, promotions managers, or contract marketing firms.
Extensive travel is frequently required of marketing managers.
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