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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.
Marketing Manager Degrees and Marketing Manager 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.
Marketing Manager 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 Marketing Manager 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.
Marketing Manager 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 Marketing Manager 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?
Example Job Titles for Marketing Managers
(Titles per survey respondents and career experts.)
Account Supervisor
Assistant Marketing Manager
Brand Manager
Bridal Consultant
Business Developer
Business Development Director
Business Development Manager
Business Development Specialist
Category Manager
Channel Manager
Commercial Director
Commercial Lines Manager
Commercial Marketing Specialist
Community Relations Director
Director of Business Development
Director of Market Analysis
Director of Sales and Marketing
Director of Sales Marketing
Fashion Coordinator
Fashion Marketer
Fashion Stylist
Head of Marketing
International Trade Specialist
Internet Marketing Manager
Market Development Manager
Market Research Manager
Marketing Administrator
Marketing Agent
Marketing Assistant
Marketing Communications Manager
Marketing Coordinator
Marketing Director
Marketing Executive
Marketing Manager
Marketing Officer
Marketing Operations Director
Marketing Planner
Marketing Representative
Marketing Sales Supervisor
Marketing Vice President
Media Buyer
Media Marketing Director
Media Planner
Membership Administrator
Membership Director
Pricing Analyst
Pricing Manager
Pricing Specialist
Product Development Manager
Product Line Manager (PLM)
Sales and Marketing Manager
Sales Officer
Sports Marketer
Strategic Planner
Strategist
Supervisor of Sales
Sustainable Products Marketing Manager
Trade Specialist
Vice President of Marketing
World Trade and Maritime Division Manager
Apply For a BrainTrack Business Scholarship
To help students currently pursuing a business or management degree, BrainTrack's Business Schools Scholarship offers a winning and second place award every semester. Applicant essays are designed to help others considering business and management career paths in general management, marketing, advertising, sales, accounting, finance, management analysis and consulting, and more. Eligible degrees include associate, bachelors, masters, or higher.
For recent winners and a selection of entries please visit BrainTrack's Business Student Stories section.
The BrainTrack Scholarship for Business helps current students pay for their education. Entrants must respond to essay questions that are geared toward helping people evaluate business as a potential career path. BrainTrack will publish those essays which prove most helpful to future students.
The scholarship is open to students with at least one semester of credits towards graduation with an appropriate degree in business. One student award of $1,000 for the best entry and one of $500 for the second best entry is planned for each of two semesters, on an annual basis. Entry deadlines are November 1 and March 1, with awards payable towards the student's current or following semester.
Winners will be selected based on the creativity, focus, overall thoughtfulness, accuracy, and practical value of their responses to essay questions. Determination of winners will be undertaken by a committee that includes independent judges familiar with business as well as BrainTrack staff.
Submit answers to questions designed to help those considering business as a career path. All answers must be entered into the scholarship entry form, which is started by clicking the I Agree button below.
Rules
Scholarship entry deadlines are November 1 and March 1 of every year. The deadline for the next scholarship award is March 1, 2010.
The scholarship competition is open to enrolled students who have completed at least one semester of credits in a business degree program and are currently pursuing a degree. Students must be enrolled in one or more relevant classes at the time of the entry deadline. Students may be in either a full-time or part-time program. They may also be enrolled in an on-campus and/or online program.
Winners will be notified by email and telephone, typically within six weeks following the entry deadline. All award payments are made to the school, toward the student's tuition.
Candidates may submit only one entry every 12 months.
Entrant's school must be in the US and have accreditation recognized by the US Department of Education.
Entrant must be a US citizen, have permanent resident status, or have an appropriate student visa.
Entrant must be living in the US or if living abroad entrant must be a US citizen or permanent resident currently enrolled in an online degree program with a qualified US-based school.
All submissions become the property of BrainTrack's publisher, FutureMeld LLC, and entrants grant permission to FutureMeld to use their essay answers, school name, and degree status for promotional or other purposes.
Entrants that are selected as finalists will be contacted by FutureMeld to provide one or more references from their school. FutureMeld will contact the reference(s) to verify an entrant's qualifications for the scholarship.
For non-winning entrants, FutureMeld will keep a student's name, contact information, and references private for use only in conjunction with this scholarship.
Winning entrants will have their name published. Winners must agree to a brief telephone interview with a BrainTrack staff writer for publication as part of the winners' announcement.
BrainTrack reserves the right to change rules between scholarship competitions at its discretion and to make rule clarifications at any time as needed.
Questions or comments? Please contact BrainTrack using our contact form.
Relevant Schools for Marketing Managers Which Respond Quickly to Info Requests Through This Site
School names link to detailed profiles. Use the Info from the School link to contact the school directly for more information. You may request information from as many schools as you like.
Career Highlights for
Apply For a BrainTrack Business Scholarship