A business can create as many products as it likes. It can build as many portfolios as it can. But without marketing, these products will be very hard to sell. This is because marketing allows a brand to build rapport with the target audience. Marketing helps a business connect with people and create meaningful relationships. This is why marketing will always be a core business area.
Given that, the world of marketing is an exciting place for someone to pursue a career. Maybe you’ve been inspired by Steve Jobs that you want to become a marketing genius who will do a lot of great things. But you’ve got to start somewhere. You need to remember that marketing has many disciplines to choose from. Here are the four primary areas you may want to explore.
Branding
Branding is one of the major areas of marketing concerned with building the image of the business in the minds of the customers. Brand managers are the custodians of the business’ brand — ranging from its logo, taglines to campaign messaging. They make sure that a marketing campaign’s key message is consistent with the brand’s values and philosophies. In the workplace context, brand managers spearhead the creation of advertising campaigns across different channels and platforms.
Advertising
Brand managers often work with third-party suppliers so that they can get another perspective when it comes to tackling a consumer problem. This is where advertising comes in. Advertising is basically the creative partner of brand managers. People working in this discipline are tasked with the creation of themes and stories for TV, radio, billboards, and digital ads. If you want to follow in the footsteps of Don Draper, this industry is certainly for you. You can work in the creatives department (creative director, art director, and copywriter) or in the accounts and planning group, which serves as the business planning partner of the brand managers.
Trade Marketing
Trade marketing deals with the promotional activities designed to appeal to wholesalers, retailers, and distributors. Basically, trade marketers craft business-to-business strategies. Mainly, they work on trade shows and all the things involved in it, from booths to custom rubber bracelets. Trade marketers also come up with trade promotions and incentives to motivate partners and prospects to work with the company. PR and using trade magazines and websites also help trade marketers position the role of the brand as a thought leader in the industry.
Digital Marketing
This may be the youngest discipline here, but digital marketing is just as important as the other three. This is a core area, as billions of consumers are online. Digital marketers work on a lot of things, ranging from search engine optimization (SEO), paid ads campaigns, analytics, social media content creation, and media buying. In some digital agencies, some departments are dedicated to managing influencers.
Pick your area
Regardless of the industry you want to go in, you need to have three things: creativity, drive, and vision. It also helps that you identify your strengths, as each of these areas requires specific abilities. For one, advertising may look for visually creative people. Trade marketing may look for negotiators, and digital marketing may need people who have great analytical skills.
