Careers in Marketing
BASIC REQUIRED SKILLS
In general, marketing professionals are required to exhibit the following skills:
- Initiative: The ability to assess, take charge, initiate tasks independently.
- Leadership/Management: Leading and motivating individuals across departments to achieve set goals.
- Analytical/Strategic Thinking: Marketing skills help you to understand data, interpret it, and effectively apply the information to drive business growth.
- Teamwork: Allow you to work effectively with various teams.
- Creativity/Innovation: Marketing helps develop skills to generate unique ideas for solving problems.
- Communication/Interpersonal Skills: Helps support, defend, or relay information in a clear, concise, and persuasive manner.
- Presentation Skills: Effectively present ideas formally and informally to clientele and co-workers.
- Organizational/Time management: Properly prioritize projects, and balance multiple projects and issues at once.
What Careers are Available in Marketing?
Banking
Typical employers include, but are not limited to:
- Commercial banks
- Credit unions
- Savings and loans associations
- Financial service institutions
- Commercial banking
- Retail/consumer banking
- Credit analysis
- Lending
- Trust services
- Mortgage loans
- Brand management
- Operations
Strategies/Preparation:
- Supplement the curriculum with additional courses in finance and accounting
- Obtain an internship or part-time employment at a bank
- Develop good sales and analytical skills
- Develop strong communication skills and the ability to work with a diverse clientele
- Be actively involved and seek leadership positions in on-campus organizations and marketing-related positions, such as the GVSU AMA or the GVSU Promotions Office
- Earn an MBA to qualify for positions in investment banking
Brand Management
Typical employers include, but are not limited to:
- Consumer products and global brand corporations
- Some service providers
- Some industrial goods
- Companies in entertainment and sports industries
- Pharmaceutical companies
Strategies/Preparation
- Plan on an MBA for most brand management positions
- Gain experience through internships and/or part-time jobs
- Be actively involved and seek leadership positions in on-campus organizations and marketing-related positions, such as the GVSU AMA or the GVSU Promotions Office
- Nurture the following skills: Entrepreneurship, creativity, goal-setting, and both quantitative and qualitative analysis
- Develop strong interpersonal, communication, and analytical skills
- Learn to work well on cross-functional teams
- Obtain a background or experience in consumer behavior, advertising, research, and strategy
Insurance
Insurance sales professionals educate individuals and businesses about their company's insurance plans, and help acquire business in the process. In this industry, you will be responsible for acquiring and maintaining clients, underwriting, risk management, managing claims, and loss control.
Typical employers include, but are not limited to:
- Insurance firms
- Banks
Strategies/Preparation:
- Obtain an internship with an insurance agency
- Be actively involved and seek leadership positions in on-campus organizations and marketing-related positions, such as the GVSU AMA or the GVSU Promotions Office
- Talk to professionals in the industry to learn more about claims, underwriting, and risk management
- Be ready to demonstrate initiative and sales ability
- Develop ability to communicate effectively
Marketing Research & Analytics
Typical employers include, but are not limited to:
- Large and multi-national corporations
- Marketing research firms
- Government agencies
- Non-profit organizations
- Public institutions in the health, education, and transportation industries
- Management consulting firms
- Advertising agencies
- Manufacturers
- Retailers
- Trade and industry associations
Strategies/Preparation
- Build a solid background in statistics, mathematics, and behavioral science
- Gain experience through internships and/or part-time jobs
- Be actively involved and seek leadership positions in on-campus organizations and marketing-related positions, such as the GVSU AMA or the GVSU Promotions Office
- Develop strong written and oral communication skills
- Learn to use database and other marketing-related software programs
- When possible, be involved in a research project with a professor, or pursue an independent study to learn about the research process
- Plan on obtaining an advanced degree in statistics or business to qualify for more marketing research and analytics positions
Media Promotions
Typical employers include, but are not limited to:
- Advertising firms (local and international)
- Media outlets
- Consulting firms
- Entertainment and sports agencies
- Software and technology companies
- Internet companies
Strategies/Preparation
- Consider the following strategies while you work on attaining your undergraduate degree:
- Gain experience through internships and/or part-time jobs
- Develop a strong background or gain experience in relevant marketing technology, social media marketing, etc
- Be actively involved and seek leadership positions in on-campus organizations and marketing-related positions, such as the GVSU AMA or the GVSU Promotions Office
- Learn to work well under pressure and to be comfortable in a competitive environment
- Be self-motivated, and plan to work long, irregular hours
Purchasing & Procurement
Typical employers include, but are not limited to:
- Local, state, and federal governments
- Large and multi-national corporations
- Educational institutions
- Hospitals
Strategies/Preparation
- Develop strong oral and written communication skills
- Develop strong negotiation skills
- Develop strong computer and technological skills
- Students are encouraged to take courses in logistics, purchasing, and sales
Real Estate
A marketing degree will be beneficial for a career in residential brokerage, commercial property sales, appraisals, and property management
Typical employers include, but are not limited to:
- Real estate brokers
- Banks
- Appraisal firms
- Apartment and condominium complexes
- Developers
- Real estate departments of large corporations
Strategies/Preparation:
- Obtain sales experience through internships or part-time employment
- Be actively involved and seek leadership positions in on-campus organizations and marketing-related positions, such as the GVSU AMA or the GVSU Promotions Office
- Develop an entrepreneurial spirit
- Explore apprenticeships/internships in appraisal
- Research the process of becoming a real estate broker through the National Association of Realtors
Sales
Typical employers include, but are not limited to:
- For-profit and non-profit organizations, including global brand companies
- Product and service organizations
- Financial service firms
- Insurance companies
- Healthcare and pharmaceutical companies
Strategies/Preparation
- Consider the following strategies while you work on attaining your undergraduate degree:
- Gain experience through internships and/or part-time jobs
- Be actively involved and seek leadership positions in on-campus organizations and marketing-related positions, such as the GVSU AMA or the GVSU Promotions Office
- Become highly motivated and organized
- Learn to work well under pressure and to be comfortable in a competitive environment
- Be self-motivated, and plan to work long, irregular hours
- Learn to communicate effectively with a wide range of people. Take additional courses in interpersonal communication and public speaking
WHAT IS MARKETING?
The essence of marketing is to understand what consumers value and to develop ways to meet their needs. Organizations in the 21st century need a thorough understanding of their customers in order to succeed in an era of increasing competition. Nearly half of our economy is involved in the marketing process. Therefore, marketing careers are more readily available than jobs in many other fields. A career in marketing will provide you with opportunities to make a difference in various aspects of business:
- Research: Marketing research is vital to a firm’s success. Every business needs individuals who can gather and analyze information for future decision-making.
- Strategy: Marketing insight is critical for a firm’s strategic planning. All firm activities should be guided by the firm’s strategic plan and the department’s strategic plan. Understanding how these plans are constructed is needed for extended success.
- Products and Services: Marketing involves identifying, designing, and branding products and services designed to suit a customer’s needs.
- Place: With a marketing career, you may be involved in determining and designing where business transactions take place, whether physical or virtual. You will also be tasked with determining how to get your products to the consumer.
- Pricing: You’ll play an important role in determining the prices of products and services, while helping your business to stay competitive.
- Promotion: A marketing career gives you the opportunity to develop and implement promotional strategies, such as developing brands, working with advertisements and many other creative outlets.
- Sales: A well rounded marketing major will have an understanding of personal selling, sales management, and procurement.
- Logistics: A career in marketing can also allow you to influence how distribution channels for goods and services are selected and designed from providers to customers.
If you want a career that allows you to nurture and express your creative, interpersonal, leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, marketing may be for you.