How to find the right marketing career path

Which marketing career path best suits you?

Are you excited by the marketing industry? Does turning a strategy into a campaign make your eyes light up? You might have a knack for marketing but aren’t sure which path to take. This article takes a look at the different departments in marketing so that you know for sure which one(s) to consider for yourself and/or your brand.

Why pursue a marketing career?

Not only is marketing an exciting career that affords you the opportunity to work on campaigns that capture the hearts of consumers, but it can also be rewarding. If you own a brand or business, your marketing is important as it is what will yield profit or loss. You take careful consideration of what you’re saying, where, how, and using which tools. Product rewards, marketing companies/agency accolades, and remunerations in this industry are also proof that it is a rewarding industry.

Here is a look at the careers that can be found in the marketing industry.

Research

You cannot market to people who are not going to buy your product. This should be the number one rule for you and your brand. You need to be well-informed about where your target audience can be found, how they need to be communicated to, what their values are, which problem they have that your product or service can solve, and more. This is where research and data come in. Data-driven research is used by marketing teams to target and customise anything from campaign messages to product introductions. In order to determine what customers need and desire, you need research. You can then interpret your findings so that your team can create more effective marketing plans, campaigns, and other things. Some of the careers in the research department of the marketing industry are:

• Entry-level roles: Marketing Assistant, Market Research Associate, Business Analyst, Data Analyst
• Mid-level roles: Market Research Analyst, Global Marketing Analyst, Social Media Analyst
• Senior-level roles: Marketing Executive, Marketing Director

Strategy

Now that you are or have employed or formed a research department, it is time for the strategy. Say your data analyst has a report on social media statistics for the past 6 months, and insight on trends that are launching soon. Your business would needs to decide what to do with the data in order to reach your target audience and sell your product or service. That’s where your strategy department comes in. No matter what you are selling —product, brand, content, etc. —success and sales depend on creating a well-thought-out strategy tailored to your business. If you work in the strategy department, you will be in charge of finding fresh methods, ideas, and ways to connect with clients and create strategies that guarantee the success of each campaign. Some of the careers in the strategy department include:

• Entry-level roles: Digital Marketing Strategist, Product Marketing Strategist, SEO Specialist.
• Mid-level roles: Brand Content Manager, Product Marketing Manager, Senior SEO Manager.
• Senior-level roles: Strategy Director, Head of Strategy.

Creative – Design

Whether you are looking for a logo that showcases your brand’s authenticity or picking out the type of packaging you want to send your products in, the design part of a business is important. You need a team that has been fully immersed in your product and has been given thorough feedback, briefing, and/or presentation on the brand, the strategy, as well as the target audience. Your design department needs to know who it is designing for internally and externally, so ensure that you either outsource an agency which will grant you this, the aforementioned departments, and other ones or upskill people at your company with one or more of these skills. With that being said, here are some careers one can pursue under the creative design umbrella:

• Entry-level roles: Graphic Design Intern, Junior Graphic Designer, Junior Art Director.
• Mid-level roles: Art Director, Graphic Designer.
• Senior-level roles: Creative Director, Head of Creative Design.

Creative – Writing

While your logo, packaging, and other visual elements are important to your brand’s story, so are your words. You need to employ a content/writing team that will relay the message your brand is trying to send to its target audience with ease, creativity, as well as a unique selling point (or three) that will ensure your consumer chooses you among the competition. Here are some of the careers one can follow under the creative writing department in a marketing field:

• Entry-level roles: Copywriting Intern, Junior Copywriter, Junior Creative Writer, Junior Copywriter, Communications Specialist, Content Writer.
• Mid-level roles: Creative Writer, Copywriter, Brand Copywriter, Marketing Content Writer, Communications Manager.
• Senior-level roles: Creative Director, Head of Content.

Events

From launches to anniversaries to awards, your brand will either need to be in charge of an event at some point or attend one. You will need to know how to present your brand at expos, luncheons, seminars, etc. If this is something you or someone you know enjoys doing, these are some of the careers they can pursue under the events department in marketing:

• Entry-level roles: Events Marketing Coordinator, Events Marketing Manager.
• Mid-level roles: Events Marketing Manager, Field Marketing Manager.
• Senior-level roles: Events Marketing Director.

Digital – Social

Social media is where a lot of brands are able to reach their target audience. Whether it is through influencer marketing, following trends, or communicating with consumers, social media has become one of the pinnacles of marketing and advertising. If you, your brand, or someone you know needs to enter the social media marketing department, here are some of the careers in this field:

• Entry-level roles: Community Manager, Social Media Manager, Junior Social Media Strategist.
• Mid-level roles: Social Media Strategist, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialist, Digital Marketing Specialist.
• Senior-level roles: Head of Community Management, Head of SEO.

Final words

Take a look at your company or brand and decide what it is you need to move forward, reach a new target audience and make more money. If it is employing an advertising or marketing agency to create and curate campaigns that will yield results, then do so. If you are thinking of creating your own set of marketing geniuses within your company and want to train a few minds, consider looking at some of the available online marketing courses in South Africa such as those offered by the University of Cape Town, and create your own marketing avengers. After all, marketing is a limitless industry full of rewards.