If someone is creative and great at analysis, they might have a career in marketing.
As a marketing expert, these people work as professional problem solvers. They look at the who, what, why, and how. Then they create a solution that pleases both the client and their audience.
But with technology advancing at a breakneck pace, marketing careers are also evolving. That’s why marketers need to stay on top of the game.
How can they stay ahead of the curve? Where is the curve going anyway? Keep reading to find out.
Ways Marketing Careers are Always Changing
If there’s one thing in marketing to depend on, it’s that nothing will stay the same.
Facebook used to be a new social media site college kids used to connect with their classmates. Today there are more than 50 million companies that use it as a way to connect with their clients.
Did anyone see that coming? Not at the beginning, but that’s why marketing careers are so challenging. Marketers always have to look for the next opportunity and adapt.
Ways That Careers in Marketing Will Never Change
No matter what marketers use to promote their products, there are a few things that will never change.
Connection and Communication
Marketing is all about connecting with the audience. They do this with images, social media, or the written word.
To start a marketing career, people need to know how to connect and communicate with an audience. They need to know what the audience wants, who they are, and how to position the product so that it appeals to clients.
Writing Skills
One of the most sought-after skills in the workforce is written communication. It makes sense. Words and images are more permanent than verbal interactions. JAsk anyone fired over a Facebook or Twitter post. What someone writes can come back to haunt them.
For that reason, few people to write content. Yes, it’s an important way to gain new clients. Plus it boosts SEO on company websites.
But writing can be time-consuming, and not everyone is good at it. That’s why marketers with strong writing skills will always be in demand.
Storytelling
Everyone loves a good story. That’s because we’re wired to create them. The mind takes all the random information it receives from our five senses. Then it rearranges that data in a way that makes sense.
If someone says “something’s off,” she’s not only referring to a smell. What she’s saying is “Some important part of the story is missing, and I don’t know what it is.”
Marketers who are good at storytelling know exactly what part of the story is missing. They’ll be able to find this piece of the puzzle and put the whole thing into perspective.
That missing piece can be anything, from “How does this product help me?” to “How is this product any different from the others?” To have a strong marketing career, they have to be good storytellers.
How to Develop Skills for a Career in Marketing
There are several methods for cultivating the skills for a marketing career.
Figure Out and Develop Your Strengths
Everyone is good at something, but only a few people are great at it. Those people have done their research and worked hard at one or two skills. If they’re lucky, they’re now an expert with that skill.
The best marketers are ones who have built their careers on the foundations of this one skill. Maybe it was visual marketing, or they might be experts in SEO. By doing this, these marketers become the “go-to guy” for whatever it is they’re good at. This way no matter what changes happen, they’re always in business.
Make a Plan
Building a career in marketing takes both vision and day-to-day management. The best marketers will make a plan of their long-term and short-term goals.
Keep in mind that even though these marketers have these plans doesn’t mean they stick to them. The world of marketing changes quickly, so it’s important to stay flexible. If one way of marketing is no longer an option, good marketers will make a different move.
Take a Side Job
Once a marketer has become an expert at their core skill, they can start branching out. The best way to do this is to work on a side job.
Side jobs are a great way to expand someone’s portfolio. Marketers can use side jobs to develop new skills and enhance the ones they already have.
Work with Other People
People with marketing careers know that they can’t build an empire alone. That’s why it’s so important to reach out and work with other people.
These collaborations can build networks that will help marketers get new clients.
Try New Things
See something new and exciting? Give it a shot. Marketing careers are very fluid, so there’s no harm in trying out something different.
If a marketer has mastered the art of content writing, they can try social media for a spell. As long as they don’t lose sight of their real money makers, they’ll be okay.
Keep on Keeping On
Marketers hear “No” more often than they hear “Yes.” For every successful pitch, there have been dozens of missed opportunities.
The important thing is to keep going. The ones who’ve made it in marketing are the ones who never gave up. They took their failures, learned from them, and made them into wins.
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