Which Marketing Career is Right for Me?

Marketing careers come in all shapes and sizes, differing by industry, area of focus, and level. Depending on your education, skill set, and interests, there’s almost no limit to the heights you can reach in your marketing career.

Whether you’re just starting your career or making the switch from another profession, you can embark on a marketing career path that offers the opportunities for career growth you seek. In this post, discover which marketing career is right for you and your options for getting started.

Which Marketing Career Is Right for Me?

Marketing is a broad field offering many opportunities for growth and skill development. Companies need marketing professionals to expand their market share and customer base, whether they are in start-up mode or have been in business for decades. In fact, the demand for marketing professionals continues to grow. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers will grow 10 percent through 2031—faster than the average for all occupations.

Although all marketing roles play a part in helping organizations grow their brands and engage their audiences and customers, each role varies according to the strategies and tactics used. When deciding which marketing career is right for you, you’ll need to consider the following factors:

Digital vs. Traditional Marketing

With the growth of the internet and social media, marketing professionals tend to gravitate to either digital or more traditional marketing roles. Both types offer opportunities to get involved in marketing strategy, market research, and promotion of a brand’s products and services—they just vary according to the media channels they use. Whereas digital marketing focuses more exclusively on marketing via email and the internet, traditional marketing uses channels like print media, billboards, radio, and television to reach a brand’s audience.

According to one estimate, about 60 percent of marketing is digital. However, choosing to focus on digital versus traditional marketing is a matter of which appeals to you most. If you want to help an organization leverage social media, search engine optimization (SEO), and email to engage its target audience, then a career in digital marketing may make sense. Alternatively, if you relish the idea of creating slick magazine ads or direct mail pieces, then traditional marketing may be a better fit.

Depending on which you choose, there is an educational path to help you prepare for an exciting career in marketing. MVNU Online offers three distinct marketing degree programs to help you gain the knowledge and skills needed for career success. Each degree program offers a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum:

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Marketing

The online BBA in Marketing degree program at MVNU Online combines business program fundamentals with a solid foundation in marketing concepts and practice. In addition to courses in finance, management, and economics, you’ll also take major-specific classes in personal selling, advertising and promotion, market research, and marketing strategy.

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Digital Marketing

The BBA in Digital Marketing prepares students to help brands boost sales and brand awareness in a digital world. The program covers SEO, search engine marketing (SEM), content and social media marketing, web analytics, and email marketing. It also offers traditional business degree coursework while equipping students with the skills to build and optimize digital marketing campaigns.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing

Earning an MBA degree opens the door to many new opportunities and also provides you with the skills to pursue more senior marketing roles, including chief marketing officer (CMO). The MBA in Marketing at MVNU Online prepares you for these opportunities by combining the full MBA curriculum with coursework in marketing strategies and advanced marketing management.

Which Marketing Area of Focus Should I Choose?

Whether you choose a marketing career path in digital marketing, traditional marketing, or a combination, you’ll also have options for the area of marketing you choose to focus. For example, you can follow a generalist career, where you wear many hats and get involved in all stages of the marketing process. Alternatively, you can choose to specialize in one of the marketing disciplines, for example:

• Advertising: Manage the creation, placement, and metrics for ads running on digital or traditional channels.
• Public relations: Help a brand manage its public image via targeted content, interviews, partnerships, and trade show participation.
• Event marketing: Recruit speakers, attendees, and sponsors for a brand’s events.
• Market research and analysis: Devise and execute surveys, perform testing, and analyze market data to help a brand understand its audience, brand awareness, and competitors.
• Content development: Focus on the design of video, written messaging, and other elements of the brand storytelling process.

Because marketing is such an interconnected field, you can work in many roles and disciplines throughout your career. Within each of the marketing disciplines, there are several roles you can pursue. Here are some examples:

• Social Media Manager: Social media managers help brands boost brand awareness and engage their audience through platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They use written content, video, and other imagery to engage and grow followers.
• PR Manager: When brands need to develop consistent messaging to manage their public image, PR managers can help. They develop campaigns to promote brands and can also help brands navigate a crisis or a damaged image.
• Email Marketer: Email marketing professionals help brands communicate with existing and prospective customers via email campaigns. They also perform research and analysis to help grow and segment email marketing lists.
• Product Marketer: Product marketers help consumer and business-to-business (B2B) brands position their products to meet the needs of current prospective buyers.
• Content Marketing Manager: Content marketers work with designers and writers to develop and promote marketing content across a range of media channels.
• SEO Specialist: SEO specialists use a combination of social media and website analytics, competitive analysis, and other tools to help brands develop engaging content and boost traffic.

What Skills are Required in a Marketing Career?

Careers in marketing provide several in-demand skills, and many are transferable across industries and roles. A degree in marketing will equip you with technical skills such as marketing strategy development, marketing campaign design and execution, and data analysis.

Additionally, through your education and work experience, you will gain the following “soft” skills:

• Communication: Written and verbal skills will help you convey information to internal stakeholders and external prospects.
• Problem-solving: You will have the ability to pivot and try new tactics when objectives change or new obstacles appear.
• Creativity and innovation: You will have willingness to learn new skills, try new things, and test alternate marketing techniques.
• Relationship management: You will interact with and influence others while maintaining trust and staying accountable.
• Organization and time management: You will manage your schedule and workload for efficiency.
• Teamwork: You will do your part to meet team deliverables, living up to commitments and trusting team members to do the same.
• Project management: You will take a leadership role in managing project deliverables, timetables, and people.