Although careers in marketing can be competitive, the positive news is that there are no barriers to entry when it comes to qualifications.
Whether you’re looking for your first job or wanting to change your career direction, there are lots of opportunities in the marketing industry.
What types of marketing careers are there?
When deciding whether to explore a career in marketing, it’s important to understand the types of careers that exist in the industry in order to decide which is most appropriate for you. There are many types of marketing careers ranging from creative roles to more analytical and data-driven roles.
Some of the more creative roles in marketing include graphic design, copywriting and content marketing roles. If you have a flair for design, crafting imaginative copy or developing end-to-end creative campaigns, these might be the best types of role for you.
However, despite the common misconception that all marketers are creative, there are many marketing roles that require a more analytical approach including SEO, market research and paid marketing roles.
Once you have decided on the type of role you’re interested in, you then need to consider which industry you might like to work in and whether you would prefer to work in an ‘in-house’ marketing team or for a marketing agency.
In-house marketing teams sit within a company and focus solely on the marketing of that business’ products or services.
Marketing agencies manage the marketing efforts of a variety of different clients. Often agencies specialise in certain areas of marketing or work with companies in specific industries.
What skills are needed to work in marketing?
Let’s explore some of the skills that you’ll need to secure a marketing role. Some of the soft skills that lend themselves well to working in marketing include:
Adaptability
Marketing is an ever-changing industry so it’s important to be able to keep up with new updates and trends. Marketing teams also often have to work to tight deadlines and may have varied responsibilities within their role, meaning that they need to be able to balance a busy and varied workload.
Communication
It’s invaluable as a marketer to be able to express yourself clearly, concisely and in an engaging way.
There are few careers where communication is more important than it is in marketing. At its core, marketing is all about communicating effectively with your audience, whether that’s consumers or other stakeholders, so it’s a vital skill for marketers to have!
Attention to detail
Marketing is all about building trust with consumers so ensuring that your work is accurate and free of mistakes is crucial.
In any profession, attention to detail is a key skill but as a marketer, your work will often be seen by large audiences so it’s important to be able to ensure quality is top priority with any work that you do.
In addition to the soft skills that you need to work in marketing, there are also a range of hard skills that will be required for different roles, depending on the career path you choose to take. Some of the hard skills that you may need to work in marketing include copywriting, project management, SEO, social media and data analysis.
How to gain marketing skills
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to gaining new marketing skills. The best way for you to learn new skills will depend on your individual circumstances.
Professional qualifications
Although there are no specific qualifications needed to work in marketing, there are situations when gaining a professional qualification may be a good option for you.
Completing a university Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in marketing or a professional marketing qualification whilst working full-time is a good way to gain a solid understanding of marketing as a discipline.
The main drawback of professional qualifications is the time and cost associated with them. For some, the overall knowledge and understanding gained from completing a professional qualification is worth the investment, but it’s not a requirement to land a job in the industry so if it’s not a possibility for you, there are lots of other ways to gain marketing skills!
Don’t forget, apprenticeships are also an option and can be done at any age as long as you’re 16 or over! These give you the chance to gain work experience, skills and a nationally recognised qualification all while getting paid! However, it’s worth noting that the minimum wage for an apprentice in their first year can be low but most employers will pay much more than this. View apprenticeship minimum wages here.
Free courses
A great alternative to traditional professional qualifications are free marketing courses that can be completed in your own time, at your own pace.
Courses range from Google courses to training on specific marketing platforms. These courses are packed with useful, practical tips about how to use different marketing tools including social media platforms, email marketing tools and more.
If you want to develop more practical, on-the-job skills, free courses are a great option to explore. Free courses are also updated regularly or new versions are released so you can be sure that the information is relevant.
Professional memberships
If you want to become part of a community that supports other marketers and where you can seek advice from other experts in the industry, a professional membership may be the best option for you.
E-learning platforms and marketing communities such as the Girls in Marketing membership allow you to build relationships with other marketers and also continue your professional development in marketing with new content and resources added regularly.
Mentoring
If you want to learn more about working in marketing, there’s no better way to do this than by seeking advice from other marketers!
Finding a marketing mentor will enable you to learn from someone with marketing experience and ask questions about the things you don’t know. (Remember, this should be a mutually beneficial relationship so make sure that you’re also adding value where possible!)
A great way to find a mentor in the marketing industry is by connecting with other marketers on LinkedIn or meeting other professionals by joining a professional membership.
Making a career change into marketing
Now that you know you want to work in marketing, let’s consider how you can make a career change into the marketing sector.
Review your experience
When looking to make a career change, one of the most important things you need to do is review your situation and what experience you currently have. As mentioned earlier, there are numerous transferable skills that lend themselves well to working in a marketing role and the likelihood is that you will already have many of these.
Create a list of all the skills you currently have (this is a good way to remind yourself you already know a lot) and a list of the skills you want to improve. Then, create a plan of how you will work on these skills to develop your skill set.
Create your own opportunities
It can be difficult to move into a new career when you don’t have any direct work experience in that field. However, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to create your own experience in marketing, all you need is the will to succeed!
If you want to gain experience in social media, you could seek volunteer opportunities with a local charity or provide your services to local businesses in a freelance capacity.
To gain copywriting experience, why not start a blog on a topic that interests you and create regular posts to improve your writing skills? You could then also begin offering your writing services and gain experience guest blogging for brands.
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and do things that challenge you! Opportunities are more likely to arise when you’re putting in hard work to find the career you love.
Show your commitment
Depending on your current role, there may be opportunities to gain experience in marketing within your current organisation. If you show your commitment to learning new skills and you’re willing to get involved with other teams, you may be able to gain experience in the company you already work for and, who knows, maybe even find a new job!
Consider more generalist roles before specialising If you’re new to marketing, your existing skills are likely to be most suited to general marketing roles so look for job titles such as ‘digital marketing executive’, ‘marketing assistant’ or ‘account manager’.
It may be easier for you to land a more general role and it will also allow you to understand marketing fully as a discipline before potentially specialising in a specific area.
Ask for support Don’t be afraid to ask for support.
Whether it’s finding a mentor, meeting up with someone for a coffee or joining a professional membership, most people are willing to help you out on your career journey, all you need to do is ask.
