Peek into the world of Marketing and the Challenges faced

If I ask you to define Marketing, will you be able to do it? Maybe you will simply define it as some kind of a tool for creating awareness, but that probably is not the complete answer. And most of the individual will fumble in defining ‘Marketing’ including me. Marketing may seem pretty simple from the surface but it can get very complex with the addition of new dynamics. I have thus planned to define the nitty-gritty of the Marketing along with the challenges one might face while being in a Marketing role.

Have you ever pondered on these basic questions- What is the everyday job of a Marketeer? How has the introduction of the technology impacted the marketing field? How to land in a marketing role? What are the ways to excel in a Marketing role? What are the chances of switching between marketing fields?

Do you know that marketing can be fun? The most simple aspect of marketing can be found in the word of the mouth publicity; I am satisfied after using certain products from a brand so I would recommend my friends to get that as well. Though it is not directly marketing a product by the company through its employees, it is indeed a sort of marketing.

According to the dictionary, marketing is “the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service.” But the actual job goes beyond the definition. Marketing is also an incredibly dynamic, diverse field that offers positions for people of all strengths. Whether you’re equipped with creative ability or analytical prowess, marketing’s got a spot for you.

In this article, we’ll break down what marketers do, how you can get into the marketing field and the different marketing jobs that are available in today’s economy. By the end, you’ll be able to map out your budding marketing career and pinpoint your goals. Let’s get started!

Defining the role of a Marketer

Who is a marketer? A marketer is a person who executes marketing on behalf of an organisation or a company. Marketers are responsible for promoting a company and the product and services it sells. People who work in marketing typically organize and implement both inbound and outbound promotional campaigns that raise awareness of a brand and use marketing tactics to convince consumers to make a purchase from a company.

One of the most important parts of the day-to-day activity of a marketer is to zero down the target audience, often time certain product may be more popular among middle-aged group, however, there is also a relatively smaller base of young clients too, in such cases, it will be the responsibility of the marketers to identify the target audience. Identifying the most appropriate platforms for promotion comes next in line along with what product is to be marketed forms the trio of marketing.

Before we dive into the various positions you can find within a marketing department, let’s discuss tools and education necessary to become a marketer.

How can you be a Marketer?

This question cannot have a direct answer as there are no set criteria to follow. Someone with little knowledge in the marketing field, however, possess skills to understand the behaviour and psychology of consumers can also prove to be a marketer like that of a person already connected to the field and had received convention education in marketing.

If one wishes to pursue a career in marketing can enrol in any bachelor degree programmes that teach you the skills and competencies needed to become an adept in the competitive, fast-paced landscape of the marketing world, including public speaking, creative problem-solving, logistics, sales, and analytics.

There are certain people can excel as a marketer having educated in these fields-

• Marketing

• Management

• Business

• Economics

• Psychology

• Communications

• Public Relations

• Journalism

Whether you are a part of a b-school programme or own fine marketing skills by the virtue of your experience is all that matters, however, b-schools programs focus on the humanity of business, such as people management, organizational behaviour, and leadership. Graduate marketing programs study consumer behaviour, changes in the domestic and international marketplace, and growing digital trends. Though a combined course would be the best, however, it can be a heavy on your pocket and time-consuming as well, so gaining experience with practice can be of more help.

Internships and Co-ops

While a degree may not be in the cards for you, an internship or co-ops most certainly should. There’s no better education than real-life experience, and internships allow you to learn on the go while you’re still learning in the classroom.

Marketing internships are valuable because they help you determine what kind of marketing you want to do. Do you like the creative side of marketing, or do you like working with numbers and analytics? Does promoting a single product excite you, or would you prefer to work on overall brand awareness? Marketing departments are made up of lots of moving parts, and internships and co-ops help you determine exactly which projects and promotions you’d like to join.

Lastly, internships are valuable currency in today’s job market. Think about it: Thousands of students graduate each year and enter the workforce. That’s not even considering how many workers are changing their minds and careers to pursuing marketing jobs. With some real-life experience under your belt, you automatically become a highly desirable candidate for employers. Some internships can lead to full-time jobs, too!

Many educational institutions offer internships through their business or communications departments, so if you’re still in college, start there. Universities worldwide hold valuable relationships with local businesses that will hire students while still in school.

Skills you should possess

A marketing job can be challenging for some who is unable to manoeuvre between their five senses and also connect with the sixth one. A marketing process uses variables to derive something new; one needs to be updated about the local and internal news that can impact business, the psychology of consumers and potential buyers, geography which is to be targeted, as certain products sell better in certain areas and creativity in looking at normal things in a different way.

Challenges in a Marketing Field

Even after possessing all the above qualities a marketing job can be full of challenges. I am going to highlight a few basic ones in the following lines.

Team Formation

Building a perfect team can be a cumbersome thing as finding the right group of people who are on the same wavelength is difficult. The leader must assess the strength and weakness of each member and allocate the work accordingly to proof themselves from future troubles. The team members should be vibrantly laden with different faculties and outlook yet thinking on the same lines which will be helpful in analysing all areas of the marketing better. Some might have a knack for creativity who can look after the content marketing whereas another who is tech savvy and a facebook buff can look after the social media strategy. The team should be an organic whole with myriad interests.

Lead generation

According to the business lingo, Lead generation is the initiation of consumer interest or enquiry into products or services of a business. If a marketer or the marketing team is struggling with lead generation, it is the most tell-tale sign of losing the ability to attract prospective consumers or clients. If there are fewer leads it creates an adverse effect on the sales front.

Such a problem generally happens when existing marketing strategy has failed to woo potential consumers. To solve the issue, the marketers should revisit the strategy and deeply analyse the causes of the failure and find some new ways to rope in the potential clients or the target audience.

Target audience

This may seem easy but most people struggle to find the audience they should be targeting in order to get maximum reach out as well as returns. Be it for a smaller firm or a large corporation, identifying the target audience is the most important part of a marketing strategy. How will you prepare a plan if you have no clue for whom you are actually making it? Advertising can cost a chunk of money and if that goes down the drain without any significant returns it’s just a WASTE!

To find out the who will be your target audience, start by analysing the geography of the area you’re currently focusing, the demographics (ration of different age groups), analyse their cultural and socio-economic trends. Try to figure out my studying any studies done on them in the recent past about their buying habits and their inclination to certain products. Do you have such products or is your product somehow linked to their consumption habits? Viola! If you have identified it.

Now, you have to use the tool of advertising meticulously, the goal is to bring maximum penetration with possibly less investment. Conducting social media usage survey and other such related researches can bring out the details about what is likely to be more noticed by the people; a hoarding above a bus stop or advertisement in newspapers etc.

Content Marketing

Another important tool in the arsenal of marketing that has evolved over the years is blogging or content marketing mainly in cities where people are always looking for more information on the internet be it from creating a paper boat to find truths about black hole theory, it is all up there floating. Most of the smart minds have taken blogging as a medium to share their opinions and findings and also as a source of income. A skilled marketer should look for all possible ways and utilize it to reach out to potential buyers. One of the best ways can be by starting a company’s blog.

Have you ever tried to ponder why your company’s blog is getting less traffic? Maybe there is a less relevant content available then what is currently trending. Chalk out a detailed plan for content by analysing the trend and push them on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media channels.

Return on Investment

Return on Investment (ROI) is a performance measure, used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or compare the efficiency of a number of different investments. ROI measures the amount of return on an investment, relative to the investment’s cost. A high ROI gain means that there have been considerable gains. A marketer should always focus that the gains are always maximum. It is the first rule of the business to spend less and gain more.

Latest Marketing Trends

Last but not the least, everything is changing and evolving fast, it is the age of innovation and the entire garrison of creative prowess are in best display. Marketing is also not untouched by this development, it is continuously evolving and marketers are trying new ways to attract consumers, so stay updated about the latest market trends and be creative to be the first one in the race.