Career Information on Marketing

Marketing is a process which includes analyzing and studying the wants and needs of the people at large, that may be satisfied by goods and services. It includes stepping into the market, collecting information, conducting product research, analyzing the information, and then finding ways to satisfy the existing wants or create new needs. Marketing professionals are proficient in market information, communication skills, understanding what a consumer wants, and taking quick decisions. A marketer, at the top of his game, can easily create wants where there are none and capitalize on the potential of the market at hand.

Marketing individuals are the source of information for their employers, as they are in direct contact with the consumers. They help the company introduce new products or alter existing products, according to the demands of the customer. They are required to travel from place to place and work for long hours, even during weekends. All their traveling expenses are met by their employer. They should be creative, and adept in communication and computer skills. They are responsible for advertising and promoting their products, selling, and maintaining good relations with the consumer. They may also be required to carry out market research, data collection, preparing marketing strategies, product development, and pricing.

There are many positions available in the marketing field. Some of them are discussed below.

Promotion Managers: These are people who control and supervise the workers involved in product publicity. They create special promotional plans, which include advertising and purchase discounts to support sales. They try to maintain good relations with the market which includes manufacturers, distributors, and consumers, and use all possible means of communication such as direct mail, brochures, telemarketing, advertisements on television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet, etc.

Public Relations Managers: They are professionals in public relations management, and have a deep knowledge of how to approach the public to sell products. They manage and direct various publicity campaigns to target future customers, and also coordinate communication between different teams in the process. For smooth sales, they also need to work with stockholders and wholesalers, and even promotional managers. Their primary responsibility is to publicize the benefits that their company offers. They also have to be attentive to the social, economic, and political changes that can have an adverse effect on the organization.

Marketing Managers: They are the ones who perform a detailed study on the company's marketing plans, and are in touch with the top management for developing new strategies. They closely work with product development managers and market research managers, to figure out the approximate demand for their goods and services, in comparison to the competitor's products. Moreover, they research on which areas and sectors can have potential consumers for their products, and help the management in deciding prices of goods and services.

Advertising Managers: Their primary responsibility is to supervise product promotions and the advertising staff. In small-scale companies, they serve as coordinators between the company and the advertising agency. In large companies, they supervise their company's creative, media services, and advertising departments. They also handle the advertisements and presentations delegated to the creative department, and coordinate the publicity expenses with the accounts department and the top management.

Sales Managers: Their duty is to prepare a sales program which includes assigning areas to the sales staff, setting targets, and providing training to the marketers or sales representatives. In large manufacturing companies, regional sales managers and their subordinates report to their respective sales managers. For an increase in sales, they have to maintain good contacts with the local and regional distributors and wholesalers. The information collected by sales representatives is used to study the demand statistics, and the product inventory is prepared accordingly.

For high-profile marketing management positions, a candidate has to at least possess a bachelor's degree. Whereas, some are required to have a post-graduate degree, such as an MBA with a specialization in marketing or public relations. 'On job' or 'on field' experience counts the most in the marketing field. Few employers may consider a candidate for a managerial position, only on the basis of experience in the field of marketing.

To sustain in this field, one has to have the ability of handling physical and psychological pressure. However, along with higher incentives and a chance to travel to different places, it is certainly an avenue of growth.