Marketing
Growing customer loyalty and encouraging brand advocacy are the ultimate goals of customer-centric marketing. However, with innovations in technology constantly disrupting the market, and consumer behavior balancing on a shifting scale, marketers need updated skills to stay ahead of the curve. Online short courses offer flexible learning in order to achieve that goal.
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Register for a marketing course
The need for marketing is greater than ever, as new and creative merchandise, technologies, solutions, and services continue to flood the market place.1 The only way for organizations to commercialize their offerings is to make customers aware of them, and herein lies the primary role of marketing.
Aligning product, price, place, and promotional strategy is key to any organization’s efforts to connect the right customers to the right offerings.2 Understanding customers’ needs, and how they shop, has become a strategic business imperative in the age of fast-paced markets, innovative technologies, and new business models.3 Thanks to internet-enabled technology, the modern consumer now regulates what content they see, on which platform, from whom, and how regularly they see it. They are highly informed and aware of their options.
Digital technologies continue to provide platforms that increase connectivity between consumers and organizations. Digital marketing tools, including paid media, websites, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, social media, email marketing, and community management are constantly changing as technology and consumer behavior evolves.4 For digital marketers, working through vast amounts of data generated from digital platforms brings the reward of gaining a deeper understanding of customers’ needs and wants. According to Gallup, this desire to understand your customers, and shape marketing strategies around them, is a critical ingredient to business growth.5
Customer experience (CX) can be defined as the cumulative conclusion a customer reaches about a brand. This is based on every interaction and encounter they have with the brand during their customer life cycle, be it conscious or subconscious.6 The ultimate goal of CX is to empower, equip, and make the customer feel secure through every touchpoint of information, service, and interaction they have with the business, resulting in deeper customer loyalty and brand advocacy.7 As a result, CX should be a key focus of an organization’s marketing spend, and requires marketing leaders to equip the people within the business with the tools and knowledge they need to optimize every customer interaction.8
Data provides a powerful tool for understanding what customers are saying about and to a brand. However, few know how to convert data insights into strategy.9 An exceptional customer experience also only takes place when marketers analyze data and turn it into actionable insights. This is used to inform a personalized customer-centric strategy that either drives action or evokes emotions in their customers.10 With so much data to sift through and make sense of, modern marketing professionals often need to utilize the power of technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning.11 Detailed insights into what customers need, want, like, or dislike empowers businesses to be strategic about personalizing their offerings to their target audience.
Entering or advancing in the field of marketing requires evidence of key skills, such as social media, budgeting, digital marketing, marketing management, project management, product management, business to business (B2B) marketing, and strategic thinking. Validating your marketing skills with a certificate from a leading university with GetSmarter’s selection of online courses will help you stand out in a competitive job market, as well as provide you with the latest marketing insights.
Additionally, if you’re interested in kick-starting a career in digital marketing, you’ll benefit from learning customer and user experience skills, website design, social media marketing, and SEO with GetSmarter’s portfolio of university-backed online courses in digital marketing. If you’re already in digital marketing, you can get ahead of the curve by learning disruptive strategies in digital marketing, or take one of the courses on market research and customer insights to better analyze and understand consumer data. Or, take part in a digital marketing analytics course to learn how to optimize your strategies and ROI.
GetSmarter’s online model is geared towards supporting a balanced work-life approach, allowing you to learn from industry experts without disrupting your work schedule.
Careers in marketing
Those who choose marketing as a career can expect a steady growth rate of employment that’s faster than the average for all occupations up until 2028.12
There are many occupations available in this field:13
- Marketing managers plan, implement, and manage the marketing activities that drive interest in a product or service14
- Brand managers create and manage a brand identity and experience that’s recognizable by the target market15
- Media relations managers act as liaisons between their organizations and the public16
- Marketing specialists initiate and manage promotions, advertisements, and strategies to attract and keep customers17
- Social media managers create and schedule content for an organization’s social media accounts, and manages and engages with users18
- Graphic designers create visual collateral by hand or with software that educates, inspires, or captivates19
- Product managers oversee the entire product life cycle, from development to pricing and market positioning20
- Public relations and communications specialists form and maintain the image of an organization or individual in the public’s eye21
- Market research analysts carry out research with a key demographic to determine if a new product or service is viable22
- Web designers design websites that display organizational or product information, keeping good UX in mind23
- Copywriters write promotional or informational content to sell goods or services24
According to the American Marketing Association, the way to advance in a career in marketing is through a commitment to ongoing learning and goal development.25
What skills are needed for a career in traditional and digital marketing?
The skills that are currently in demand for marketing managers will either increase or decrease in importance over time, as entirely new skills join the list, according to recent GetSmarter findings.26 Here are some skills currently required for a career in marketing:27
- Marketing soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, leadership, communication, and creativity
- Marketing strategy skills, including market research, data analysis, budgeting, and planning skills
- Marketing executive skills that incorporate project management and collaboration skills
- Digital marketing skills such as social media, content, scheduling, website, and SEO skills
To achieve or sustain a competitive advantage, the value of gaining or updating your skills in a continuously evolving landscape of technological development and consumer opinion cannot be overemphasized. GetSmarter provides flexible learning options that support your career development without interfering with your work obligations. You can choose from a wide range of online marketing courses and also benefit from personalized support by people invested in seeing you reach your learning goals.
These marketing courses will equip you with the know-how needed to unleash the power of big data, make better strategic marketing decisions, reach your customers and engage authentically with them on multiple channels, gain customer loyalty, and stay relevant in the highly competitive and dynamic world of marketing.
Sources
1Yohn, D. (Jan, 2019). ‘Marketing matters now more than ever’. Retrieved from Forbes.
2(Nd). ‘Marketing’. Retrieved from Business Dictionary. Accessed June 16, 2020.
3Yohn, D. (Oct, 2018) ‘6 ways to build a customer-centric culture’. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review.
4Barone, A. (Mar, 2020). ‘Digital marketing’. Retrieved from Investopedia.
5O’Keefe, S. (Feb, 2020). ‘Propel business growth with customer-centricity’. Retrieved from Gallup.
6(Nd). ‘Customer experience management’. Retrieved from SAS. Accessed June 16, 2020.
7Pemberton, C. (May, 2019). ‘Create powerful customer experiences’. Retrieved from Gartner.
8(2019). ‘Customer experience’. Retrieved from Gartner.
9Yohn, D. (Oct, 2018) ‘6 ways to build a customer-centric culture’. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review.
10Grimes, S. (Feb, 2019). ‘How to use data science to understand customer emotions and decisions’. Retrieved from My Customer.
11Sweezey, M. (Mar, 2019). ‘Four key factors for the future of marketing’. Retrieved from Forbes.
12(Apr, 2020). ‘Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers’. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
13Doyle, A. (Jul, 2019). ‘Marketing careers: job options, job titles, and descriptions’. Retrieved from The Balance Careers.
14(Apr, 2020). ‘Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers’. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
15Grant, M. (May, 2019). ‘Brand management’. Retrieved from Investopedia.
16Terzo, G. (Jun, 2020). ‘What is a media relations manager?’. Retrieved from WiseGeek.
17Tatum, M. (Jul, 2020). ‘What is a marketing specialist?’. Retrieved from WiseGeek.
18(Nd). ‘What is a social media manager?’. Retrieved from WayUp. Accessed June 19, 2020.
19(Apr, 2020). ‘Graphic designers’. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
20Rehkopf, M. (Nd). ‘Product management?’. Retrieved from Atlassian. Accessed June 19, 2020.
21Roos, D. (Nd). ‘How public relations works’. Retrieved from How Stuff Works. Accessed June 19, 2020.
22Twin, A. (Jun, 2019). ‘Market research’. Retrieved from Investopedia.
23Kyrnin, J. (Mar, 2020). ‘The difference between web design and web development’. Retrieved from Lifewire.
24Deahl, R. (May, 2019). ‘What does a copywriter do?’. Retrieved from The Balance Careers.
25(Nd). ‘Career growth’. Retrieved from American Marketing Association. Accessed June 16, 2020.
26(Mar, 2020). ‘Future job skills: the increasing value of continued learning’. Retrieved from GetSmarter.
27Doyle, A. (May, 2019). ‘Important marketing skills that employers value’. Retrieved from The Balance Careers.
Register for a marketing course
The need for marketing is greater than ever, as new and creative merchandise, technologies, solutions, and services continue to flood the market place.1 The only way for organizations to commercialize their offerings is to make customers aware of them, and herein lies the primary role of marketing.
Aligning product, price, place, and promotional strategy is key to any organization’s efforts to connect the right customers to the right offerings.2 Understanding customers’ needs, and how they shop, has become a strategic business imperative in the age of fast-paced markets, innovative technologies, and new business models.3 Thanks to internet-enabled technology, the modern consumer now regulates what content they see, on which platform, from whom, and how regularly they see it. They are highly informed and aware of their options.
Digital technologies continue to provide platforms that increase connectivity between consumers and organizations. Digital marketing tools, including paid media, websites, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, social media, email marketing, and community management are constantly changing as technology and consumer behavior evolves.4 For digital marketers, working through vast amounts of data generated from digital platforms brings the reward of gaining a deeper understanding of customers’ needs and wants. According to Gallup, this desire to understand your customers, and shape marketing strategies around them, is a critical ingredient to business growth.5
Customer experience (CX) can be defined as the cumulative conclusion a customer reaches about a brand. This is based on every interaction and encounter they have with the brand during their customer life cycle, be it conscious or subconscious.6 The ultimate goal of CX is to empower, equip, and make the customer feel secure through every touchpoint of information, service, and interaction they have with the business, resulting in deeper customer loyalty and brand advocacy.7 As a result, CX should be a key focus of an organization’s marketing spend, and requires marketing leaders to equip the people within the business with the tools and knowledge they need to optimize every customer interaction.8
Data provides a powerful tool for understanding what customers are saying about and to a brand. However, few know how to convert data insights into strategy.9 An exceptional customer experience also only takes place when marketers analyze data and turn it into actionable insights. This is used to inform a personalized customer-centric strategy that either drives action or evokes emotions in their customers.10 With so much data to sift through and make sense of, modern marketing professionals often need to utilize the power of technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning.11 Detailed insights into what customers need, want, like, or dislike empowers businesses to be strategic about personalizing their offerings to their target audience.
Entering or advancing in the field of marketing requires evidence of key skills, such as social media, budgeting, digital marketing, marketing management, project management, product management, business to business (B2B) marketing, and strategic thinking. Validating your marketing skills with a certificate from a leading university with GetSmarter’s selection of online courses will help you stand out in a competitive job market, as well as provide you with the latest marketing insights.
Additionally, if you’re interested in kick-starting a career in digital marketing, you’ll benefit from learning customer and user experience skills, website design, social media marketing, and SEO with GetSmarter’s portfolio of university-backed online courses in digital marketing. If you’re already in digital marketing, you can get ahead of the curve by learning disruptive strategies in digital marketing, or take one of the courses on market research and customer insights to better analyze and understand consumer data. Or, take part in a digital marketing analytics course to learn how to optimize your strategies and ROI.
GetSmarter’s online model is geared towards supporting a balanced work-life approach, allowing you to learn from industry experts without disrupting your work schedule.
Careers in marketing
Those who choose marketing as a career can expect a steady growth rate of employment that’s faster than the average for all occupations up until 2028.12
There are many occupations available in this field:13
- Marketing managers plan, implement, and manage the marketing activities that drive interest in a product or service14
- Brand managers create and manage a brand identity and experience that’s recognizable by the target market15
- Media relations managers act as liaisons between their organizations and the public16
- Marketing specialists initiate and manage promotions, advertisements, and strategies to attract and keep customers17
- Social media managers create and schedule content for an organization’s social media accounts, and manages and engages with users18
- Graphic designers create visual collateral by hand or with software that educates, inspires, or captivates19
- Product managers oversee the entire product life cycle, from development to pricing and market positioning20
- Public relations and communications specialists form and maintain the image of an organization or individual in the public’s eye21
- Market research analysts carry out research with a key demographic to determine if a new product or service is viable22
- Web designers design websites that display organizational or product information, keeping good UX in mind23
- Copywriters write promotional or informational content to sell goods or services24
According to the American Marketing Association, the way to advance in a career in marketing is through a commitment to ongoing learning and goal development.25
What skills are needed for a career in traditional and digital marketing?
The skills that are currently in demand for marketing managers will either increase or decrease in importance over time, as entirely new skills join the list, according to recent GetSmarter findings.26 Here are some skills currently required for a career in marketing:27
- Marketing soft skills, such as emotional intelligence, leadership, communication, and creativity
- Marketing strategy skills, including market research, data analysis, budgeting, and planning skills
- Marketing executive skills that incorporate project management and collaboration skills
- Digital marketing skills such as social media, content, scheduling, website, and SEO skills
To achieve or sustain a competitive advantage, the value of gaining or updating your skills in a continuously evolving landscape of technological development and consumer opinion cannot be overemphasized. GetSmarter provides flexible learning options that support your career development without interfering with your work obligations. You can choose from a wide range of online marketing courses and also benefit from personalized support by people invested in seeing you reach your learning goals.
These marketing courses will equip you with the know-how needed to unleash the power of big data, make better strategic marketing decisions, reach your customers and engage authentically with them on multiple channels, gain customer loyalty, and stay relevant in the highly competitive and dynamic world of marketing.
Sources
1Yohn, D. (Jan, 2019). ‘Marketing matters now more than ever’. Retrieved from Forbes.
2(Nd). ‘Marketing’. Retrieved from Business Dictionary. Accessed June 16, 2020.
3Yohn, D. (Oct, 2018) ‘6 ways to build a customer-centric culture’. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review.
4Barone, A. (Mar, 2020). ‘Digital marketing’. Retrieved from Investopedia.
5O’Keefe, S. (Feb, 2020). ‘Propel business growth with customer-centricity’. Retrieved from Gallup.
6(Nd). ‘Customer experience management’. Retrieved from SAS. Accessed June 16, 2020.
7Pemberton, C. (May, 2019). ‘Create powerful customer experiences’. Retrieved from Gartner.
8(2019). ‘Customer experience’. Retrieved from Gartner.
9Yohn, D. (Oct, 2018) ‘6 ways to build a customer-centric culture’. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review.
10Grimes, S. (Feb, 2019). ‘How to use data science to understand customer emotions and decisions’. Retrieved from My Customer.
11Sweezey, M. (Mar, 2019). ‘Four key factors for the future of marketing’. Retrieved from Forbes.
12(Apr, 2020). ‘Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers’. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
13Doyle, A. (Jul, 2019). ‘Marketing careers: job options, job titles, and descriptions’. Retrieved from The Balance Careers.
14(Apr, 2020). ‘Advertising, promotions, and marketing managers’. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
15Grant, M. (May, 2019). ‘Brand management’. Retrieved from Investopedia.
16Terzo, G. (Jun, 2020). ‘What is a media relations manager?’. Retrieved from WiseGeek.
17Tatum, M. (Jul, 2020). ‘What is a marketing specialist?’. Retrieved from WiseGeek.
18(Nd). ‘What is a social media manager?’. Retrieved from WayUp. Accessed June 19, 2020.
19(Apr, 2020). ‘Graphic designers’. Retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
20Rehkopf, M. (Nd). ‘Product management?’. Retrieved from Atlassian. Accessed June 19, 2020.
21Roos, D. (Nd). ‘How public relations works’. Retrieved from How Stuff Works. Accessed June 19, 2020.
22Twin, A. (Jun, 2019). ‘Market research’. Retrieved from Investopedia.
23Kyrnin, J. (Mar, 2020). ‘The difference between web design and web development’. Retrieved from Lifewire.
24Deahl, R. (May, 2019). ‘What does a copywriter do?’. Retrieved from The Balance Careers.
25(Nd). ‘Career growth’. Retrieved from American Marketing Association. Accessed June 16, 2020.
26(Mar, 2020). ‘Future job skills: the increasing value of continued learning’. Retrieved from GetSmarter.
27Doyle, A. (May, 2019). ‘Important marketing skills that employers value’. Retrieved from The Balance Careers.
