The marketing industry is one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative industries in the world, with worldwide marketing spending topping an incredible $550 billion in 2017.
As a graduate, or as a business professional with experience in a different niche, entering into marketing can be a great way to increase your income and work for a diverse range of clients across virtually every industry.
Indeed, there are very few companies that do not need to market their products and services, so the chances are you’ll get to work with everyone from a local building firm to a multinational e-commerce brand and everything in between.
Below, we’ve put together five career paths to consider if you want to get into marketing…
Marketing executive
Working in digital marketing can offer up a whole host of career opportunities, ranging from a digital marketing executive right through to becoming the director of your own marketing firm.
As the industry is ever-changing, there are opportunities opening up virtually every month. Who would have thought businesses would be recruiting for a Snapchat Pro five years ago, or a Google Ads Manager?
By staying at the top of your game, reading and learning as you go, you’ll be able to keep yourself ready for new challenges and apply for positions across a whole host of specialisms. Keep an open mind and be willing to develop new skills.
Business development
Marketing may sound like a fancy industry, but the truth is that it’s (mostly) all about selling more products and services.
If you’re passionate about growth and numbers and have the gift of the gab, then you may want to enter into a business development role, where you’ll need to speak to potential customers, attend networking events, and host your own.
As a business development expert, you’ll likely receive a salary and a percentage of sales on top, so it can be highly rewarding for the right person with the right attitude and experience level.
Social media management
Another major industry is social media, with customers spending so much of their free time on sites like Facebook and Instagram.
If you love spending time there and think you can grow audiences and generate leads, then it could be another option to consider.
Spend some time volunteering for a local charity or small business to build up your experience and resume, and you’ll soon be able to apply for social media management and marketing roles.
Search engine optimization
Getting a business to the top of Google’s search engine results pages can be hard work, but with the right strategy, SEO can generate huge returns on investment.
The truth is that SEO can take months or even years to master, so start as soon as you can and work on your own project.
Perhaps you run a blog and could spend some time building links, or maybe you’re a small business owner and want to rank for something like ‘best barbers in Newcastle’.
The opportunities are endless – but practice makes perfect, and familiarising yourself with tools like SEMRush and Moz will help you to stand out from the competition and find a new job.
Consultancy
Finally, if you’re an experienced marketing professional, then consultancy could be another career avenue to explore.
Many businesses do not have the budget or the time to employ a full-time marketing expert, or prefer not to outsource for competitive reasons.
In those cases, they often turn to consultants who can enter into their businesses and help them to develop a long-term growth strategy.
You can use your expertise to position the brand in the right way and secure coverage for their upcoming event or launches.
As a consultant, you can charge top dollar – the average earns around $68,000 a year and sets their own working hours.
There are so many ways to enter into the marketing sphere and build a career that suits your interests.
The key, in all career paths, is to gain as much professional experience as possible and to always be on the look-out for new opportunities. We wish you the very best of luck!