Prepare yourself for future marketing career

In the past couple years, social media and online communication have been booming all over the world. Massive data and information are widely generated more than ever with the digital and mobile technology. People change their behavior. They use their mobile phone or smart phone for almost everything. They share their thoughts, read others opinion, speak loudly in the digital world, and actively interact with others. This occurrence has a significant impact on business and especially marketing.

Hiring Demand for Mobile Marketers – 4 Year Hiring Demand
Source: WANTED Analytics

Nowadays, marketing jobs are no longer about the 4P’s concept or offline publication. It is now digital marketing  which involves using blogs, mobile applications, social networking, content sharing sites in communicating and promoting brands as well as analyzing digital data. In consequence, marketers and graduates are expected to be well-equipped with marketing knowledge and capable of using IT, digital tools, and multimedia of social networking.

The future of marketing careers are leaning more towards digital media and it’s a fast growing trend. As reported in Top 10 List: Where the jobs are (2011) by The New York Times, the occupation relating to network system and data communication was on the second rank with 53% job growth. Plus, Prospects, UK also forecasted the future trend of advertising, marketing and PR as it would turn to be digital marketing and new media oriented. These confirm a vast job opportunity of digital marketing, marketing analytics, and/ or related fields.

To grab the chance, marketers and graduates must prepare themselves ready! You must prepare yourself ready. Note the job qualification, develop those needed skills, and make yourself visible.

Digital Marketers Employability Skills

• SEO and PPC knowledge
• Content marketing and blogging
• Social networking such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Storify
• Search Engine Marketing
• Mobile marketing
• Google Analytics
• Google Adwords/ Adsense
• HTML, CSS, PHP/ Javascript
• Data analytical skill/ Data-driven Marketing
• Cloud computing knowledge
• Leadership
• Interpersonal/ communication skill
• Project/ team work
• Time management
• Confidence
• Passionate

Once you employ the needed skills for your future career, it is essential to make yourself visible online. These days people google everything so as company. Those whose job is to hire someone are now checking your profile and credibility online! They can simply type in your name and everything about you will pop up in second. So it’s your job to manage your online profile whether on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Beware of what you post, language you use, and too revealing photos that could ruin your image to the employer and possibly ruin your chance of getting a job.

Tips for managing online profile

• Be active
• Be professional
• Beware of what you post publicly
• Keep your secret or sensitive personal information private
• Update your privacy setting on your social media account(s)
• Build good connection with the prospect companies or successful professionals (can be done through LinkedIn and Twitter)
• Frequently google yourself
• Build your profile through social media (Blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
• Sell yourself with uniqueness (Blog can be used to reflect your interest and expertise in what you write)
• Make yourself stand out of the crowd

Lastly, remember that they don’t know who your are or what you do but it’s not too hard for them to search for the truth that you are hiding.

Reference:

– Lombardi (2012), Mobile Marketing Isn’t Just a Fad – Hiring Demand Holds On [Online] Available: http://www.wantedanalytics.com/insight/channel/occupations/advertisingmarketing/ [Accessed: 14 November 2012]

– Simon (2011), Top 10 List: Where Jobs Are [Online] Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/education/edlife/edl-17conted-t.html?pagewanted=all [Accessed: 14 November 2012]

– Waddell (2011), Advertising, Marketing, and PR Future Trends

Key learning points in today’s marketing digitally

The world is always changing and shifting from era to era. Now we are in an era of “Information Age” leaded by technology and massive information. Then comes the new wave, social media. Social media introduces us to the new way of information exchange. It encourages individual interaction, online community, and online profile. Social media not only changes the world we live in, but also affects on marketing, generating new marketing DNA.

New Marketing DNA module by Paul Harrigan and Bev Hulbert

With technology and social media, today’s marketing is on a new page. It’s all about data. It’s all about new ways to communicate to customers. Most businesses are now trying to be more visible online. They don’t just depend on their own website or online store anymore, instead they expand their visibility and accessibility on other social media as well. Many companies create their Facebook fan page, Twitter account, Pinterest account, etc.

Changing aspects in Today’s marketing relating to the impact of technology and social media:

• Web page, site design, and website marketing
• Data analytic, data mining, and marketing research
• CRM management
• Marketing communication strategies including integrated social media with other channels
• New way to manage relationship with customers
• Alternative touchpoints
• Individual focused and online profile
• Mobile marketing
• Online visibility and accessibility
• Word-of-Mouth, Data driven marketing orientation
• Cocreating value between company and customers
• Customer interaction over online community

This is marketing in the 21st century which is also one of the courses that I am studying.

The core concept of this new marketing DNA can basically be viewed in terms of data (back-end data analytic) and communication (front-end communication). Personally, I am leaning toward the communication aspect as it is compatible to my study and interest. I found that social media is the main cause that shift the old marketing concept. It generates online community of customers, provides accessible place of exchanging massive information, and affects how people communicate. As a marketer, I am interested to learn and specialize in this new wave; how today’s marketing can be done, how to integrate the online and offline tool holistically, how to manage relationship with customers, and what the future marketing would be like.

Marketing, in my opinion, is now changed. In the past, we based marketing on 4Ps concept. We advertised through TV, magazine, printed materials, billboard, etc. We used to focus on the products and services. Now it’s customer oriented, data driven, with new interactive channels online. In the early age of social media, it’s only for personal use, for individual. Now as, social media grows, it expands to business use, for commercial.  We make online transaction (selling, buying, transferring money) almost everyday. We talk and speak online. Companies use multiple digital tools to operate the business and support their physical store. Some operate their business solely online. These are major changes that have been occurred to marketing in last couple years.

I would say it’s a new age of marketing. If any company miss managing their online appearance or not present online, it cannot survive in this social media war. To survive, business need to adapt the traditional operating method to those new online technology and tools that are widely available and accessible. Start cooperate social media, mobile application, and new marketing concept into the whole business. Synchronize the use of online and offline media.

Reference:

– Harrigan and Hulbert (2011), How can Marketing Academics Serve Marketing Practice? The New Marketing DNA as a Model of Marketing Education. [Online]. Available: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/assets/imported/transforms/peripheral-block/UsefulDownloads_Download/AE8991A5D60A49C9942D96C9289DCCDB/journal_of_marketing_education_2011.pdf or http://www.southampton.ac.uk/management/research/groups/marketing_research_group.page#overview [Accessed: 12 November 2012]

My take on MSc Digital Marketing, University of Southampton

It has been over several months since I started studying MSc Digital Marketing at the University of Southampton, UK. I chose this programme with an expectation to deepen my understanding about the new marketing trend which is shifted by digital evolution, social media, and technology advancement. I could say that studying here is quite challenging, yet a great opportunity of a lifetime.

First thing first, I, as being an international student with a different educational background, must put an effort to learn and adapt to unfamiliar UK learning system. There is a main system called “Blackboard”. This is the place where everything related to the studied course will be posted. I need to frequently checking up on “Blackboard” and keep my eyes on what’s gonna come up. Things can sometimes change a lot!! Thus, I need to be spontaneous to any changes.

University of Southampton’s Blackboard portal

Inside of “Blackboard”

Secondly, by the nature of the programme as it is about technology which is rapidly changing in every second. I must be testing and adopting those new technologies on a regular basis. It is sort of hard keeping up with new things all the time and training to use them is time consuming. So I say main challenges in learning digital marketing are about adapting to changes, keeping up-to-date, and not being afraid of trying out new things.

As for opportunities, I’ve learnt so much from this programme. In this course, there are many international students in the class such as Taiwanese, Thai, Chinese, English, Greece, Romania, etc. This creates an international context which becomes a huge part of my study experience. It not only broadens the scope of the digital marketing to a global level, but also highlights the cross-cultural learning. We tend to share our own experience and opinions as well as exchanging ideas. In one class, there was a specific presentation about social media in China which is a great way to learn how social media works in different context with a lot of technology restrictions. So now, I have an decent idea about social media in Thailand, USA, UK, China, and I am sure there will be more to come.

For several weeks that I’ve been studying here, other than LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, I adopt a few new digital tools which are cool, fun, and useful. Prezi, a new helper for presentation

Prezi, forget about PowerPoint

Storify, a creative way to storytelling

WordPress, a customized blog which can be like an online diary

WordPress blog

Besides, there are more tools that can be used as integration for business or professional online profile such as Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, and mobile applications.

Moreover, I discovered two massive opportunities from studying in the University of Southampton. One is a project called Student Digital Literacies Project (Digital Champions AKA digichamps). This project allows the participants to practice to use of digital tools for publicizing events. It’s such a good chance for me to attend interesting events and seminars, getting to know more people, practicing my study in action, and exploring new media available. (To learn more about Digichamps, click here). Another great opportunity and a privilege is being a course representative. I got selected to be a course rep for MSc Digital Marketing (postgraduate). It’s like being a voice of the class and try to make a change for better. It’s a great opportunity to work with Academic unit and acquiring professional skills including interpersonal skill, relationship management, handling complaints. (Learn more about course rep, click here).

These are great experiences that would open up my path to good job opportunities in the future.