What is Marketing?
Every business needs marketing professionals, and New York is not light on businesses. Just about every industry relies on their marketing teams to help drive new customer growth for both products and services.
A marketing professional is responsible for working with communication, getting the word out about an organization, its products, its services, or all of the above. This professional should know the different sales strategies used in order to support their work. Marketing students learn about brand positioning, the return on investment their employer may expect and the various types of communication they may use (intercultural, interpersonal, or political communication), and much more in order to prepare them to work in the field.
Marketing professionals may work in digital marketing, where they find they have a greater field of contact with customers and potential customers. This specialization of marketing has recently had the largest number of job openings. However, there are still two sides to marketing. That is, there is a technical side (running numbers and analyzing data, running departments, and planning budgets) and there is an artistic side (creating videos or marketing images and copy, choosing fonts, connecting with customers on social media). You can choose which side most interests you or gain some skills in both if you aim for management.
Marketers should be skilled in these areas: communication, market analysis, content and SEO, human behavior, sales, paid media, social media, data science, business management, consumer psychology, and brand management. While they may not work in each area, having general knowledge of all sides of marketing can help this professional.
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Online Marketing Education in New York
New York and New York City are well-known for their status as the financial center of the world, with the New York Stock Exchange a testament to the strength of the finance and insurance industries in the state. On top of that, New York City houses five of the country’s largest 10 banks, which includes JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Citigroup.
The New York finance and insurance industry grossed $309.2 billion in a recent year, making it #1 of all 50 states. Real estate, rental, and leasing grossed $238 billion, well below the finance industry but still with a solid showing. And the third largest industry in the state was professional and business services, earning $218.1 billion.
Even though the finance industry in NY is the largest in the U.S., that doesn’t mean it can’t continue to benefit from effective marketing. A marketing professional considers several factors when they create a campaign such as available resources, target markets, the goals and objectives of the finance organization, its strengths and weaknesses, and, finally, new and developing markets.
Marketing professionals aim to focus on the most effective marketing strategies for each specific product or service including customer outreach, social media, self-service and digitization, digital storytelling, and automation and big data.
Financial services organizations may benefit from marketing strategies, such as:
- Hosted educational webinars
- Referral marketing
- Publishing case studies
- Consistent brand image
- Social media marketing
- PPC and financial lead generation
- Blog with high-value content
- Personalized communication
Real estate relies heavily on reaching qualified buyers. Thus, this industry needs marketing ideas which will attract those buyers specifically. It’s vitally important for realtors to have several marketing strategies ready to go. These may include virtual staging, email marketing campaigns, partnerships with area businesses, experiential marketing, drone photography, paid Instagram promotions, referrals, videos or co-hosted webinars, testimonials, traditional advertising media, email newsletters, video walkthroughs, a Zillow profile, and even branded swag.
Online Associate Degree in Marketing (AS)
Marketing students who choose to earn an associate degree may earn a general degree in marketing or they can choose a more focused degree, such as one in marketing management and sales.
Prospective students who choose a program focused on marketing management may learn about making an ethical decision, cultural diversity, changes in technology, and environmental issues at the same time they are learning about general business skills, marketing, selling, marketing management, entrepreneurship, supply chain management, advertising, market research, sales management, and direct marketing. By learning about non-marketing related topics, they will graduate as more well-rounded professionals.
However, you may also choose a general marketing program and learn about the basics of everything without the focus on management. Or you could even earn a degree focused on digital marketing and/or graphic art if you are more interested in the artistic side of the marketing field. It’s up to you, though a marketing degree will give you much more business knowledge than one in graphic art will provide.
Graduates of these program may choose to continue their educations in a four-year program or they may begin their professional careers in general business or a marketing position. As they gain experience, certifications, and knowledge, they may eventually have the opportunity advance into executive positions in their fields. However, without more education this is much less likely. An associate degree can get you started, but it may not get you far.
Online Bachelor's Degree in Marketing (BS)
Undergraduate students planning to earn an online marketing degree in New York must understand what is involved in marketing. That is, they must learn the importance of understanding their businesses products and services so that they can communicate the value of the service or product to consumers.
Students in an online marketing degree program are likely to be required to take mass communication courses and may need to earn several credits in communication studies before they graduate. Luckily, they’ll have plenty of other education as well. Those who choose to earn bachelor’s degrees in this field will find that they must complete around 120 credit hours in order to successfully graduate. This includes a variety of general education programs, which you will have already finished if you completed an associate degree and were able to transfer your credits, as well as marketing and business-specific learning.
Students may gain hands-on experience as they work on research projects in the classroom or in internships if they are able to gain access to these either on their own or through a school program. Internships can be immensely helpful to those looking to get into marketing and you should check if your chosen school has an internship program before signing up. Once students graduate, they may be able to find careers are advertising managers, quality control inspectors, assistant buyers, advertising sales agents, public relations professionals, online marketers, media buyers, and many other possibilities.
Online Master's Degree in Marketing (MS)
Students looking for a graduate degree in marketing may choose an MBA with a marketing concentration, a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing, or another marketing-focused master’s degree. These programs usually take around two years to complete and they equip graduates with the knowledge and best practices they need to continue to succeed in the marketing profession.
Graduate students who have work obligations have the option of a part-time degree program, though these programs are designed for working professionals, so many students choose the full-time option. These programs are often housed in a school of business, whether you earn an MBA or a master’s in marketing.
Students planning to earn their MBA with a specialization in marketing will find that, at this level, marketing education is more strategic. An MBA will help you to analyze the competition, demand, market economics, and the organization’s ability to hold a competitive position in that market.
Online PhD Degree in Marketing (PhD)
One PhD marketing program in New York offers an academic program recognized for the success of many of its graduates. Each member of the faculty mentors each doctoral candidate, providing them with the knowledge and support they need to succeed. The collaboration between candidates and faculty is close enough that, by the time they earn their doctoral degrees, most candidates have been published in leading marketing journals—Marketing Science, the Journal of Consumer Research, and the Journal of Marketing Research.
No matter which doctoral program you choose, it’s important that you understand what their main focus is. Are they working to develop the best researchers or are they looking to create educators or executives? Doctoral candidates can benefit from extensive training for academics and teaching, but if this isn’t what you’re looking for then you should probably focus on getting into a different program.
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Become a Marketing Professional in New York
Digital technology and marketing are natural partners. Without digital technology, marketing would still be focused on television spots and print. Obviously, there has been a huge shift is how marketing works with the change in accessible digital marketing spaces. However, with this shift came changes in what marketers needed to know. Now they need knowledge of SEO, digital platforms, and more. How did marketers who were already in the field when this shift happens keep up? That’s where certifications come in. There are no licensure requirements to work in marketing in New York, but you might need certifications to be the most appealing candidate for the company you want to work for. It certainly can’t hurt.
Marketing professionals in all marketing specialties benefit from professional certifications. Digital marketing is a pretty new development. For newer developments in marketing, many rely on online courses, which help to fill in academic gaps and can provide marketing certifications to prove that you know what you’re talking about.
Marketing certifications help marketers to learn the skills they need to be successful in their profession. Only 58% of today’s marketers feel they have successfully achieved their goals. That leaves more than 42% who may not have the skills they need. Here are just a couple certification options, though there are plenty more you can find if you don’t see something that works for you.
- Google Ads Search Certification
This certification for digital marketers helps to fill in the gap in digital advertising training. Google leads the field in digital ads. Marketers who earn this certification learn about Google AdWords. Nearly every marketing campaign uses Google Ads, these days. In this certification program, marketers gain access to online learning resources, allowing them to deepen their understanding. Digital marketers may also decide to earn a few sub-certifications. Completing the certification courses is required to take the exam. - HubSpot Content Marketing Certification
This certification offers 12 topics. Marketers may benefit from this certification, which is granted by an industry-leading organization. Beginning marketers may also benefit, because they don’t have to have any knowledge of content marketing before taking the course.
Careers for Marketing Graduates
- Special Events Manager
This marketing professional is responsible for planning and carrying out activities such as business conferences, trade shows, and one-time events. They may work with many clients, determining their needs for individual events, or they may plan events throughout the year for one company. Once they know everything they need, they plan and organize the event, from the venue to staffing and catering.
A special events manager may also create marketing campaigns to promote upcoming events or they may sell tickets, which can help increase attendance or focus attendance on a preferred audience.
- Social Media Manager
A social media manager may carry out research on benchmark trends and audience preferences. They follow a specific social media strategy that fits with the organization’s goals, set specific objectives, and report on return on investment (ROI).
This professional should be current with the most recent digital technologies and trends in social media. Their communication skills should be top-notch, allowing them to express the organization’s goals with creativity.
- Account Manager
An account manager is a client advocate, working with the organization’s clients to be sure that their needs are understood and met. This professional may also help with making sales, taking care of client complaints, gathering and analyzing data, etc. They work to make the complete customer experience a good one.
The account manager is a point of contact for the organization’s clients; they create long-lasting relationships with are beneficial for the clients and the organization by learning what clients are looking for and making sure they get the best products for them. By gathering information, they help out other departments and identify industry trends.
- Marketing Coordinator
Marketing coordinators support the marketing department’s plans and handle logistics while they work with outside partners. Their research helps the organization analyze purchasing trends, preferences, and habits of customers. They design and carry out marketing campaigns and may help to create tracking systems for online marketing activities. The coordinator may also carry out market research, produce promotional materials, and study sales data.
- Operations Manager
This manager makes sure that the organization’s procedures are running smoothly with no hiccups. They make sure operational management systems, best practices, and processes are working as needed. This professional may also stay current with legal requirements and ensures that the organization’s operations are legally compliant. - Senior Project Manager
Senior project managers are assigned larger, more complicated projects or they may be in charge of more than one project at a time. They also have more responsibilities which are connected to managing their projects, project managers underneath them, and the overall organization.
They may be the point of contact for stakeholders on projects assigned to junior project managers and may smooth out processes the junior manager cannot resolve on their own.
- Merchandising Manager
Merchandising managers use their analytical skills to find, manage and curate the organization’s products. They do the same with promotional materials. Their duties include negotiating with suppliers, overseeing the buying process, and predicting inventory demands and trends.
This professional may oversee a team of merchandising and marketing professionals and make sure deadlines, customer orders, and inventory needs are met on time. The merchandising manager should be deadline-driven and have an eye for detail. They should also be able to manage a small- or medium-size team. Creative sourcing and garment/accessory presentation is another required skill.