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Marketing is more than just advertising or convincing customers they need to purchase a certain product or service to improve their lives. At its core, it addresses an understanding of human needs and how best to deliver those needs. As a marketing student, learning about your customers and products is crucial, and the need for such knowledge continues throughout your career. Fortunately, marketers understand this and provide plenty of resources so that those in the industry can understand the dynamics of these needs and their constant evolution.

Resources for marketing students run the gamut, from organizations to specialized journals, apps, and various certifications. Once you are looking for work, marketing job boards and temp agencies cater to matching the applicant with the best position for their abilities.

Resources for Marketing Students

Understanding Accreditation

There is no specific accreditation for marketing degrees, but it is important to go to an accredited school. Federal and state financial aid is not available for unaccredited schools. Check to see if the school is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and accredited before applying.

The six regional accreditation bodies in the US consist of:

  • Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Higher Learning Commission
  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  • New England Commission on Higher Education
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission

Questions About Financial Aid

Paying for college is a top consideration for the majority of marketing students. Fortunately, there are many options available for paying for an education, ranging from grants and scholarships – which do not require repayment – to student loans. The latter may include federal or private student loans, or personal loans between a student and a sponsor.

Start looking for scholarships while still in high school. There are many online resources, and your guidance counselor can also point you in the right direction.

The federal Stafford Loan Program does require repayment, and are available to undergraduate and graduate students. There are two types of these loans. With a subsidized Stafford loan , the student pays no interest on the loan while in school. With an unsubsidized Stafford loan, students are responsible for interest payments as soon as the loan is taken out until it is paid off. The advantage of an unsubsidized loan is that the government does not require demonstration of financial need. Students can usually borrow a higher amount with an unsubsidized loan.

Federal Pell grants pay for college tuition and expenses but, unlike a student loan, this grant does not require repayment. Maximum award limits apply and are based on costs at the college or university, financial need, full- or part-time student status, and whether the student attends the school for the entire academic year.

Contact the financial aid office at your school to find out about various business scholarships, grant, and loan options. They can also tell you about scholarships specific to your school and to marketing majors.

Marketing Associations for Students

Joining a marketing association geared toward students, or joining a professional marketing organization as a student member, is an ideal way to gain knowledge of your chosen field. Many student marketing associations are offered by colleges and universities, so check with the marketing department about whether your school provides such an association. Even if your school does have a student marketing association, you can also benefit from joining national groups, either those designed specifically for students or as a student member of a professional organization.

  • American Marketing Association:
    Increase your knowledge of the marketing profession by joining the AMA as a student member. It is an excellent way to gain skills and begin career development.
  • Legal Marketing Association:
    Legal marketing is a huge industry, and the LMA can help students build the skills necessary for a legal marketing career.
  • Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association:
    If you are located in the city of brotherly love, you can join the PDMA for free as a student member, and take advantage of all that it offers.
  • Sport Marketing Association:
    If sports are your marketing passion, consider joining the SMA as a student member.

Student or Open Access Journals

Regularly reading a professional journal in the field they plan to enter is invaluable for students. Open Access means that professors and their students can access the latest research in the field, on a global level. From these sources, students can obtain information about the current trends and practices in the industry, ranging from internet branding, social marketing, E-commerce management, the B2B marketplace, new product development, research and strategies, international marketing, and much more. Not only are such journals a wealth of information, but they may give a student a better idea of the type of work they want to pursue post-graduation.

Top picks include:

  • The Journal of Marketing:
    Founded in 1936 and published by the American Marketing Association, the Journal of Marketing has played a crucial role in the development of modern marketing practices. It “develops and disseminates” knowledge about marketing questions to those in the industry, as well as scholars and policy makers worldwide.
  • International Journal of Marketing Studies:
    This international open-access journal is published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education. Its purpose involves providing avenues for top research in all aspects of marketing management and strategy.
  • Journal of Marketing Management:
    This publication, a “double blind peer reviewed international academic journal”, publishes research papers on contemporary marketing practices including concepts, methods, and applications.
  • International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising:
    This journal offers authoritative information in the internet field as it relates to marketing and advertising. It also publishes useful practices for managing marketing over the internet.
  • Journal of Finance and Marketing:
    This publication provides top quality, financial marketing research from marketing professionals worldwide. Find the latest techniques and developments in the financial services marketing here.

Study Resources for Marketing Students

The best study resources are available at your fingertips, online. Even better, most of them are free. These online sources can add to your understanding of marketing principles, and help you do well throughout your academic career.

  • Google Ads:
    Google Ads, formerly Google Adwords, is the sine qua non of online marketing. Not only must every online marketer use it, but understanding how it works, and how algorithms change, is essential for success.
  • Content Marketing Reference Library:
    Brought to you by Copyblogger, this resource provides information about everything you want to know about content marketing, from creating blogs to generating traffic.
  • The Moz Local Learning Center:
    Local SEO brings customers to businesses. Learn the top local SEO practices to drive traffic to your site.
  • The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media:
    Discover social media marketing, metrics, the best platforms for your purposes, and much more.
  • Primer:
    Take lessons when you have the time via this free mobile app that features digital marketing and many other business topics.
  • Email Marketing Field Guide:
    Presented by MailChimp, learn how to create successful email campaigns and overall best practices.
  • The Beginner’s Guide to SEO:
    Another Moz offering, this resource provides what you need to know about all-important Search Engine Optimization.
  • Search Engine Land:
    Bloggers on this site revel in everything SEO, and they can help you stay up to date with all the latest changes.

Popular Apps

As we live in a technological society that is constantly evolving, apps meant for every use under the sun continue to be created. There are plenty of apps made for marketing students or students in general, and here is a sampling:

  • Canva:
    A free visual creation app, Canva offers easy photo editing, including image cropping, putting text in photos, and filter enhancement. Its resources include a blog with relevant articles.
  • Hootsuite:
    This app allows you to manage all of your social media marketing in one place. With Hootsuite, you can measure social media results and track all campaigns.
  • Hotjar:
    Marketing requires metrics, and Hotjar offers everything you need to track your website. Along with clicks, this includes visitor scrolling behavior, mouse movements, site time, and page identification.
  • KWFinder:
    This must-have app for SEO enables users to find “long-tail keywords with low SEO difficulty”. It calls itself the only keyword research tool needed “in the universe”.
  • Slack:
    For team communication, few apps beat Slack. Rather than use email, Slack is an internal system allowing users to conduct conversations in channels. Its archives are readily searchable.
  • Zest:
    This free app provides a constant newsfeed for the marketing student or professional. Search for the subjects of greatest interest, including B2B, SEO, eCommerce and much more.

Internships

Few fields offer as many summer internships as marketing. While still in school, your university’s business school can provide you with information about internship opportunities. LinkedIn and similar networking sites are also good sources for marketing intern leads, as are online employment services such as Indeed. Top companies in various industries offer these internships, and many agencies specialize in marketing intern placement. You might also research marketing internships abroad. Try to obtain as many certifications as possible before applying for the most competitive marketing intern positions, as this should give you an edge. Most marketing intern positions are paid but check to see if that is true before applying.

  • Global Experiences:
    This program provides marketing students with the opportunity to intern with employers worldwide. Students and employers are matched on a one-on-one placement process.
  • Microsoft:
    Virtually everyone is familiar with Microsoft, making it a marketer’s dream. Each year, the company offers marketing internships to those pursuing either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the field.
  • Student Marketing Agency:
    Marketing students can earn money while businesses hiring them through this agency save money. While students aren’t earning the big bucks of their professional peers, they are doing the same type of work and gaining valuable experience.
  • Turner Broadcasting:
    Owned by Warner Media and based in Burbank, California, Turner Broadcasting offers a summer internship for marketing students interested in TV and digital marketing. These are paid positions.

Resources for Students and Professionals

Marketing Certification Options

Various marketing certifications are available, but each one may require different levels of experience to earn. With the constant evolution of digital marketing, obtaining multiple certifications in your field is wise.

Certification Study Resources

Passing certification tests is often difficult, so you should be sure to look for study resources to ensure you know what you’re getting into instead of relying on your past experience or education. Certification study resources can provide you with guidance on particular exams and ensure you are well-prepared when taking the test. These resources are not usually expensive, and you may find some for free.

  • Digital Marketing Institute:
    The DMI provides resources for various digital marketing examinations.
  • Hootsuite Certification Study Guide:
    Hootsuite offers a number of marketing certifications concentrating on social media, and this study guide can help learn at your own pace.
  • IAB Study Guide, Digital Marketing and Media Foundation:
    This is an entry level certification for digital advertising, and the study guide will improve a candidate’s preparedness for the exam.
  • Kentico:
    Before taking the Kentico 9 marketing exam, take advantage of their preparation guide to familiarize yourself with the various subjects covered.
  • Markeko:
    Markeko offers a Facebook Blueprint Certification Guide for those preparing to take the these exams, a necessity for social media and digital marketers.

Job Boards

One of the best ways to find work is via a marketing-oriented job board. No matter your area of specialization, you should find lots of options for marketing professionals.

Some of the best-known marketing job boards include:

Temp Agencies

Long before the gig economy came into existence, there were temp agencies. Short for “temporary help”, these agencies screen prospective candidates and then send them on to companies seeking short-term workers. Perhaps the company needs to replace an employee for a while if the person goes on vacation, is injured, or otherwise cannot work for a specific period, or they require extra hands for specific projects. Whatever the reason, working for a temp agency when you get out of school, or if you want to shift careers and gain experience, often proves very useful. If you do well, you may even receive a long-term job offer. Temp agencies generally preclude companies hiring their talent, but that is often not an issue if the company agrees to pay the temp agency a hiring fee, or if they wait until the end of the temp agency contract.

Resources for Marketing Professionals

Professional Associations

Once you get out of school and enter the workforce, becoming a member of a professional marketing association is vital for your future career. From these associations, you can learn about upcoming conferences, job opportunities, gain access to career and professional development resources and continuing education, as well as increasing your networking and broadening your knowledge of the field overall. Such membership keeps you on top of trends in marketing, and lets you communicate with others about these developments. Joining professional marketing organizations is truly invaluable for the marketer.

Popular Journals

Marketing is always changing, and ideas are always flowing, which is why professional journals are important for keeping you up to date on what’s happening in your field. Many of these journals are available to members of professional associations. These journals contribute to the knowledge base of professional marketers, and they are also the top medium for spreading information on the scholarly aspects of marketing. Each of the most popular marketing journals fills a specific niche in the industry, and education is the key component.

  • European Journal of Marketing:
    Formerly the British Journal of Marketing, the EJM actively encourages global contributions “from scholars across the broad domain of marketing.”
  • Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science:
    Devoted to “the study and improvement of marketing.”
  • Journal of Marketing:
    This journal is published by the American Marketing Association and arguably the most read of all marketing journals.
  • Marketing Science:
    This journal is published by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences and covers “operations research and mathematical modeling to analyze marketing.”
  • Marketing Theory:
    This publication “provides a fully peer-reviewed specialized academic medium and main reference for the development and dissemination of alternative and critical perspectives on marketing theory.”

Industry Conferences for Marketing Professionals

Industry conferences are important for all professions, but that is especially true in the rapidly changing world of marketing. Not only do these conferences offer great networking and other opportunities, but attendees learn the latest about SEO, content marketing, PPC, Google Ads, and more vital marketing strategies.

  • Social Media Marketing World:
    Held in early March in San Diego, California, and sponsored by Social Media Examiner, SMMW features top social media marketing strategies from experts in the field.
  • PubCon:
    This conference, held in late March in Miami, Florida, offers multi-track educational opportunities and workshops for keeping online marketing strategies up to the minute.
  • LeadsCon Las Vegas:
    Lead generation and performance marketing professionals should attend this late March to early April conference, featuring top speakers and first-rate networking opportunities.
  • Confab – The Content Strategy Conference:
    This Minneapolis, Minnesota conference held in mid-May tend to sell out early, so register as soon as possible. At Confab, it’s all about making content more useful.
  • MozCon:
    Taking place in Seattle, Washington in July, and brought to marketing professionals by Moz, this conference focuses on all things SEO.
  • Inbound:
    Sponsored by HubSpot and held in Boston, Massachusetts in late August, this huge conference benefits marketers on any level. Marketing superstars give talks, and the networking is off the charts.

Professional Marketing Software

Virtually every aspect of marketing runs on software. While software is ubiquitous in nearly every form of business, that’s especially true of the marketing realm. It’s important for professional marketers to learn several forms of software so that they can more easily apply for positions where that particular software is used. While much marketing software is easy to pick up, there are certain products that may give applicants an edge when applying for jobs. Because new software introduction is a constant, keeping up with what’s available is imperative for business and career success. Here are some choices for Customer Relationship Management (CRM), email marketing, data analytics, content management, website optimization, SEO solutions, social media marketing, and more.

  • Active Campaign:
    Get your emails in front of the right people for your campaign or newsletters with this email software. Target and customize your message to different segments of your audience.
  • Adzooma:
    Effectively manage your company’s online Facebook, Google and Microsoft ads with Adzooma. You can manage multiple accounts from one place and save money by cutting underperforming ads.
  • Clever Tap:
    Clever Tap focuses on mobile users, helping brands convert, retain, and grow such users. It advertises that it can improve month by month retention rates five times over.
    • GreenRope:
      If you’re looking for an all-in-one sales, marketing, and management software product, GreenRope is it. It aids in consolidating, automating, and streamlining a company’s marketing and daily sales operations. Not only does it drive sales, it also increases team collaboration.
    • Pyze:
      Pyze refers to its platform as the leader in digital transformational analytics. It features cross-platform analytics, automated segmentation, and omni-channel campaigns.
    • Remarkety:
      This software combines eCommerce data with predictive algorithms and shopping behavior to help marketers develop campaigns increasing Lifetime Value and optimizing conversion rates.
    • SutiCRM:
      This software provides users with a 360 degree view of leads, sales, and customers. It features marketing automation, sales automation, support management, mobile CRM, and reports and analytics.
    • Thryv:
      This easy to use platform automates tasks for small businesses so that they can concentrate on customers. It aids not only with marketing, but also with customer service.