Marketing Careers

Overview of Careers in Marketing

There are many options to careers in marketing, but how do you know which one is right for you? Marketing can be defined as being the intermediary function between product development and sales. Think of it as the storehouse for such things as advertising, public relations, media planning, sales strategy, and more. It's the marketing professionals job to create, manage, and enhance brands.

Careers in Advertising

In Advertising you will work with all aspects of marketing from strategy to concept to the execution of the strategy. You will find that most jobs on the business side of advertising include Account Management, Account Planners, and Media Buyers.

• Advertising Manager
• Advertising Sales Director
• Account Executive
• Account Coordinator

• Media Director
• Media Coordinator
• Media Buyer

Careers in Brand Management

Brand management is the career track you hear about most often. It is the key function in the consumer products industry. Brand managers are often likened to small business owners because they assume responsibility for a brand or brand family. They are always focused on the big picture. It is their job to distill the brand's essence, map out their competitors in their brand's category, identify marketing opportunities, and be able to effectively communicate the unique benefits of that product or service.

• Brand Manager
• Product Manager
• Product Development Manager

Careers in Market Research

Market Research involves researching the intended target. That target can be companies or individuals. In order for a company to capture a market it must first be able to understand that market. Research involves the first process of understanding the consumer, what their needs are, what their purchasing habits are, and how they view themselves in relation to the rest of the world.

• Market Research Director
• Market Research Manager
• Market Research Supervisor
• Market Analyst

Careers in Public Relations

It is the responsibility of the Public relations department to manage the communication with the media, consumers, employees, investors, and the general public. They are considered the spokespeople for the company. They will often write press releases to promote new products or to keep the investment community informed of business partnerships, financial results, or other company news. If they are based out of media relations they will spend their time responding to information requests from journalist or pitch stories to the media.

• Public Relations Specialist
• Public Relations Director
• Corporate Communications Manager
• Book Publicist
• Press Secretary

By Laura Lake

Online Marketing A Necessity Not Just An Option

It's no secret online marketing is becoming a more viable marketing method than that of traditional marketing, such as television, radio and print.
There are some businesses and industries that are familiar with internet and online marketing, but many businesses are finding themselves treading in new territory.
Online marketing encompasses the following:

• Website Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Affiliate and Strategic Partnership Marketing
• Content Marketing

Why has online marketing become the choice of many business? There are two main reasons. Online marketing is cost effective and provides real time tracking results. This allows businesses to make changes "on the fly." Businesses fall in love with the fact that they can change their marketing message, graphics, or your collection method immediately. Online marketing gives us the capability to track and change when necessary. This saves money and stretches our marketing budgets a little further.
If you are behind the eight ball when it comes to marketing using the internet, you want to make a determination on where to start. I never suggest that companies jump into all areas of internet marketing at one time. Do it incrementally so that you can measure what's working and what's not.
There are five methods to building an online marketing strategy that can work for you and help in strengthening your brand and increasing your bottom line revenue.
Method 1: You Need a Website
In my professional opinion every business needs a website. You want potential customers to find you when they search for you online. Having an online presence creates a level of credibility and trust, but only if it's done professionally and builds on the brand that you have built in the traditional marketing realm. You must have a place to send consumers to find out more about you and ultimately purchase your products or services to succeed in online marketing
Method 2: Your Customers Use Search Engines
Our society has coined the word "Googling", because we've all become accustomed to using Google to research and find the information that we need. Consumers go online to gain more information about the products and services that they interested in using. Will they find you? If you are not doing search engine marketing and optimization the unfortunate answers is probably not. Take a few minutes to do an online search on your brand, your product, your service and your name. Did you find your company listed anywhere? If you answered no, then you must understand that potential customers are not finding you either. This ultimately means you are missing out on sales opportunities and revenue. Can you afford that?
Method 3: Social is the Buzz
It's true social media marketing such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are the buzz today, but I do not think it's a fit for all companies. Let me explain why. Social media marketing is a fantastic way to interact and communicate with potential buyers. However, social media takes time and effort. If you are not willing to put in the time and by time I mean spending time on social media daily, then don't do it. Social media is not about just broadcasting, it is about engaging. You must invest at least 15 minutes in the morning and in the evening in order to see even a minimal amount of success using this online marketing method. Don't jump into social media without understanding how it works and the required investment of time and resources that is necessary. You can learn more about social media marketing by participating in the Social Media Marketing 7 Day Crash Course.
Method 4: Affiliate and Strategic Partnerships
Many companies have found success in affiliate marketing. This means that you pay a commission to affiliates and partners for selling your products and services. Affiliate marketing is a no-risk method of marketing and it has been around for many years. If you don't have the time to manage an affiliate marketing program you can hire outsource affiliate management companies that can help you in building a successful affiliate marketing program. I've always loves the affiliate marketing model because it's a win-win situation for both your business and your affiliate partners.
Method 5: Words are Worth Money - Content is Key
Content marketing is using relevant and valuable information to attract potential customers to you. This information will not only attract but, if done correctly, will engage your target audience and drive profitable action to your business. It also helps with search engine marketing and optimization. A successful content marketing strategy will deliver consistent valuable information to your target market, when this strategy works you turn the consumers you have targeted into buyers.
There are many components to marketing your business online, but you must decide which methods will work for your business and which ones you can invest the time in. It's important to create an online marketing strategy just like it's important to have a traditional marketing strategy. I can tell you with confidence that online marketing is not going to go away, so embrace the technology and determine what till work for you. Once you've done that implement, use analytics and make changes when necessary. You will soon find that online marketing brings you a much greater return on your marketing investment, because of its adaptability and changeability.

By Laura Lake

What is a White Paper?

In short, a white paper is a report. That’s it. Nothing fancy there. White papers are designed to do two primary things: educate and persuade. Here’s what I mean.
Let’s say your company released a new software package, and you want to increase sales to corporate clients (who will use the software company-wide). You aren’t targeting end consumers. You’re targeting executive-level professionals who are authorized to make that kind of purchasing decision.
They’re probably not going to buy your software on a large scale (or switch away from another software package) on a whim. Why? Because there’s a significant cost involved, both in purchasing the software and in training their employees to use it. They want to be educated. They want to know exactly why they need software like yours, and why yours is the right choice for them.
If you can’t make them better understand what you’re selling, and if you can’t show them the benefits in choosing your solution to their problem, you won’t make many sales. White papers help you to get around that because they can be longer and more detailed than other types of marketing copy (like a brochure).
There are two basic types of white papers: technical white papers and marketing white papers. In the end, they’re designed to do the same thing — sell your product (or service, or company). Technical white papers have to persuade a more technical audience. They’ll be filled with things like specs, whereas marketing white papers can be used to promote just about anything. For the scope of this article, let’s stick to marketing white papers.

What’s in a White Paper?

1. The Problem (or Opportunity)
2. Proof the Problem Exists
3. Additional Problems
4. The Basic Solution
5. Your Solution (the Marketing Message)

White papers can include more than those five elements, but they’re the most important, and the ones that should be included in any white paper you write. You might also choose to include a title page, abstract, illustrations (like charts and graphs), sidebars, a separate benefits section (instead of including benefits in your general solution), guidelines on how to choose a provider for the solution (before pitching yourself), and more. Since this is probably your first white paper though, let’s focus on keeping it as basic as possible.

Formatting a White Paper

Now that you know the basic elements to include in a white paper, how should it look? While I’m not sure if you’ll consider it fortunate or unfortunate, there’s no right way to format a white paper! Some white paper writers like to use a single format for all of their clients. Others adapt from one to the next. I often let the supplementary material decide.
For example if there will be a lot of charts and graphs I’ll go with a full page format to allow more room for the graphics. If it will have few graphics and I’d rather use pull quotes for visual interest, I might go with a two-column format where quotes and small charts might go in a sidebar area, keeping the main body text free-flowing.
You also have to decide whether or not you want to include a title page and abstract (a short summary of the white paper content). Here’s the rule I go by: If I include a title page, I include an abstract. If I go right into the content on the first page, then I leave the abstract out. Why? Because if I’m going to put an extra page between my reader and my main problem paragraph, then I want to give them the gist up front — a reason to open it. Sometimes a title and sub-title will be enough, but not in every case.
A title page isn’t necessary, although many companies include them. What I suggest is that you choose whichever format you’re most comfortable with, but try to keep things consistent with white papers released through your company moving forward. Just make sure that if you don’t include a title page, your company name, logo, and contact information is clearly visible on the first page.
Speaking of titles, here’s a rule I follow and suggest: forget about catchy and cutesy. The white paper title not only has to get attention, but it should more importantly tell the reader what’s coming. Because of that, I believe it should always include a mention of the basic problem and the target market. You need to scream “Hey, this white paper is for you!” Save the fluff for consumer marketing if you must; not B to B.
How long should your white paper be? Again, there is no right answer. It might be five pages. It might be 50 pages. I’ve found that most of my clients prefer white papers in the 5-10 page range. However, the more technical the material, the more information might have to be included. So there’s nothing wrong with a longer white paper. Just keep your target market in mind. Ask yourself, “will they read this?” If you’re targeting busy executives, keep it short and get to the point. If you’re targeting technical professionals who want every little spec and detail, then give them what they want.

http://www.dirjournal.com/

CRM Software Information and Solution

They are many CRM software and CRM vendors in the market, there are more and more SMI and SME looking for CRM software. But does you business really need it ?  Please read the articles below before you plan to buy CRM software.

What is CRM software?
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is a strategy used to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. After all, good customer relationships are at the heart of business success. There are many technological components to CRM, but thinking about CRM in primarily technological terms is a mistake. The more useful way to think about CRM is as a process that will help bring together lots of pieces of information about customers, sales, marketing effectiveness, responsiveness and market trends.

What is the goal of CRM?
The idea of CRM is that it helps businesses use technology and human resources to gain insight into the behavior of customers and the value of those customers. If it works as hoped, a business can:

• provide better customer service
• make call centers more efficient
• cross sell products more effectively
• help sales staff close deals faster
• simplify marketing and sales processes
• discover new customers
• increase customer revenues

That sounds rosy. How does it happen?
It doesn't happen by simply buying software and installing it. For CRM to be truly effective, an organization must first decide what kind of customer information it is looking for and it must decide what it intends to do with that information. For example, many financial institutions keep track of customers' life stages in order to market appropriate banking products like mortgages or IRAs to them at the right time to fit their needs.
Next, the organization must look into all of the different ways information about customers comes into a business, where and how this data is stored and how it is currently used. One company, for instance, may interact with customers in a myriad of different ways including mail campaigns, Web sites, brick-and-mortar stores, call centers, mobile sales force staff and marketing and advertising efforts. Solid CRM systems link up each of these points. This collected data flows between operational systems (like sales and inventory systems) and analytical systems that can help sort through these records for patterns. Company analysts can then comb through the data to obtain a holistic view of each customer and pinpoint areas where better services are needed. For example, if someone has a mortgage, a business loan, an IRA and a large commercial checking account with one bank, it behooves the bank to treat this person well each time it has any contact with him or her.
 

How much does CRM cost?
A study in year 2001 survey of more than 1,600 business and IT professionals, conducted by The Data Warehousing Institute found that close to 50% had CRM project budgets of less than $500,000. That would appear to indicate that CRM doesn't have to be a budget-buster. However, the same survey showed a handful of respondents with CRM project budgets of over $10 million.

http://crm.manufacturer-supplier.com/

Online Webinar Tools

Online webinars are useful for business communication, training and sales purposes. Desktop sharing and video-conferencing technology make it easy to hold meetings or training sessions with satellite offices or employees who telecommute. Some companies report expanding their client bases and increasing sales by using webinars to present product information and demonstrations. Webinars save time and money by being an efficient alternative to travel, which can include gas, airfare, car rental, hotels and meals. Business owners can use some online webinar tools for a monthly fee

GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar

Same company, two services. With GoToMeeting you can host a meeting for up to 15 people, instantly or prescheduled. Meetings also can be scheduled on a recurring basis. GoToMeeting features include full desktop sharing, recording, chat, audio conferencing via computer or phone, attendance reports and Outlook Calendar integration.



GoToWebinar includes everything GoToMeeting does, but allows for larger audiences, including three pricing tiers for up to 100, 500 and 1,000 participants. GoToWebinar also has more robust features, including the option for branded webinars and email templates, a post-webinar survey, automatic follow-up email to participants and a full registration service.



Both GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar offer a free, 14-day trial.

Cisco's WebEx

Cisco's WebEx is a popular webinar service which includes desktop sharing with phone and VoIP conferencing. Webinars also can be streamed with webcams.



There is no commitment when signing up for WebEx, but it will renew month to month. There is a flat rate per host, per month. The monthly fee includes training resources and support. Advanced features are available for an extra fee, including capacity for more participants. There is no software to install, and accounts can be be used on any computer anywhere. WebEx is also mobile compatible.

GatherPlace

GatherPlace is newer than established services such as GoToMeeting and WebEx, but is gaining ground in the small-business market. GatherPlace allows for hosting webinars on Mac or Windows. Integration is free, and users are not required to download any software to participate. One of the most useful features is the ability to record sessions, allowing for viewing later. The service offers a 14-day free trial.

Freebinar

Most won't argue with Freebinar's price tag; it's free for up to 150 attendees per meeting. Like many free online services, it is ad-supported. Freebinar allows users to host live, online meetings, sharing presentations and documents with participants. You can brand webinars and registration forms with a logo, and collect post-webinar survey data to measure its success. This service offers free support.

Read more: Online Webinar Tools | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7384923_online-webinar-tools.html#ixzz1CEcuHLyE

Computer Sytems for Marketing Careers

The explosion of the Internet and other technological communication tools have changed the business of marketing. Professionals who are building a career in the field must have a firm grasp on the tools of technology that allow companies to reach out to customers through their computers as well as phones and other hand-held devices. Marketers still need to have a grasp on traditional tools of the trade as well

Graphic Design Tools

Marketing professionals still need to produce printed products and pages that can be sent electronically, so page layout programs like Adobe InDesign and other graphic design programs like Photoshop, Acrobat and Illustrator are still required computer systems for the job. Marketing professionals should be able to work in both PC and Macintosh format to enhance their employability.

Content Management Systems

Marketers need to have a firm grasp on the preparation of content for the Internet. The tools to do this are typically customized content management solutions that allow users to select from pre-programmed options to display content online using templates that are designed into the system. Some of these content management solutions are basic off-the-shelf software, but many are designed as marketing executives meet with programmers to build solutions that meet a specific need. IBM's Lotus Web Content Management is one Java application that manages web content, and Sharepoint Server is an example of a proprietary solution that accomplishes the same goals.

Database Management Software

The goal of marketing to find and target individual customers with a message suited specifically to them is achieved through the use of increasingly sophisticated database tools. Marketers can store customer data in the system with as much or as little information as they choose. The more detailed the information, the more targeted the message. Systems that allow for complex demographic or regional sorting prior to standard mail or e-mail are critical to success in the marketing industry. Some companies customize software like Microsoft Access for this purpose, while Oracle has a number of higher end database solutions.

Search Engine Tools

The key to being found online is found in creating messages that are optimized for the search engines that are in wide use on the Internet. Google, Yahoo and the other tools that potential customers use to find information about companies are programmed to find things in a certain order. Tools that provide search engine optimization as marketers design websites are a major part of the business of finding the right customers with a marketing message. Marketing professionals need to learn how to use SEO technology as part of their daily duties. Google's AdWords and Microsoft's adCenter are two SEO tools with which marketers must be familiar.

Read more: Computer Sytems for Marketing Careers | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6831317_computer-sytems-marketing-careers.html#ixzz1CEaTpgRc

Professional Marketing Tools

Companies use many marketing tools to help them build sales and profits. Some marketing tools are used for promotional purposes, such as display ads and Internet search engines. Other marketing tools are used for customer feedback, including phone and mail surveys. Companies must decide which marketing tools are necessary for their businesses. For example, online companies are more likely to use Internet ads and search engines. Retail stores use point-of-purchases materials such as display cards.

Questionnaires

Marketing research professionals use questionnaires to procure important information from customers. For example, a marketing research manager might create a questionnaire to measure customers' satisfaction with their products and services. Questionnaires can vary in length. Questionnaires that are used for personal interviews can be several pages long. However, Internet questionnaires are usually short as online customers would not likely fill out lengthy questionnaires. Companies usually use both "fill-in-the-blank" and multiple choice questions on questionnaires. Multiple choice questions can be answered with a "yes" or "no," for example. "Fill-in-the-blank" questions allow customers to provide their own responses without being prompted.

Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are designed to increase customer traffic and sales. For example, a movie rental store might use frequency cards to reward customers for their purchases. Customers may first fill out an application form, then receive a plastic card with a magnetic stripe or bar. The magnetic stripe records the customers' purchases through the cash register, which is computer-programmed to keep track of how much customers' buy. The movie rental company will then reward customers with coupons, popcorn or free movies after customers spend a certain dollar amount.

Direct Mail

Direct mail is both targeted and measurable, according to the United States Postal Service. For example, a real estate company can target people who live in apartments as potential home buyers. The real estate company will first need to purchase a mailing list of apartment dwellers. The Direct Marketing Association is one such purveyor of mailing lists. A direct mailing often includes a sales letter, brochure and an order form. The sales letter typically discusses the benefits of using a company's products or services. Products are then illustrated and described in the brochure, along with the prices. Order forms provide a convenient way for customers to place orders.

Databases

Companies use databases to store names, addresses and emails of their customers. Often, companies include additional details of their customers, such as their gender, ages, incomes, professions and the size of families, for example. The demographic data can help a company better discern its key customers. For example, a company's heaviest users might be customers in the 35- to 54-year-old age group. Companies can then target key customers with special promotions via email or direct mail.

Read more: Professional Marketing Tools | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_7846086_professional-marketing-tools.html#ixzz1CEZbAjOj

Free Video Editing Software For Your Computer

Free video editing software is an easy and convenient way to edit your videos, and is great for beginners. Most of the free video editing programs have limited editing features, so after a while you may want to look at the mid-level digital video software or the top professional video editing programs.

• iMovie
  iMovie comes free with new Macs. iMovie offers many options for editing video and audio, and adding photos, music and narration to your movies.
• Movie Maker
  Movie Maker is Window's free video editing software, which comes installed on new PCs. Use the program to create and share high-quality movies.
• Pinnacle Spin
  Video Spin, for PCs, is free video editing software from Pinnacle. Video Spin is specifically designed to take the complexity out of video editing, but it still includes tools, transitions and effects so you can easily jazz up your videos.
• Virtual Dub
  Virtual Dub offers simple editing capabilities. You can't get too creative with the software, but you can use it to make simple, clean edits in your video footage. Virtual Dub works with PCs only.
• Wax
  Wax is a bit dated-circa 2004-and the interface looks ancient, but the software comes with a very helpful guide and allows for a lot of creativity.
• Zwei-Stein
  This free editing software works with Macs, PCs and and Linux systems. It's easy to download, with a colorful, sparse interface.
• Jahshaka
  "Powering the New Hollywood," Jahshaka is a free, open source video editing software, that will give you powerful editing capabilities.
• HyperEngine-AV
  This is a popular free software for Macs. The "trackless" editing system makes it easy to combine video, audio and photos.
• Free Online Editing Software
  Several web applications are available that provide free video editing online. These services are great for re-editing and re-mixing web videos, and some even offer to produce DVDs of your edited videos.

By Gretchen Siegchrist