In 2020, almost 200,000 people were employed in the advertising and marketing industry. Thousands of organisations across the UK are looking to hire individuals with marketing skills. For example, Brick Digital, a Digital Marketing Agency in Hertfordshire, say that when they interview applicants for a marketing role, they look more for likeability, personality, and potential to train and progress, over an applicant who knows everything there is to know about the marketing industry.
Why Work in Marketing?
There are many reasons why people to choose to work in marketing. Here are some of the most commonly cited:
Career prospects
Marketing has excellent career prospects. The industry is constantly growing and changing, making way for new roles and responsibilities. Salaries typically start at around £20,000 for a new starter and progress to approximately £50,000 for an experienced marketer.
Skills
A career in marketing will equip you with a range of useful skills. You’ll learn how to communicate better, show leadership, adapt to new situations, write compelling copy, conduct data analysis and understand key metrics. Plus, you’ll learn how to be a better verbal communicator, as marketing roles are typically collaborative in their nature.
Professional connections
As a marketer, you’ll work with people across different departments. Effective marketing requires near-constant communication with individuals across organisations, so in the course of your career, you’ll meet hundreds of people in a range of roles and at different levels of seniority.
Creativity
If you’re a creative person, a career in marketing might be perfect for you. To ensure they are truly impactful, marketing messages must be constantly refreshed, and that requires a creative thinker. In addition, you’ll need to be good and finding new ways to approach complex problems, and that requires a creative mind that relishes a challenge.
Do You Need a Qualification?
Now that we’ve explored why you should work in marketing, we need to look at how you get into the industry. The good news is that there are several ways to get your foot in the door, and you don’t necessarily need a qualification.
Degree
One way to get into marketing is to undertake a degree in marketing communications, advertising and digital marketing. But don’t be disheartened if you already have a university degree, but it’s not in marketing. Other useful degrees for a marketing career include psychology, media, English language or literature and humanities.
Apprenticeship
Another way to get into marketing is to complete an apprenticeship. Some prefer an apprenticeship over a degree because it is a practical alternative. Becoming an apprentice in a marketing department will give you the most up-to-date training, applying it in the working world as you learn essential marketing skills.
Apprenticeships have no age limit, but they are most commonly done by school leavers to start their marketing careers. You apply to become a marketing apprentice as you would with any other job, usually on a company’s careers page or through a job platform such as Indeed.
Internship
Some companies will offer marketing internships. Internships are a great way to boost your marketing skills and impress potential employers in the process. An internship typically lasts between two and 12 weeks, allowing you to gain experience with an employer to see if the industry and the roles available are right for you. Some of the UK’s most prominent businesses offer internships, such as Amazon, Sky and ASOS.
Marketing Courses
You may find it helpful to undertake a marketing training course. The Digital Marketing Institute offers online courses that give students the flexibility to learn remotely. Courses will explore key specialisms such as social media marketing, SEO, mobile marketing and PPC. Marketing courses are a great way to get started if you’re new to the industry, whether you’ve just left school or are a small business owner.
In addition, the Chartered Institute of Marketing offers a range of qualifications and courses that are built to enhance your employability prospects. Qualification options include foundation certificates in professional and digital marketing, diplomas in sustainable marketing and postgraduate diplomas in professional marketing. So wherever you are at in your marketing career, you can find a suitable course to boost your skills and employability.
In Summary
There are hundreds of thousands of people that work in marketing in the UK alone, which is no surprise seeing as the industry offers many benefits. Marketing offers excellent career prospects, builds on a range of vital skills, and allows you to build professional connections and embrace your creativity.
The good news is that there are many ways to get into the field, including studying for a degree, undertaking an apprenticeship or an internship, or taking marketing courses by a certified marketing institution. So no matter where you are in your career, there are several routes to improve your marketing skills and employability.