Marketing can be a dynamic, interesting and lucrative career where you can work with all kinds of businesses. Of course, while it sounds like a narrow enough field to outsiders, just like other areas of modern work like ‘IT’, marketing can comprise a vast array of different job roles and specialisms. If you do a marketing degree, for instance the online bachelor of science in marketing by Arizona State University, then you will learn a bit about all different kinds of marketing specialisms. However, it is really once you begin working in the field you’ve chosen that you really gain true expertise in the niche of marketing you’re in. That being said, if you aim for a top level role eventually such as being marketing director of a big company, you will need to understand how all different branches of marketing work to form comprehensive strategies, so spending time in different specialisms to get a well rounded view of the industry can be as good an idea as becoming an authority on one area.
Here are three marketing specialisms to think about when you first get your online marketing degree:
Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is basically when you market to people one to one. It can involve telemarketing, door to door marketing, marketing at trade shows and events, or setting up a stall somewhere on the street and marketing to passersby. This is an interesting form of marketing because it has a high level of engagement, and if you like the idea of going to places and talking to people it is a fun area to work in. From a strategic perspective, direct marketing can be expensive to pull off and so a good return on investment needs to be assured, which can be another thing to learn about if you are interested in the management and strategy side of things.
Social Media Marketing
If you would prefer to work on online, mass marketing strategies rather than more focused face to face ones then social media marketing is an interesting niche within digital marketing, because it is relatively new, and changes quite rapidly. If you are into social media, and like looking at how things become viral or shareable, then social media marketing is a field where you can both experiment and innovate, and which good performance certainly gets noticed in.
SEO Marketing
If you like the idea of doing something online, but would like something with a more technical bent than working with things like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, then specializing in search engine marketing and SEO could be a good field for you. This is an area that is part marketing strategy, part IT, and is one where the rules keep changing to keep you on your toes.
Whether you want to be in front of your target customers or reaching them through their web activity, and whether your interests are more technological or psychological, there is a marketing niche to suit you.
