Most students aren’t aware that it’s relatively easy to specialize a marketing degree. Marketing provides businesses with essential functions that promote their product or service. Marketing has career opportunities for both extroverts, who enjoy social interaction, and introverts, who enjoy analytics research.

What is Marketing?

Generally speaking, marketing is the process by which companies communicate with the public about their brands, products and services. Marketing involves advertising, branding, publicity, promotions and sales. Regardless of the specialization, all marketing majors will be involved in similar tasks and projects. However, marketing is becoming more complex as technology revolutionizes how companies share information and how consumer’s access information and shop online.

How to Specialize a Marketing Degree?

Most business programs offer ample opportunities for students to specialize their marketing degree. Marketing has the advantage of being integrated into almost every business aspect. In addition to this, every business has some form of marketing needs. Non-profit research organizations need to raise cancer awareness just as financial institutions need to promote their new online investment platforms.

Advertising Marketing

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), marketing involves analyzing demographic data, negotiation contracts and creating marketing plans and campaigns. In fact, the BLS lists advertising marketing as a specialization that involves projects and campaigns designed to generate buzz, raise awareness and increase sales. Advertising mangers typically work for third-party advertising agencies and are assigned specific client accounts. They often act as the intermediary between the client, creative services department and contractor that places the ad. Part of their responsibilities include preparing detailed cost and budget plans.

Sales

Both the sales and marketing department are mutually dependent on each other. The goal of a marketing salesperson is to increase sales through marketing promotions. They accomplish this through traditional methods, such as selling ad spaces and sponsoring major events. In order to do this, they must understand consumer behaviors and preferences. On the other hand, digital sales marketing involves an entirely different platform that relies on things like clickable promotional ads and personalized marketing techniques. In order to achieve online sales success, marketing salespeople must use data analytics and data mining in order to get into the mind of the online consumer.

Public Relations

Public relations (PR) professionals market intangible things like ideas and values. Their goal is to increase brand and company awareness while conditioning consumers to positively respond to certain products or services. They work with other marketing professionals to create and supervise marketing campaigns. Additionally, PR professionals use their excellent communication and diplomacy skills to handle PR disasters and negative publicity. These marketing professionals must also use multiple platforms, such as social media, websites and mobile phones.

Social Media

The digital revolution has resulted in social media being the new communication media for consumers and companies. Social media marketing is now one of the most effective ways for smaller businesses to quickly establish themselves and offer meaningful content and promotions to customers, according to Forbes. Students who specialize a marketing degree in social media will enjoy working with innovative online campaigns and cutting edge of technology.

Related Resource: Global MBA Jobs

To be sure, a marketing degree offers excellent specialization opportunities. These include advertising, sales, public relations and social media. Specialize a marketing degree is a great way for students to enjoy a popular career with an interesting twist.