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Marketing professionals are often presented with two career paths - working in a marketing agency or working in an in-house marketing team.
Both environments offer unique opportunities to develop and grow professionally, and while some marketers will move from one discipline to the other, the further your career develops in one stream, the more likely you are to stay there.
"When looking for marketing roles, professionals have a range of options available to consider when deciding which career path to take," said Gemma Allen, Director at Robert Walters. "Factors such as industry and type of organisation can influence a marketer's decision to work in-house as opposed to in a marketing agency.”
Factors such as industry and type of organisation can influence a marketer's decision to work in-house as opposed to in a marketing agency.
Take a look at both routes to help decide which would suit you and your career.
Working for an in-house marketing department
- Gain first-hand experience of how all functions of a business operate
- Acquire a broader knowledge of the overall business and its industry
- Immerse yourself in the company’s overall marketing strategy and its day-to-day activities
Working for a marketing agency
- Many recognise the value of working across a range of businesses and industries
- Not tied down to just one sector – giving you a wider scope
- Client management skills are required
“One way to decide if you’re better suited to working in a client facing agency or for a company that operates in one industry is to gain relevant work experience to get a feel for both business environments." said Gemma.
Looking for a new sales or marketing role? View the latest opportunities from Robert Walters.
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Career progression is key to job satisfaction for most marketers. To ensure you move swiftly into the next stage of your career, it is important to plan how to achieve your marketing goals.
Whether moving from assistant to executive, or into a managerial position, setting reachable goals as early as possible in your current role will make them easier to achieve.
“Before you can climb the next step in the career ladder, it’s important to raise your profile within your organisation. Whichever stage you are currently in, as a marketer you should demonstrate your ability to add value to the business” says Susie Wei, Manager at Robert Walters London.
“This can be achieved by analysing how your input has contributed to the success of an overall company marketing goal."
Setting reachable goals as early as possible in your current role will make them easier to achieve.
Three top ways to achieve your marketing career goals:
- Raise your profile – show initiative in current tasks
- Learn from those above you – observe what approach the person senior to you takes
- Be proactive – take control of your role by coming up with suggestions and ideas
If you are keen on advancing in your marketing career, it’s important to show engagement in your current position and also to identify what will be expected of you to perform successfully in your next role.
"Setting achieveable career goals at the start is useful; it allows you to plan, take the appropriate steps and develop the right attitude to ensure that you have reason to climb up the career ladder." said Susie.
Looking for a new sales or marketing role? View the latest opportunities from Robert Walters.
Or if you have a friend looking for a new job, why not be rewarded for recommending Robert Walters? Learn more about our excellent referral scheme and refer your friend today.
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While you may well have all the skills required to be a good sales person, your ultimate success will be determined by your ability to put these into practice. Here are some tips to help you on your way.
Think long-term
The best sales professionals do not focus purely on making a sale, they look to build long-term relationships. You want your customers and clients to trust you and come back to you time and time again. Go the extra mile with your customers by, for example, following up after a sale to make sure they’re happy with the product and service they received. This is the sort of thing many sales people don’t bother with and doing so will make you stand out.
Once you’ve positioned yourself as an expert, you’ll also find your customers recommend you to others. Thinking about building relationships and your business in this way sets you up for long-term success.
Go the extra mile with your customers by, for example, following up after a sale to make sure they’re happy with the product and service they received.
Invest your time wisely
Productivity is so important in sales. Many sales professionals will waste their time on activity that ultimately yields little or no return. You need to be of the mindset to accurately analyse the value of every call or meeting – only spend time on tasks that will tell you something useful, either for the immediate or distant future.
You need to really care
The best sales professional treats their role as more than just a job. You need to be obsessed with growing your business and have a hunger to find out everything you can about both your existing and potential clients. You also need to be prepared to give up your spare time – networking is important to developing relationships, be they at evening events or on weekends on the golf course or high-profile sporting occasions. Never turn down an invitation because you’re too busy.
Know and believe in your product
Sales people should believe in the product they’re selling – if you aren’t convinced yourself, how can you expect to persuade others of its value? A key factor underpinning this is your knowledge. You need to know everything about the product – both good and bad points – and have every base covered in terms of the questions you’re likely to be asked. In particular, you need to know the exact needs the product addresses and be able to tailor these according to your clients to make it relevant to them.
Know your market inside out
Never assume you know everything about your market. There’s always more to learn. The best sales professionals not only know their own product inside out and back-to-front, they also know everything about their competitors and what they offer. Armed with this knowledge, you can make sure you are prepared for any difficult questions from clients.
In addition, you should always stay on top of the latest news in the market. Has a company which may be interested in your product posted positive results? With economic conditions tough and many businesses struggling, any leads of this nature should be explored. At the same time, how do any developments in the market affect your job? Has new legislation been implemented that will make it easier or harder? Have your competitors updated or created a new product offering? You need to react to these changes quickly and effectively to ensure you stay on top of the game.
Think of failure as an opportunity
You will work on deals that fail. It’s inevitable. But what’s important is how you react to these disappointments. In fact, you should look on failures to close a deal as investments for the future. What have you learnt? How can you apply this to make success more likely next time? Could you go back to the client in the future when they may be more interested in your product? All these points will set you up for long-term success.
Looking for your next sales or marketing role? Search the latest opportunities.
If you have a friend looking for a new job, why not be rewarded for recommending Robert Walters? Learn more about our excellent referral scheme and refer your friend today.
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With businesses leveraging developments in technology to reach their target audiences in new and ever-changing ways, here are four key digital skills generalist marketers should master and demonstrate on their CV:
Web
Almost every business has its own web platform that can be accessed through one click. Marketers are often responsible for keeping company websites updated with fresh content and ensuring new elements enabled, as audiences nowadays are not looking for a static website.
Marketers must demonstrate their ability to use a mix of online and offline tools when building campaigns.
Social media
The rise in social media channels has made it quicker to connect with target markets in real time. Marketers should show that they are aware of the ongoing updates that social media platforms make and are confident at using these tools to target audiences.
Integration of online and offline channels
Implementing an integrated multi-channel marketing strategy has never been more vital. It is difficult to predict where consumers will hear about your business or brand. Marketers must demonstrate their ability to use a mix of online and offline tools when building campaigns.
Tools and platforms
New technology is changing the way marketers work. Marketers need to demonstrate that they have experience using a mix of technology tools and platforms for both marketing execution (e.g. email marketing tools, social sharing platforms) and marketing analysis (such as the CMS, CRM or Google Analytics) to best show case their marketing skills.
Looking for a new sales or marketing role? View the latest opportunities from Robert Walters.
Or if you have a friend looking for a new job, why not be rewarded for recommending Robert Walters? Learn more about our excellent referral scheme and refer your friend today.
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Brand management is a rewarding and expanding area within the marketing function, particularly within the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Here we provide insights on finding a new opportunity in this competitive and challenging area.
Getting into the industry
When it comes to brand management within FMCG, prior experience in a similar sector is crucial to securing mid to senior level jobs within most companies. Unless you are looking at entry level or junior positions, you may find it extremely difficult to move into FMCG marketing mid career. Marketing professionals from other consumer industries or advertising agencies may find contract roles an excellent way to gain some branding experience.
Market trends and opportunities
There is demand for good FMCG brand managers, not just within the FMCG industry. Brand managers are also extremely popular in other related consumer industries such as retail, mobile telecommunications, consumer electronics and consumer banking. Overall, accomplished brand managers with specialist sectoral experience will find challeneging new opportunities.
The truth about brand management
Marketing professionals may find it glamorous working for big names within the FMCG sector. The truth is - brand management is hard work because of the brand name at stake. As a brand manager, you will have to work long hours and juggle multiple deadlines. Key responsibilities include a broad spectrum of job functions, from brand strategy planning, advertising and promotions to market research and product development.
Marketing professionals from other consumer industries or advertising agencies may find contract roles an excellent way to gain some branding experience.
What employers are looking for
Employers will look for a creative mind and strong business acumen, a degree or an MBA in business management or marketing. They also look for professionals with good organisational skills and a meticulous nature. These are prerequisites within the FMCG sector since brand managers often have to manage multiple projects or product lines. Professionals with regional/multi-regional experience or knowledge in handling high profile brands and big budgets are also extremely attractive to employers as there is a shortage of professionals with international experience.
Your career path
As a brand manager, you can typically move into senior or group brand management roles within a larger organisation after more than five years’ experience, where you will oversee a portfolio of brands and lead a team. Successful managers can eventually move into marketing director or general management roles after more than eight years' experience.
Contact us
To explore your opportunities in marketing click here or alternatively contact Gemma Allen on +353 (0)1 633 4111 or email gemma.allen@robertwalters.com.
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