Marketing Specialist: responsibilities, skills and education



The article talks about:

Who is an advertising specialistWhere an advertising specialist can workThe realities of an advertising specialistHow much does an advertising specialist earnRequirements for an advertising specialistDuties of an advertising specialist6 directions for an advertising specialistTraining for an advertising specialistWhere to look for a job as an advertising specialistThe 7 best advertising professionals in the world as an example of the profession's prospects
Marketing Specialist: responsibilities, skills and education

A specialist in advertising is a widespread profession, which many yesterday's graduates dream of obtaining. There are faculties at Russian universities which specialize in training advertising managers and public relations (PR) workers. However, if you already have a university degree, it will be enough to finish the courses.

Specialization is good because it offers many professions: SMM-specialist, cryer, copywriter, tagger and many others. Everyone's salary is different, starting from 20-30 thousand rubles for beginners. How to become a specialist in advertising, what qualities and knowledge you need to possess, and whom to look up to, is described in detail below in the article.




Who is a specialist in advertising and marketing

A specialist in advertising is engaged in the planning, development and monitoring of marketing promotion. Representatives of this profession can also be called advertisers or advertising managers. They develop posters, videos, flyers, banners, and other promotional materials. To work in this field, you need to have a college degree and appropriate marketing skills.

Specialist in advertising as a profession on the job market in our country appeared not so long ago. Now it is one of the youngest specialties. Demand for advertisers in the former Soviet Union began to form only about 30 years ago.

During his professional life, this specialist solves problems associated with the popularization of the product (goods or services) and attracting consumers. For a specialist in advertising range of responsibilities is determined by the characteristics of the industry in which he needs to promote the product.
In the course of his work, he is engaged in the formation of advertising campaigns, looking for the most successful places to place marketing materials, taking into account the experience of colleagues and analysis of performance indicators.

This profession also has its disadvantages:

high responsibility;stiff competition;constantly keeping detailed records of all the steps taken.

Despite having a college degree in marketing, it is not easy to find a job as an advertising specialist, which is due to the high competition. When promoting a product, this specialist must select the best options to achieve the objectives and be responsible for his or her decisions.

Positive aspects in the work of the advertiser is considered the presence of prospects, decent wages and the ability to work remotely (both in the company and as a freelancer).




Where can work a specialist in marketing advertising

Specialists in advertising are in demand in a variety of areas. To sell inexpensive cosmetics, as well as to sell a powerful transformer, you need a good specialist. In small companies, and often at the start of a large business, promotion is the responsibility of the owner. He looks for markets, makes useful connections, etc. When the business expands, it becomes difficult for one person to combine managerial functions and the responsibilities of an advertising specialist.

Given this fact, the heads of medium and large enterprises create advertising departments or introduce the post of PR-specialist in the staffing table. Often the head of the marketing department is part of the top managers, whose decisions determine the profit of the company, but at the same time, errors can lead to significant losses. An advertising specialist can work both as a freelancer and as a staff member.

Another option for employment of a person who received such an education is associated with the work in a marketing agency. In this case, the responsibility of the specialist to the business is not as high as when working in the state of the company. Given the high level of competition, advertising agencies are doing everything possible to solve the problems of the client. They value their reputation and are attentive to feedback from customers.

Marketing agencies simultaneously work with a large number of clients, so managers do not have the opportunity for in-depth study of the specifics of each customer's business. There is simply not enough time for that. When working for a company, there is no such disadvantage. Immersion in the business of the company in this case will be a prerequisite for a specialist in advertising. However, let's note: working in the state of the company, you can only become a narrowly focused professional.




The realities of a specialist in advertising

In this section we will talk about the peculiarities of the life and work schedule of an advertising specialist. On each individual item you can have their individual assessment with a "plus" or "minus". Opinions vary, but the real situation is this:

90% of the time an advertising professional spends at a PC

In practice, an advertising professional is a person who is literally "tied" to a computer or laptop. He can stand, sit, lie down, but it must do some work using computer technology. One of the main tasks of the advertiser is to track a number of indicators.

It is important to know the cost of leads, conversion data, the effectiveness of ads, the quality of receiving calls and feedback from company managers, etc. You need to constantly monitor and reconcile the different metrics to see if they are in line with your intended customer service plan, or if you are off course.

Training. It is important to constantly improve your skills

The field of marketing today is evolving at an accelerated pace. Almost every day there are changes and new trends. Some tools that brought results just a few months ago, today are already becoming ineffective.

The advertising market is one of the fastest growing and changing markets. What worked six months ago is no longer as effective. Therefore, for an Internet advertising specialist, training is an ongoing process. It is important to use all available opportunities for this: courses, seminars, webinars, online consultations, etc. New knowledge should be obtained from both domestic and foreign sources.

Mathematical mindset

This point is interrelated with the first. An advertising professional must constantly analyze the results of his or her work, review numerous metrics, and understand the language of numbers. Sometimes you even have to wake up in the middle of the night to check if moderation passed, what budget was spent and what results it brought. Numbers will be a constant presence in your life.

It's normal to make a mistake

It's hard to get outstanding results without mistakes. Any experiment in advertising promotion is associated with the expenditure of financial resources. He may not be very successful. Be prepared for the fact that even after spending the planned budget, you will not always get the expected result. Avoiding such losses is helped by broader thinking and constant testing of different options.

The market has no boundaries

PR market is limitless. Clients of an advertising specialist can be businesses from different regions and even countries. Having provided the result on the promotion of a construction company in Omsk, you can repeat it in any other city. To offer your services, you can demonstrate available cases. It is important to provide the desired result.

You should not deceive the client, if you are not sure of your abilities, do not make unrealistic promises. You will only hurt yourself, and in the end there will be no customers, no profit.

You choose your own customer

In the advertising market now there is an incredible number of low-qualified professionals. It is important to do everything at least once at a good level, and you will get a lot of customers.

Show your breakthrough solution, the result you get, and your phone will be red-hot with calls from acquaintances and potential clients. You will choose with whom you want to cooperate, form the cost of your services, the size of the budget and how to provide a guarantee. You should not agree to work with a customer if there is a high probability of difficulties.

You can work anywhere

This is not a fairy tale condition, but an objective reality. Wherever you are: in the country, at a seaside resort or elsewhere, you can continue to work without being tied to one place. The only prerequisite for a specialist in advertising - is the availability of normal Internet. Remember that almost all of your working hours will be spent at a PC.

You can develop individual projects and your business

When, using their skills and the computer, you will be able to achieve high results in advertising and business growth, it is quite possible to open and your project. It doesn't matter if it's a service or a product. If you know how to bring in customers, then you can start a new business. It is only important to choose the right niche and find a strong partner.

Your role in such a collaboration will be to attract customers. If you are a good advertising professional, you can succeed. But when your skills are not up to date, it will be impossible to withstand the competition at the start of the business.

The results of the advertiser and the business have no limits

There is no limit to the number of clients you attract. You, as an advertising specialist, form the necessary conditions for the flow of the target audience. Therefore, it depends on you how much revenue the new project will have. Advertiser can choose with whom and on what terms to work. He is responsible for the quality of his life, so there are no limits for development.




How much does an advertising specialist earn?

The answer to the question of how much an average advertising specialist earns depends on the level of qualification, experience, region and business niche. In the capital, even a novice advertiser can earn $2000. In the regions, this figure can be a bit less. At the same time, experienced advertising specialists with their own baggage in the form of successful projects receive several times more. Those who work with leading foreign companies have higher incomes.

Marketing Specialist: responsibilities, skills and education

To become a true professional whose services are in demand in the advertising market, you need good knowledge and skills. If we talk about personal qualities, this specialist must be flexible and ready for constant self-education. The level of development of a person determines his success in interpersonal communication as well as in his work.




Advertising and marketing skills

A beginning advertising specialist, in order to reveal himself in the field of marketing, it is important to have a good baggage of knowledge, be communicative and have a proactive position. Positive qualities of personality and erudition greatly increase the effectiveness of work in this segment.

Here is a list of characteristics that someone who wants to become an advertising specialist should have:

stamina;effective communication skills;competent and delivered speech;creative thinking.

An advertising professional has a lot of contact with his customers and colleagues. In addition, from time to time he needs to analyze and study best practices, including those of foreign professionals, forming his solutions on this basis.

Marketing Specialist: responsibilities, skills and education

To work as a specialist in advertising, you need to have a clear understanding of the basics of the market economy, management, marketing, technology work with PR-campaigns. In addition, you will need skills in the design of PR materials and the formation of effective ideas for promotion. Knowledge of:

normative documents that regulate legal relations in this sphere;formation technologies and the latest techniques for collecting information;rules of business communication.

Basic knowledge can be acquired during higher education. Practical skills are formed and improved in the course of own activity. The experience gained will be the factor that will ensure career growth.




Duties of an Advertising Specialist

In the position of a specialist in advertising duties primarily depend on where he works: in a marketing agency, media, TV, a commercial company. As a rule, this professional performs the following functions:

Development of marketing event plans;Analysis of the market situation, target customer, product to develop effective advertising;Ordering or personally developing PR texts, banners or videos;Supervision of subordinate employees.

Experienced advertising specialists most often solve organizational issues, and the specific performers are mostly novice employees (study the market, develop promotional materials, etc.).




6 marketing professions

When the main job coincides with a hobby - it's incredible luck. Not many people can boast that they have a creative job and enjoy it. Becoming an advertising specialist is a good decision that allows you to combine your hobby with your profession. If you like creativity, writing, inventing and generating creative ideas, you might want to check out the list of jobs that are in demand in advertising:

Copywriter

The task of such a specialist is to write sales content (calls to action, storis, scripts of video clips, etc.). One of the most important responsibilities of a copywriter is to develop slogans for a brand or marketing campaign, taking into account the wishes of the customer. The professionalism of such a specialist is in the ability to beautifully express the main idea.

And it is necessary to do it in such a way as to arouse the consumer's interest. The copywriter is fully responsible for working with texts (writing, design, correction). This is a very important element of advertising. Texts are distinguished by their easy perception by both people and search engines. The high demand for good copywriters that exists now will remain so in the future.

Art Director

He is an advertising professional who manages projects. He needs both organizational and creative abilities. The functional duties of an art director depend on the place of work:

In entertainment, the art director is involved in selecting repertoire, organizing concert activities and holding various events.In advertising agencies you need to carry out the development and implementation of interesting PR-ideas.
In a publishing house, an art director designs books, brochures, magazines, etc.
Marketing Specialist: responsibilities, skills and education

When working in a design studio will need to engage in the formation of an individual style of the company's product (goods or services). In accordance with job duties, such a specialist will develop a brand concept, package design, etc. (taking into account the requirements of the customer).

Creative Director

A position whose name comes from the English word "create. This is a kind of creative director. The main duties of such a specialist is the organization of the advertising agency and coordination of all its employees. To realize his tasks, the creative director should develop new ideas, determine prospective areas of company development, and carry out business planning.

Social Media Marketing manager

The job title uses the abbreviation of the term Social Media Marketing. This position should be a specialist in advertising in Instagram, Facebook, VK and other social networks. His tasks are to stimulate the sale of the brand, the product, the company. SMM-manager takes part in the formation of a strategy and the calculation of the promotion budget.

He should create and maintain communities in social networks, fill them with useful content and attract subscribers. This manager is an opinion leader. He stimulates users to communicate, organizes promotions, works with objections and feedback, and manages targeting and contextual advertising.

Creator

He is the manager responsible for the development of a company's corporate identity. His task is to implement the wishes of the customer in various advertising tools (texts, videos, PR-projects). The work of the designer is aimed at forming public opinion about the company and its product. Such a specialist works closely with art managers and copywriters. Nowadays experienced media designers are in high demand on the Advertisement and Public Relations market.

Media Designer

He takes part in the development of games, virtual objects, PR materials and other works for the media. Advertising design can be compared to a living organism that reacts to market changes and is fueled by promising trends. The central figure in this process is the media and advertising designer. He defines the form and content of a PR campaign while working on it.

Professionalism and an unconventional approach are especially valued in marketing. Only when these components are in place can PR campaigns be successful and generate good revenues. An effective advertising specialist who is open to creative solutions will always be in demand.




Training for an Advertising Specialist

Casual people, if they come into this specialty, don't last long. The advertising specialist or head of the marketing department a priori must have a higher profile education. For admission you should choose the university that has a specialization in "Advertising and Public Relations (PR)".

There is a fairly wide choice of universities that recruit students for training in this specialty. Get higher education in this area can be both in the capital and in different regions. The main subjects in which you will need systematic knowledge for admission - literature, language and history.

Do not let yourself be guided by the idea that after obtaining a diploma you are automatically assured of success. In the initial stage of employment as a specialist in advertising need to work hard and diligently, as well as gain perspective acquaintances.

Over time, you should try to open your own agency. Note that those advertisers who have a wider circle of acquaintances have a better chance of high income. It is also important to constantly work on improving your knowledge and mastering new PR tools. In this profession, you can't stop.

How to choose a training course

It is not uncommon to see examples where advertising specialists become members of other professions. Press secretaries, event organizers and sales managers have good potential in this field. Special courses can be the first step to entering the profession in question. It is important to choose the right training programs that are really useful.

You have to figure out what you want to get out of it: useful knowledge or a "magic" solution for enrichment. When choosing a specialty course, be sure to get information on its author, especially in the context of the profession. It's a bad signal if the classes are taught by a trainer whose catalog includes materials on various topics.

Marketing Specialist: responsibilities, skills and education

Pay attention to the duration of the training as well. You should understand that it is impossible to master the specialty of advertising in 3-4 hours. Analyze the reviews (they should be real) of those who have already been trained by the selected trainer. Often course organizers provide the opportunity to see a demo lesson.

This allows you to evaluate the level of teaching and the quality of the materials. At the initial stage of training you can be limited to free lessons. In open access, you can get up to 80% of the information that will be useful for the profession of advertising.

Much more effort will be needed to become a PR specialist after graduating from a technical college. The best option in such a situation is to get a second higher specialized education. And already after that you can start to get experience of independent work as a beginning advertiser. A creative person who is willing to learn and master the skills of a PR manager will succeed in this field regardless of age.




Where to look for a job as an advertising specialist

You should start by writing your resume. If you are confident that you are a good advertising professional, it is worth using all available channels to find a job:

Keep in touch with as many people as possible (acquaintances, fellow students, colleagues, relatives, neighbors, etc.). Find out the occupation of each of them and offer your services.

Regularly look through Internet resources that are focused on job hunting. There are a lot of such sites these days.

Send your resume to companies that are posting jobs as an advertising specialist. Do not limit yourself to a minimum number. Do at least five letters to increase your chances significantly.

Start maintaining your social media groups. Experiment with settings, descriptions, directions. Such activity will allow you to build your own audience and promote yourself as a brand.

The profession of a specialist in advertising remains I the profession of a specialist in advertising is still relevant and in demand on the market. Prospects in this sphere are quite high. In the modern situation only high quality advertising can provide stable success of product, trade mark or company. Professionally adjusted PR-campaign provides key advantage in competitive struggle.

There is no doubt that this profession has its disadvantages, which are expressed in a high responsibility for the result and a large percentage of risk. But the advantages of the profession are so impressive that they outweigh all the disadvantages: a high level of salary, stable demand on the labor market, opportunities for professional and career growth.




The world's top 5 advertisers

Albert Lasker: air salesman

Born into a family of a German banker from Texas, he is the founder of a PR direction in the form of a creative agency where sales texts are created. All in all, he can safely be called the de facto creator of advertising of our time. He was the first to understand the essence of marketing.

In his opinion, advertising should both provide the customer with complete information about the product, and encourage him to make a purchase. Albert Lasker had a unique talent, he could easily make anyone buy anything. At the same time he called himself modestly - "the apostle of obviousness".

Albert Lasker contributed to the successful development of many well-known companies and their products, such as Lucky Strike cigarettes, Pepsodent toothpaste, Kleenex wipes, Kotex tampons, Palmolive soap, Goodyear tires. He was the first to get the idea for radio advertising. Thanks to him almost everyone in the U.S. began to drink a glass of orange juice in the morning, believing how much vitamins it contains.

Together with Bernays, Lasker popularized smoking among women. For this purpose, famous Hollywood stars were invited to advertising projects: Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Marlene Dietrich. This idea can only justify the fact that the Americans at that time were not yet aware of the terrible dangers of smoking and its effects on cancer cells. However, it is interesting that the charity that Lasker founded funded cancer research.

George Gallup: All for ratings

George Gallup was trained as a graduate political scientist; his father was a landowner from Iowa. He is the founder of the American Institute of Public Opinion. The use of opinion polls in advertising was first noticed by George Gallup. He laid out the ideal formula for success. To achieve it, it is necessary to be liked by the majority.

Rating as a concept became widespread thanks to Gallup. Even his marriage took place only because his future wife was elected beauty queen of the university. In his opinion, most people can do no wrong. However, he fell for his own trick, and his marriage was a resounding failure.

Advertising in the form of narrative comics and the use of female nudity in advertising projects were pioneered by Gallup. Over time, he came to the conclusion on which the entire PR industry is based today: it is important to sell not the product itself, but the associations it brings - health, attractiveness, sexuality, power, success. We can only guess how public consciousness would have changed thanks to George Gallup, because he chose to go into politics.

He had a skill for predicting, for example, election results. Popularity for most Hollywood films of the time came with Gallup's participation. For example, he proved that Gone with the Wind was not a war film, but a melodrama. This is how the saga is remembered by audiences.

David Ogilvy: advertising is an exact science

Ogilvy was an Englishman who spent his childhood in the home of Lewis Carroll. He did not manage to graduate from Oxford, but was perfectly able to create a career in the United States. He initially tried his hand as a salesman, and later worked for George Gallup's agency. The Ogilvy Group is one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, which is owned by David Ogilvy.

He is the author of several books that contain advertising theory, its laws ("ogilvisms") and aphorisms. An example of "Ogilvism" is the expression, "Never create an advertisement you wouldn't want your family to see."

Ogilvy was able to turn advertising into a gold-dusting attraction for customers. He figured out that PR has a duty to communicate to the potential buyer the purpose for which they need the purchase. According to Ogilvy, an ad that gives the viewer useful information will stick in his memory better than a text that consists only of a description of the product.

Applying this principle, he was able to write one of the most brilliant advertising texts in history. It was about the Rolls-Royce model, marketed under the headline "At 60 miles per hour, the loudest sound in this new Rolls-Royce is made by an electronic clock. Such global companies as Shell and American Express were made famous by Ogilvy's ads.

Rosser Reeves: the maximum effect at minimum cost

He is the head of the advertising agency Ted Bates & Co. Reeves was able to create his career in the 50's, during the Great Depression. He is the author of the UTP technique, the unique selling proposition. Rosser Reeves explains the gist of every commercial's message: "Buy this product and you will get this benefit.

Rosser Reeves recruited actors for the commercial who were dressed in robes and played doctors giving "authoritative" recommendations. He managed to make more money on a short clip that was 59 seconds long over a seven year rotation than the most popular movie, Gone with the Wind, did over 25 years. Rosser Reeves promoted the headache drug Anacin.

The video very colorfully demonstrated the suffering of a man with a headache. According to the author's idea, in the skull of the patient sounded hammer blows and lightning flashes.

In addition, Reeves created one of the longest-running slogans that almost everyone is familiar with today: "M&Ms - melt in your mouth, not in your hands!" This ad was invented more than 50 years ago. Another effective slogan is well known in the U.S.: "Colgate also freshens your breath while you're brushing your teeth. Reeves has also proven himself in political advertising. He worked with the Eisenhower campaign in 1952.

Leo Burnett: master of the art from advertising

Burnett studied journalism and was a crime reporter for the print media. This work and his particular way of thinking contributed to his passion for "image advertising. He believed it was important to show the product in the most effective way. Afterwards Leo created Leo Burnett advertising agency, which is one of the biggest in the world, and includes more than 300 subdivisions.

He was credited with the optimistic saying, which has become an aphorism: "Trying to get a star in the sky, you may not always get what you want, but you certainly won't end up with a lump of dirt in your hand.

Leo Burnett had a unique gift for adding aestheticism to just about anything. He was able to convince millions of consumers that raw sirloin looks very attractive. A PR campaign for the Meat Institute (USA) featured an aesthetic image of a red piece of beef on a photo with the same background. The unpretentious "Red on Red" ad was an unbelievable success.

Another of Burnett's PR masterpieces is the legendary "Marlboro cowboy." The images that were taken to promote this brand are considered a breakthrough in the photographic art. The backstory of the cowboy image was due to the fact that at the time, many considered filter cigarettes to be feminine. Leo invented a masculine character to attract the attention of men.

The use of fictional characters in advertising became Burnett's real thing. For example, he created Tony the tiger cub to promote corn flakes and the Jolly Green Giant for canned vegetables. Such images appealed to kids and captivated adults, who went back to childhood memories. Currently, Leo Burnett Corporation creates bright advertising campaigns for such giants as Coca-Cola, Cadbury, McDonald's, Kellog, Nintendo, etc.

Read also:

Withholding TaxGeneral Accepted Accounting StandardsLetter Of IntentWhat is scarcityYear-to-dateLong-Term LiabilitiesNon-Disclosure AgreementChief Operating OfficerReturn on InvestmentChief Marketing OfficerChief Financial OfficerAsset Protection TrustChief Security OfficerCertified Financial PlannerElectronic Funds TransferLimited Liability CompanyClose of BusinessCompany FinanceCash FlowAutomated Teller MachineReturn on EquityStagnation meaningCertified Management AccountantNon-Profit OrganizationCertified Financial ManagerChief Technology OfficerProfit and Loss StatementGross Margin




Business and Finance terms

Withholding Tax General Accepted Accounting Standards Letter Of Intent Scarcity Year-to-date Long-Term Liabilities Non-Disclosure Agreement Chief Operating Officer Return on Investment Chief Marketing Officer Chief Financial Officer Asset Protection Trust Chief Security Officer Certified Financial Planner Electronic Funds Transfer Limited Liability Company Close of Business Company Finance Cash Flow Automated Teller Machine Return on Equity stagnation Certified Management Accountant Non-Profit Organization Certified Financial Manager Chief Technology Officer Profit and Loss Profit and Loss Statement Gross Margin