Several decades ago, the average person’s knowledge of marketing wavered between nothing and almost nothing.Today however, we repeatedly bandy about the expression in conversation. We all like to think we can do marketing.
This is because marketing has, in a very significant sense, taken over business. The marketing strategy and plan will power every business function and impact on just about every decision made.
How marketing works is important not only to those who work in marketing. Everyone who wishes to advance their career in whatever area of business, including owners, managers and consultants, has a duty to understand the guiding principles and current practices that define the key strategic function of marketing.
What are the stages leading up to the purchase-decision in the mind of the consumer? How do you spot and capitalise upon marketing opportunities? What is the target market? How is research gathered and analysed? What is the life cycle of the product? What do we mean by marketing mix? What are the forms of utility?What elements go into a marketing strategy? How is a marketing programme planned and delivered? All middle and upper tiers of management need to understand the language of marketing because the process of creating a compelling marketing message – and hence a sale – is the end point to which they are all working. Without it, there is no business.
If you can’t answer these questions, your effectiveness in meetings and key strategy debates will be at best minor and So vital is marketing that if you are not fully dialled-in regarding its methods and forms then you are likely to feel increasingly out of your depth in meetings or in your working life in general.It may be possible to pick stuff up on the job but finally you are likely to conclude that you are best served by embarking of a dedicated marketing management course. Achieving an accredited qualification not only shows you know what you are talking about, it also demonstrates commitment to refining your knowledge and broadening your skills set.
Besides your feelings of inadequacy of course, there is another, very large, elephant in the room that is beckoning you to boost your marketing skills: the Internet. The new marketing channels that have been created and the new types of marketing needed have created a vast new area of opportunity but also a bewildering new terrain in which there is an alarming potential of becoming stranded. The game has changed utterly and irrevocably, and nobody can claim to know exactly how things will develop.
To help ensure you get the most up-to-date knowledge the professional marketing tutors at BrightonSBM provide a range of marketing courses online (more details online) tailored to suit the different levels of time and commitment people are able to offer.The Edexcel Level 5 courses comprise the two-module Award, the three-module Certificate and the full six-module Diploma, with all courses able to be ‘topped-up’ to the higher qualification.For more info on how to acquire an online marketing diploma, go to the BrightonSBM website.