So, you’ve seen the work that marketers and agencies do and decided you want in on the fun. Or, maybe you’ve just binged Mad Men and you want to be the next Don Draper. We don’t blame you. Marketing is a fun and modern field to get into, and it rewards hard work and attention to detail.
The only problem is, you didn’t major in marketing and have little to no experience to showcase. No worries, the Wingspan team is here to help!
In this post, we’ll give you 4️⃣ tips for getting your foot in the door and developing your marketing skills.
Let’s get started.
1. 📍 Pinpoint which field of Marketing is for you
The term “Marketing” incorporates so many different roles and skillsets that it’s essential to narrow down to which field you think you’ll excel in. From digital to social media, SEO and e-commerce, there are a plethora of subsets to marketing that each play important roles. Consider your strengths and interests, then do some research to determine which aspect of marketing you’re best suited for. If you’re a skilled writer, social media and digital marketing could be great fields to get into. If you’re more into the technical side of things, an SEO specialist or website designer might be a better fit.
2. 📜 Bring your experience
It’s okay if you didn’t major in marketing. Nothing compares to real-world experience, and if you’re a good writer who is willing to push yourself and learn more about the field and its best practices, then you already have a leg up on some of the competition. Here at Wingspan, our employees come from a variety of fields and educational backgrounds. From Political Science and Art to Communications and Psychology, our company has a diverse skillset and we’re a better team because of it.
3. 👏 Start with your personal brand
It may sound weird, but we each carry a brand within ourselves. The way you talk, act, write and treat others are all factors that determine how people perceive you. Think of some of the celebrities and influencers you follow on social media. They’re well aware of their brand and everything they do is a conscious effort to reinforce your perception them.
Use your personal social media accounts to create a recognizable look and feel for those who visit your profiles. Practice creating a consistent voice and aesthetic within your channels and your profiles will serve as great examples of work for any employer looking to hire you.
4. 🧑💻 Utilize platforms like LinkedIn to promote your brand and connect with experts in the Marketing field
While this one may seem a bit obvious, it’s something that everyone on our team has utilized in some fashion to get where we are today. A major piece of advice we have for this is to find people who graduated from your university and are working in the field. This gives you an “in” by opening the door for you to connect with people inside the industry on a personal level.
You can also optimize your LinkedIn page to showcase your skills and interests. Although you may not have a background in marketing, skills in Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, Google Analytics and social media are all valuable. Use these to leverage your position as a future marketer and connect with others in the field. By building a network of local marketing agencies and entrepreneurs, you can be easily notified of career and learning opportunities near you. We hope this blog post will get you on the path to developing your marketing career. For more marketing tips and how-tos, check back with us as we post a new blog every month. Until then, good luck!