The Misconceptions of Marketing

There are plenty of people who hope to make a career in marketing. The problem is “marketing” is a very broad term. It does not provide a very comprehensive idea of what a marketing role actually entails. If you are considering marketing as a career, it is imperative to consider the field in a realistic way without any preconceived notions.
Marketing is present in every aspect of selling a product. It is the means itself, encompassing several different applications, such as market research and the establishment of a target audience, public relations and communication with that audience, and customer support once consumers begin to interact with the product.
To see the truth about marketing, let’s expose a few myths about the field.
Myth 1. It’s The Same As Advertising
Not quite. Marketing is an umbrella term that encompasses various subcategories. Advertising is just one part of the full picture. It usually refers to the paid efforts to create product awareness among a target audience.
Myth 2. Marketing Doesn’t Involve Sales
False. Marketing speculates how best to sell a product, while sales accomplishes the actual selling. While marketing and sales strategies may come from different avenues, they have a lot of overlap. Career blogger Tony Lee says “marketing means servicing customers, and that includes selling.” The main point of his article The Myth of Marketing Careers is that marketing skills alone do not make one hireable for a marketing position. What’s more important, especially at an entry-level, is having sales experience, or at least a willingness to attempt it.
This is because marketers need to understand how to gear a product toward a certain type of person in order to achieve results. Sales becomes the framework for understanding selling points and gearing advertisements toward user preferences. This gives the marketer ideas for strategizing campaigns, down to what platform, copy, and design to use. Denying a sales mindset leaves the marketer working in a vacuum with nowhere to begin.
Myth 3. It’s A Lone Wolf Job
Try again. Successful marketing demands collaboration with other departments, like sales, customer success, and operations. Marketers translate data into pertinent information about the product, customer, and the progress of campaigns. This is the type of work that everyone on the team needs to know about. Additionally, there is an ebb and flow to the strategies between departments depending on what is working and what isn’t. A marketer must be okay with their ideas being revised by other team members if the strategy is not going according to plan.
Myth 4. It’s All About Posting Content
While it may be important for a particular campaign to make daily posts to increase brand awareness and build a following, not every scenario requires this kind of strategy. It depends on the goal of a campaign, the type of consumer that is being targeted, the preferred platforms, and much more.
Moreover, a marketing role will likely require you to manage many projects at once. Adam Luckeroth of The Modus Blog says that to be a successful marketer, “you may need to manage a range of channels and keep them all in the air.”
It’s not about the one channel that will send sales through the roof or get the most likes. It’s about consistently expanding and optimizing the strategy so the product is reaching the type of people who will buy it more often, as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Whatever strategy is used will (and should!) be constantly evolving.
For instance, if your Twitter Ad campaign demonstrates success, you may want to also try to reach consumers on Facebook. So, you adapt the creative to fit the Facebook platform and target audience. Over time, you find your Facebook campaign is not performing as you had hoped, so you go back to the drawing board. You ask if there is a better design to advertise, or if you should try Instagram instead. The key to marketing strategy is having the ability to adapt a campaign in as many ways as are necessary to maximize outreach to target consumers.
Myth 5. You Need to Master Every Piece of Marketing
This mindset could make any job seem overwhelming. The truth is you should focus on becoming the best at one or two aspects of marketing. Learn how those skills give you an advantage. For example, become the one who is best at Excel and jump in to help others build their skill.
If you don’t know where to begin, start with the basics. Ash Read, the editorial director at Buffer, suggests anyone looking to switch to a career in marketing should consider honing “skills that will never become outdated.” These include communication, writing, and storytelling. For those with little marketing experience, daily practice and an understanding of how these skills provide value to the role is critical in an interview for an entry-level position.
Conclusion
Marketing is a field that is in constant evolution. With new technologies piling up daily, there will always be more to discover, test, and optimize. With a new perspective on what the real world of marketing entails, you can feel confident knowing you are making the right career choice, or at least not going in blind.