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Can you be a Good Marketer Without a College Degree?

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Can you be a Good Marketer Without a College Degree?

Many people feel like they need a degree from a university to be a good marketer.  This is completely false.  While a university degree can help provide a structured learning process to acquire the skills, it’s not a requirement.  Learning how to be a successful marketer can come from experiences gained in the field.  It can also be something that people are born with.  In the US, there are several paths that you can take to learn what makes a good marketer, and we will provide some direction for your career path.  There are a lot of roads to take that don’t include getting a college degree, and are effective in helping you become a solid career marketer.

What makes a good marketer?

A lot of ideas surrounding what makes a good marketer are subjective.  There are several thoughts and ideas around this topic.  There are a lot of varying opinions, but the bottom line is that there are certain qualities that a person can develop.  Anybody can work hard to strengthen their marketing skills and learn how to be a better marketer.  Some of these skills include:

1 – Analytical Capacity – it’s a strong skill to be able to look through information to find the important data points and report them in a concise manner 

2 – Communication – as in all positions, communication with the client is key to make sure everyone is on the same page

3 – Writing – developing writing skills and knowing how to appeal to the audience helps you be more effective in marketing

4 – Visual Editing – videos and images convey messages, so knowing how to create and edit those will help you be a better marketer.

5 – Creativity – you can stand out when you are unique. This is a huge skill to develop.

6 – Teamwork – Working solo is great, but most of the great marketing plans come from group discussion.  Being able to work with a team is a great skill to have.

7 – Curiosity – learning how to wonder if what is created can be improved in any way is helpful.  Learning new technologies and being willing to be flexible are important.


These skills came from several CMOs that responded when they are looking for a good marketer, the top qualities they identify. In an article written by cyberclick, it outlined these skills. (https://www.cyberclick.net/numericalblogen/7-qualities-of-a-good-marketer-according-to-cmos)

Start with the Foundation of the Theory

Just like with anything, when you are starting something new you need to focus on the basics.  Focusing on the foundation will help you establish the building blocks to grow and figure out what specific content you want to focus on.  Learning the basics is similar to when you learn the alphabet, you begin with ABC before being able to move on to finish the rest.  As soon as you master the basics and the foundation of the theory, you are then able to branch out and find what you are passionate about.  Marketing can provide a wide variety of different career paths.  Depending on what type of marketing you want, to the niche you resonate with, your required skillsets will be much different.  For example, creating and executing a marketing plan for hotel chains can be very different from doing the same for lawyer marketing services.  You need to take the time to figure out where your passion lies, and while doing so get to understand the basics that are consistent regardless of the niche that you choose. 

Practice What You Learn, on Your Website

One of the best things you can learn on how to be a better marketer is to immediately implement those things which you are beginning to study.  As you gain the knowledge, it’s important to keep those concepts up to date and fresh, you need to do more than just study.  Creating and developing your own website will give you a platform to be able to practice.  As you develop your website, you can be confident that when you have clients that need similar results, you can be well prepared to provide the services that they need.  Once you are able to practice the skill sets you are learning a few times, you will find that it will become easier to do.  You will then be able to have a stronger website that you can market, and you’ll be able to replicate that for your future clients!

Choose a Specialization

Something that can be done to learn how to be a successful marketer is to avoid becoming a jack of all trades.  Figure out the things that you are drawn to and have a little more passion about and begin to focus on specializing in those things.  As you become passionate about your positioning and the skillsets you chose.  Instead of being able to do a lot of things pretty well, you can do a couple or a few things at an expert level.  This can help you stand out from all of the other marketers due to your specific skillset.  From social media to content marketing to email marketing and using mediums from text to graphics to video, there are plenty of options. You may even jump to the leadership route and manage a team of marketers if you take a graduate diploma in project management. Again, focusing on just a couple of areas where you are specialized in not only helps you stand out, it also helps you understand who to approach, and how you can market yourself.

Find a Mentor

Everyone who is great has started from somewhere.  Finding a mentor who has been in the positions you are currently in is key to help you learn and grow quicker.  If you can develop a relationship with someone who is in a position where you want to go, you will increase the rate of speed to get there.  A mentor is someone who has more experience and can help you in your career path.  Sometimes it is difficult to find a person to develop that relationship with.  If you find it difficult to find a mentor, or feel like hiring someone as an expert is too out of budget.  You have other options. Forbes has an amazing article to guide anyone to find, listen to, and read leading experts’ books. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/henrydevries/2018/03/07/how-to-find-a-marketing-mentor/?sh=6bfbba2b361b).  You can take advantage of their expertise and experience through books.

Try to get into a Marketing Agency or Freelance

One way for you to get great experience is to freelance or get a full-time job.  If you want to get in-depth with a specific company in a niche or industry you are interested in.  Learning while on the job can be helpful while you work on your own website and other marketing things on the side.  If you would rather not get a full-time job, there are several opportunities and places where you can do freelance work.  Presenting yourself and your abilities to small businesses can be another way for you to get the experience that you need.  As you get a variety of clients, you will learn a broader range of niches and the different nuances for marketing.

Stay Updated

There are so many constants that happen in marketing.  There are even more trends that come and go.  It’s important for you to stay relevant and keep your clients happy to learn these new trends.  If you don’t have clients yet, it’s important to stay relevant so you can build up your client base. Some of the trends that may happen that you need to be aware of:

Technology – There is always a new trend and new updates

Influencers – Influencer marketing continues to grow, and needs to be considered

Strategy – Higher strategy continues to climb higher and needs to be aware of

Digital Jobs – Digital jobs continue to grow, and will continue to grow

Less is more – simplification is key to capture the target audience’s attention

There are other things to keep in mind, but these five areas are major trends that will assist you to continue forward with marketing.

Conclusion

A handful of key things are available to you that can establish you as a successful marketer.  If you learn the foundation and begin to implement those things right away, that can be one of the best approaches to starting this new career.  Get experiences whether a full-time job or by freelancing.  As you are doing this, pick one or two areas to focus on and become an expert in.  You don’t need to know a little bit about everything, figure out those few areas you are passionate about and focus on those.  Get a mentor or an expert to listen to and get ideas on how to move forward as you are growing and progressing in your marketing career.  As you begin to do this, and if you can stay constant in doing it, you can also begin to develop successful strategies to succeed in your marketing career!

Description:  There is a wide range of marketing pathways. Becoming a successful marketer takes humility and a willingness to learn and grow. Focusing on a few key things can ensure your marketing career success.

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Product Marketing in 2024: 5 Steps to Guarantee Success

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product marketing

Marketing is an ever-evolving industry, and company directors who do not understand that will get left in the dust in 2024.

Marketing strategies and tactics are the only way to set your product or service apart from your competition.

In an increasingly demanding world, consumers and customers want more – for less. That is the nature of consumerism, and the only way to give your business the upper hand is to embrace the notion of selling.

To guarantee the success of a new product or service entering the market in 2024, you need to think creatively and prioritize intuitive strategies. Follow these five simple steps below for the most effective rollout strategy:

  1. Create Hype

There is something uniquely magical about a product launch that employs a hype-generating element.

Getting consumers and customers excited about your product long before they even know what it is, is such a powerful moment for any marketing team.

Timing is everything with this specific tactic, so thoroughly research your market before launching your concept.

  • Customer-Generated Content

In the modern world, trust is not given freely.

So many product launches are over-promised and grossly under-deliver, leaving customers disappointed and even feeling scammed.

By implementing a strategy of using customer-generated content in your marketing plan, you can show the world (and potential customers) that your product is worth their time and money, generating new leads.

  • Offer Exemplary Service

With the world literally at your customer’s fingertips, there is a good chance that they have seen and heard it all by now.

There are likely multiple products or services already on the market that are similar to yours – your job is to set yours apart from the rest.

An effective way to do that is to offer an exemplary customer experience for all new and existing customers. Product marketing is only roughly 50% product; the rest is experience-based.

To learn more about product marketing, click here.

  • Discount Codes

When launching a new product or service, your main goal should be to generate brand awareness. Do not expect much at first, particularly if you are a new brand.

To entice customers into making a purchase, offer discount codes to new buyers or coupon codes for repeat business. These costs should all get built into your product pricing models so you never run the risk of losing profit.

  • Embrace Multi-Platform Marketing

A few decades ago, product marketing strategies involved three main platforms: television, radio, and print media. If you had something to sell, all you needed to do was buy the proportionate ad space for your product.

Life is not so simple anymore, and there are multiple platforms where a company can advertise a new product or service – but it will take a bit more work from the marketing team.

Find your customers online, and advertise where they are commonly found – on social media platforms. Adopt a multi-platform marketing strategy and you will likely hit the bull’s eye.

To End

Product marketing is far from rocket science, but it is a science. The science behind the psychology of marketing is an awe-inspiring one – and when it is right, and works better than you could ever have imagined, that feeling never gets old.

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Generating New Leads: 3 Strategies A Company and Its Marketing Team Should Implement

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Generating New Leads

Cast your mind back to the last purchase you made. Did you see an advertisement and then decide to buy? Or did you research the business/product and then make your purchase? Either way, over 51% of sales professionals admitted that lead generation was one of the most challenging aspects of their jobs.

However, new ways to generate leads are being discovered daily, and popular techniques used by marketing teams today might not be used in a year or so. Therefore, your team must constantly devise and trial new ways to generate leads so that you can evolve your strategy.

From using webchat software to asking satisfied consumers for testimonials, you can use many ways to update your practices. To help you, we’ve outlined several strategies your company and marketing team should implement below.

Implement A Live Receptionist Service

Between providing personalized customer experiences, gathering customer data, and juggling many more day-to-day tasks, receptionists often have a lot on their plate. So much so, that more and more businesses are turning to an external live receptionist service to help balance the workload.

These live receptionists can answer calls straight away, and help keep your leads intact. With certain live receptionist services, you will be able to set up your own preferences, allowing you to receive immediate notifications if you so wished.

For more information about a live receptionist service, consider visiting providers’ websites like Signpost. Using their live receptionist service, your business can delight customers with local receptionists, answer queries, and much more. Visit their website or contact them directly for more information today.

Create A Social Media Presence

With over 302.25 million American users on social media, in today’s digital age, businesses need to have an excellent social media presence to market their products/services, engage with consumers, post-marketing campaigns, and much more. Due to this, social media can be a valuable tool for generating leads and one that your marketing team should take advantage of.

You can do this by engaging with the right focus groups, connecting with like-minded professionals, creating engaging content, creating polls that customers can engage with, commenting on third-party posts, and much more – all of which can tempt leads to engage with your posts and potentially make a purchase.

Ask Repeat Customers For Testimonials

Another way that your company and marketing team can generate leads is directly from your loyal customers themselves. Collectively Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, and Yelp are home to 88% of all customer reviews, and due to this, it is easier than ever for customers to research companies and their products/services.

Therefore, it would be a wasted opportunity for businesses not to use their customers as a lead generation technique by asking them to leave testimonials. Whether it’s a written review or a short clip of them talking about your products/services – don’t hesitate to ask your loyal customers for testimonials. You can publish these on your social media pages and company website, as these will resonate with your prospects and turn leads into prospective customers.

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Top 12 Benefits of White Label Marketing

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White Label Marketing

Company growth can be tricky, but it’s one of the problems business owners typically enjoy. Still, being overwhelmed by growing clients can create management problems and become a strain on your current crew. 

While you can hire more employees, you’ll also have to hire more management, which can significantly reduce your profit. Moreover, if you can’t sustain your company’s growth, you’ll have to fire some of the staff, damaging morale. Also, retaining top talent can be challenging.

Luckily, you can outsource some of the work to a white-label agency to help you overcome challenges associated with business growth. In addition, you will be able to fill crucial work and technical holes and provide your clients with more services.

Keep reading for other benefits you can get if you partner with a white-label agency.

What Is White-Label Marketing?

White-label marketing is a type of marketing where a company uses another business’ marketing services under its name. In other words, the marketing company makes marketing content under the name of the company that hired it. For instance, a company that specializes in SEO can use white-label marketing to reach a marketing crew that can offer content writing and graphic design.

That said, white-label marketing can include different parts of a marketing campaign. The company can decide to use it for its entire marketing plan or just for one or more services, including SEO, social media, website design, email marketing, digital marketing advertisements, etc.

How Does White-Label Marketing Work?

If a company offers marketing services and has many clients that need various specialized services, it can outsource some of the work instead of hiring more employees for each service. 

In that case, the company can offer many different services under its own name while another company handles the tasks.

What Are the Benefits of White-Label Marketing?

White-label marketing offers numerous benefits, including reduced costs and access to advanced tools. That’s especially true for full-service marketing companies.

Here are 12 other reasons to consider using white-label marketing.

1. Position Yourself as a Full-Service Agency

One-stop agencies can more easily attract and retain clients but may experience some blockages along the way as not many companies can afford to hire a broad team of specialists like developers, SEO specialists, content writers, graphic designers, etc. 

However, using white-label marketing enables you to position your business as a full-service company that offers various specialized services like Google Ads, SEO, copywriting, website design, social media, etc.

2. More Time to Spend on Other Projects

With white-label marketing, you can spend more time on other business projects. For example, an outside agency may focus on developing new design products, ultimately saving you the time you can use to focus on what your business is best at. Ultimately, this will result in satisfied employees and clients and quality work.

3. Avoid Unreliable Freelancers

If you tried to work with freelancers to offer additional services, you likely discovered they can be unreliable. Even if you find a trustworthy freelancer, they may move to other opportunities. On the other hand, white-label partnerships will likely develop into long-term relationships that boost both businesses.

While high-quality white-label partners can be more expensive than freelancers, they ensure deadlines are met, projects are completed to high standards, and communication is responsive. Moreover, you can check their trustworthiness through their reviews, previous clients, case studies, and testimonials.

4. Reduced Expenses

By using a white-label marketing services provider, you can avoid several costs associated with maintaining in-house specialists, including salaries, benefits, and training costs. Moreover, you can reduce your overhead expenses by using another company’s technology and expertise.

5. Leverage the Power of Social Media

Social media is an effective marketing tool as it allows you to build brand awareness, boost engagements, run campaigns, educate consumers, and increase conversions. Still, scheduling social media posts won’t get you more active followers or a return on investment (ROI). 

While social listening can help you measure brand sentiments and attract social conversations and brand mentions on significant platforms, social monitoring experts aren’t easily found, and social listening tools can get pretty pricey.

Fortunately, white-label companies have access to expensive tools and knowledgeable resources that allow you to leverage social media to reach your goals. Apart from that, it can save you both time and money you would otherwise spend on researching, buying tools, training, and hiring.

6. Evaluate Your Social Media Strategy and Campaigns

A white-label marketing agency will provide valuable consultations on social media strategies and campaigns and help you improve them to suit your client’s needs. 

Let’s say your crew has developed effective messaging to support your campaign and beautiful graphics to engage the audience. In this case, your white-label partner will suggest the right language, tone, or imagery to boost your campaign’s effect. Moreover, they can guide you on the right hashtags and story angles to boost your visibility.

7. Keep Up with Algorithm Changes

Social media platforms frequently change their algorithms to improve user experience. However, this often translates to reduced organic visibility. Fortunately, skilled white-label partners can develop strategies based on the algorithm changes by boosting the organic content with paid advertising.

White-label companies have professionals who will examine algorithm changes and tweak their strategies to suit the new algorithm. And while they’re at it, you can focus on what you’re doing best.

8. Access Advanced Tools

Financing different tools and software to power your agency can get expensive. But when you work with a white-label company, you can access advanced tools like keyword research tools and backlinking software at no additional cost other than what you pay your white-label partner.

Besides having access to tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs, they may also use tools like Canca and Adobe Photoshop, which can help you complete different tasks you couldn’t have done otherwise.

9. Effective Content Marketing

Effective content marketing revolves around new content that provides value. When reselling white-label content, the curation and promotion teams ensure high-quality, timely delivery, and outstanding marketing. And once the content is ready, you, the white-label firm, and the client will promote it to reach your goals because you’ve all worked on it.

10. Boost Client Retention

With a white-label marketing services provider delivering services, you can focus on client relationships and act as a full-service marketing agency, helping them achieve their marketing goals. In other words, you won’t have to reject a client’s request if you don’t have in-house abilities. This way, you can promote brand loyalty.

11. Attract More Clients

Naturally, the more marketing services you can offer, the more clients you can attract. That’s especially true if you have a reputation for offering quality services. And with more spare time, you can work on your pitches and focus more on bringing new clients, rather than handling everyday service tasks.

12. Access to White Label Reports

Explaining SEO audit reports can be tricky. But a white-label company has skilled professionals who understand data and know how to determine trends, which makes explaining complex reports much more manageable.

Moreover, white-label reports are rendered, so your clients don’t know it’s your white-label partner doing the work – everything is under your name. This can help you build strong client relationships and retain them.

Is White Labeling for You?

After reading this article, you know a thing or two about white-label marketing, how it works, and most importantly, the many benefits it offers, including reduced costs, better client retention, more time to focus on your core strengths, and access to white-label reports, to name a few.

That said, partnering with a white-label marketing services provider can be what your company needs to grow. That’s especially true if you’re a small business. If you’re still unsure about whether you should use white labeling or not, feel free to consult the agency of your choice, and they’ll be happy to give you all the answers.

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