Is Marketing a Good Career?

Are you asking yourself “is marketing a good career?” If you are, you have come to the right place. This article will tell you what marketing is, general types of marketing, traditional media vs digital marketing, marketing careers, and how to get into marketing. All of this will be covered to help you decide if marketing is a good career or not.

There are plenty of factors to take into consideration when choosing a career path. Perhaps you are wondering if you should major in marketing in college. Marketing is a good career path but the real question is it the right path for you? The article will tell you all you need to know about marketing to make that decision.

What is Marketing?

Before you can answer the question of “is marketing a good career?” you need to know what exactly marketing is. A basic definition of marketing is that it is the set of activities a company undertakes to promote the buying or selling of a product or service. This includes advertising, selling, and delivering products to consumers or other businesses.

It is important to realize marketing is more than just selling and promoting. The core aspects of marketing are satisfying customers wants and needs and exchanging goods and services for money.

This is where the marketing mix, or the four P’s, comes into place. The four P’s are product, price, place, and promotion. Product focuses on creating value and making your product, service, or idea something that people really want. Price centers on capturing the value people are willing to pay for your offering. Place is the process of delivering the value.

This is the retail place where you sell your product and is the base way for getting your product to your customers. This can include a website, storefront, direct by mail, infomercial, etc. Lastly, promotion refers to communicating value. This is when you let people know about your product.

These four P’s work together to create the marketing mix for a company to market a product or service, and can be used to create marketing strategies. 

General Types of Marketing

There are different types of marketing and they differ based on what you are marketing. They include product marketing, service marketing, person marketing, place marketing, cause marketing, and organization marketing.

Product marketing is the type of marketing you probably think about when you think of marketing. This is when you are trying to sell products and thinking of different ways to do so. Service marketing is when you are trying to sell a specific service. For example, these services can include education, accounting, and law services.

Person marketing is most commonly used for politicians. It is when you are trying to inspire people to have a positive opinion about a specific person.

Place marketing is when you are trying to inspire people to go to a destination. It includes promoting a place like Chicago or an event like Coachella. Cause marketing is when you promote a cause that people believe in. An example of cause marketing is promoting Breast Cancer Awareness. Organization marketing is when you are marketing with the goal to have people donate money to an organization.

Digital Marketing vs Traditional Media

Similar to how there are different types of marketing based on what exactly you are promoting, there are different marketing fields based on how you go about promoting that product or service. Two of the most common marketing fields are digital marketing and traditional media. Both of these marketing fields can market your product or business but they do so differently.

Firstly, there is digital marketing. This is what SEO Design Chicago focuses on. Digital marketing is all of the marketing activities that occur online or are created via the Internet. It can be broken down even further into more types of marketing.

Digital marketing campaigns include social media marketing, email marketing, affiliate marketing, pay-per-click (PPC), search engine optimization (SEO), earned media, paid media, and owned media.

Traditional media is how marketing originally began. It was how companies marketed their product or service before the creation of the Internet. This form of marketing occurs on print ads, television ads, and billboards.

There are a few key differences between digital marketing and traditional media. In general, digital marketing provides a much larger platform than traditional marketing. On the other hand, digital marketing does not have the same social authority and credibility of traditional media. The ladder marketing field means more to people.

The Internet and social media are not always the most reliable sources. Lastly, traditional media has the permanence that digital marketing does not. With digital marketing, it is easier to instantly make edits or remove your work. With traditional media, it is permanent. Let’s say your company creates a billboard to market your product or service.

If there is something wrong with the billboard, it most likely cannot be changed or it will take time for it to be fixed.

Marketing Career Options

Now that you know more to help you decide on the question “is marketing a good career?”, let’s talk about the different marketing careers available. One of the benefits of a marketing career is the variety of paths that can be taken within the industry. The marketing industry is a very large and versatile one. The job titles within the marketing industry vary greatly.

Job titles include marketing specialist, social media manager, search engine optimization specialist, email marketing manager, content specialist, marketing automation coordinator, and so many more. These are just a handful of marketing careers out there. Some jobs you might not realize are related to marketing. Those include art director, graphic designer, and other visual arts.

How to Get Into Advertising

Are you interested in a job in advertising? Advertising is the strategic side of marketing focused on spreading awareness of a product or service. This is the part of marketing where advertisements are created to promote a product or service. Just like marketing, within the advertising industry, there are countless careers.

You can focus on the creative, strategic, copywriting, or account manager parts of advertising. These are just broad generalizations of careers available in the advertising industry. There are several different opportunities to work at an advertising agency.

How Do I Get Into Marketing?

Now that you know the basics of marketing and marketing career paths, let’s talk about how to get into marketing. Marketing is one of the career paths that does not require a specific degree. Although it can be more helpful to find a successful marketing career, you do not necessarily need one to excel in the industry.

Online Certifications

One of the best ways to get started in the marketing industry is to complete online certifications. You don’t necessarily have to have marketing degrees! This will help you learn about the field and ensure you understand the basics. With the Internet, there are countless resources, both free and paid, available to help you learn about marketing.

There are blogs, books, videos, workshops, and more to educate you on the marketing industry. You can utilize these resources along with completing online certifications to get into marketing. The benefit of completing online certifications is that you learn about marketing and they are tangible proof that you have efficient knowledge about it.

Some free online marketing certifications include HubSpot Academy, Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Facebook Blueprint, and Canva Design School.

The next step after learning all you can about marketing and completing online certifications is to update your resume. You will want to add these new online certifications to your resume to prove you are knowledgeable about the marketing industry.

Apply to Jobs

Next, you want to apply to marketing jobs that you are qualified for. You will want to start by looking for entry-level positions. There are many job boards available to help you with this process. LinkedIn, Indeed, Google Jobs, and Handshake are four of the most popular ones. At this point in time, the exact job is not extremely important.

The focus here is to find an entry-level position to gain entry and experience in the marketing industry. Through this position, you want to learn all you can about the industry by immersing yourself in it. You should also use this opportunity to make connections within the industry.

Another possible step to get into marketing is to build your own portfolio and experience. You can do this by creating your own blog or small business. Starting a blog is a great way to give yourself experience in the marketing industry. You can write about topics of your choosing, but use your knowledge from those online marketing certifications. This allows you to put your knowledge to the test.

Still Unsure If a Marketing Career is for You?

Marketing has now become an essential part of every business, meaning it will remain relevant for years to come. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers is expected to grow 6% between 2019 and 2029. This shows that there will still be plenty of marketing careers available in the next several years.

Are you still asking yourself “is marketing a good career?” The statistical answer is yes. The job outlook for a marketing career is very optimistic. Does the description of what marketing is sound interesting to you? If so, the answer is most likely yes, a marketing career is for you.

If you want to get a foot in the door, check out available internships and jobs at SEO Design Chicago! Our marketing and ad agency is staffed with marketing professionals who all had to get their start somewhere.

FAQ about Marketing Careers

What exactly is marketing and what does it involve?

Marketing is the set of activities a company undertakes to promote buying or selling products or services, including advertising, selling, and delivering to consumers. It’s more than just selling—it’s about satisfying customer wants and needs while exchanging goods and services for money. Marketing uses the four P’s (product, price, place, and promotion) to create value, capture what people will pay, deliver that value, and communicate it to potential customers.

What are the main types of marketing I could work in?

Marketing types differ based on what you’re promoting: product marketing (selling physical products), service marketing (education, accounting, law services), person marketing (politicians and public figures), place marketing (destinations like Chicago or events like Coachella), cause marketing (promoting causes like Breast Cancer Awareness), and organization marketing (encouraging donations). Each type requires different strategies and skills but shares core marketing principles.

What’s the difference between digital marketing and traditional media?

Digital marketing includes all online activities like social media marketing, email marketing, SEO, PPC, and content creation. Traditional media uses print ads, television commercials, and billboards. Digital marketing offers a larger platform and easy editing but lacks the social authority of traditional media. Traditional media has permanence and credibility but can’t be quickly changed—if there’s an error on a billboard, fixing it takes time and money.

Do I need a marketing degree to get into marketing?

No, marketing is one career path that doesn’t require a specific degree, though it can be helpful. You can start by completing free online certifications from HubSpot Academy, Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Facebook Blueprint, and Canva Design School. These certifications provide tangible proof of your knowledge. Use available resources like blogs, books, videos, and workshops to learn, then update your resume with certifications and apply for entry-level positions.

What kind of marketing jobs are available?

The marketing industry is large and versatile with countless job titles including marketing specialist, social media manager, SEO specialist, email marketing manager, content specialist, marketing automation coordinator, art director, graphic designer, and many more. Within advertising specifically, you can focus on creative, strategic, copywriting, or account management roles. The variety of paths within marketing is one of the industry’s biggest benefits.

How do I actually get my first marketing job?

Complete online certifications to learn the basics and prove your knowledge, then update your resume with these credentials. Apply to entry-level positions on job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, Google Jobs, and Handshake. The exact first job isn’t crucial—focus on gaining entry and experience in the industry. Build your own portfolio by starting a blog or small business to test your knowledge and create tangible examples of your marketing skills.

Is marketing a stable career with good job outlook?

Yes, marketing has become essential for every business and will remain relevant for years. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers are expected to grow 6% between 2019 and 2029, showing plenty of careers will be available. Marketing has evolved into a critical business function, making it a stable career choice with optimistic prospects for growth and advancement.

How do I know if a marketing career is right for me?

Ask yourself if the description of marketing sounds interesting—creating value, understanding customer needs, developing strategies, and communicating messages. Consider the variety of paths available and whether any appeal to you. If you enjoy creativity, strategy, communication, and problem-solving, marketing could be perfect. Start with online certifications or an internship to test the waters before fully committing. The statistical answer is yes for job stability, but personal interest matters most.