The Marketing Assistant working in a corporation helps the marketing manager fulfill his or her duties. Depending on the individual's experience level, he or she may be responsible for anything from performing secretarial duties to assisting with the development of a corporate marketing plan. The marketing director is responsible for developing the concepts and campaigns that detail how the company's products will get to the consumer. The Marketing Assistant helps in this endeavor. The marketing department in a corporation works in conjunction with the sales, promotion, advertising, and public relations departments. Marketing decides how much and what type of advertising, promotion, public relations, and selling will be most effective. It also decides matters such as the most effective techniques to market the company, its products, and its services, and the viability of introducing new products. The marketing department may try to market a new product, only to find out that buyers are not really interested in it or that the product isn't financially viable for the company.
The Marketing Assistant assists the marketing director in the planning and coordination of all the company's marketing goals and objectives. He or she is expected to help plan and organize projects and become involved in promotions and presentations. The Marketing Assistant works closely with the marketing director on a variety of projects, providing clerical and other types of support. He or she may be required to type letters, reports, proposals, and memos. The Marketing Assistant often makes phone calls on behalf of the marketing director in order to obtain information. He or she may answer phones to free the director, who may use his or her time to work on special projects.
The Marketing Assistant is required to keep track of all ideas and concepts the director is involved with. He or she may be expected to write preliminary proposals on marketing campaigns outlined by the director. The individual may also be responsible for writing memos or other informational data to keep other departments aware of new marketing plans and campaigns that are taking place within the corporation. The Marketing Assistant may help coordinate and implement special events and other programs the marketing director has developed. He or she may serve as a liaison with other corporate departments to ensure that a project goes smoothly and according to schedule.
Depending on the experience of the Marketing Assistant, he or she may be responsible for researching facts and data or may just assist the director with a research project. Almost any subject could be researched by the marketing department, including information about potential purchasers of the company's products, individuals who use competitor's products, and the effectiveness of certain advertising or promotions. The individual may work with the corporate research department (if there is one), trade associations, or libraries. He or she may develop questionnaires or conduct interviews to obtain the required information. The assistant may tabulate the data or may just input the information into a computer for review by the director. The Marketing Assistant may help the director develop and implement promotional ideas, advertising concepts, or new ways to sell. For example, a company's product may always have been sold in retail outlets. Through marketing research, information may be developed that indicates that people purchasing the product would rather purchase it through the mail. The Marketing Assistant may help write sales promotion letters or direct mail pieces in order to initiate the new concept.
Other duties may include the preparation of promotional brochures, press releases, or newsletters and attendance at trade shows, conventions, and fairs on behalf of the company. The Marketing Assistant is directly responsible to the marketing director, coordinator, or manager, depending on the structure of the company. While the individual works normal business hours most of the time, he or she may often be required to work overtime on projects, special events, and promotions.
There is a large turnover in marketing due to career advancement, individuals leaving for jobs in other corporations, and the general mobility of people who enter this field. Employment prospects, therefore, are good for Marketing Assistants who are seeking jobs in the corporate world. Almost every midsize or larger company has a marketing department and often at least one assistant. Job opportunities can be located throughout the country in metropolitan and suburban areas.
Individuals who work hard, learn marketing concepts, and have the ability to implement them will climb the career ladder. The next step up for the Marketing Assistant is the position of marketing manager, coordinator, or assistant director, depending on how the company is structured. While many individuals find career advancement through promotion within the company, some find it easier to seek advanced positions by moving on to other corporations.
Most corporations require that their Marketing Assistants hold a minimum of a four-year college degree. Good choices for majors include marketing, public relations, advertising, business administration, liberal arts, or communications. Courses should also be taken in English, psychology, sociology, research, and statistics.
The Marketing Assistant needs to be articulate, with excellent communication skills. He or she should be both creative and innovative. The ability to write well is necessary. The Marketing Assistant should have a good command of spelling and word usage. Computer competency is essential. The assistant should be ambitious, aggressive, highly motivated, and energetic. He or she needs the ability to handle many details and a variety of projects at one time. The individual must have the ability to perform clerical and secretarial duties such as typing, filing, making calls, and responding to phone calls. It is imperative that the Marketing Assistant knows how to use a computer to input information and is comfortable working with it. A working knowledge of research techniques is a plus in this field.
They may, however, belong to a number of trade associations. These organizations provide extensive literature about the marketing field and offer seminars and professional and career guidance. Some of these associations are the American Marketing Association (AMA), the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), Business Marketing Association (BMA), the American Advertising Federation (AAF), Association for Women In Communications (AWC) the Marketing Research Association (MRA), Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI), and the Association for Business Communication (ABC).
1. There is an abundance of marketing seminars given throughout the year. You can locate these through the various trade associations, business organizations, and trade journals. These are helpful for both the educational value and the opportunity to make professional contacts.
2. Join the trade associations. They will be valuable to you in searching for internships, scholarships, and training programs. They also offer a wealth of helpful literature.
3. Jobs may be advertised in trade journals as well as the classified sections of newspapers. Look under the heading classifications of “Marketing,” “Market Research,” “Public Relations,” “Promotion,” or “Advertising.”
4. Consider sending your résumé and a cover letter to a number of corporations. There is a big turnover in this field. Ask that your résumé be kept on file.
5. You may want to consider a part-time job as an interviewer for a research firm. These jobs are relatively easy to obtain and will give you experience in interviewing and research techniques.
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1. Good opportunities for large companies
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