Development Tools for the New-Age Marketer

Beyond the classroom, educational resources are being used as valuable tools for marketers.

Marketing careers demand a broad base of knowledge, and it is a career that requires constant learning. You need to able to keep up with new technologies for marketing course assignments, internships and future job opportunities. The 2010 Marketing Salary Survey reports that marketing professionals are now relying on educational resources to keep them fresh and informed on new trends in the marketing realm.

Such development tools include online webinars, association web sites, industry web sites, online videos, published case studies and podcasts. Webinars and podcasts are an inexpensive learning tool for students to gain information via Internet. With a competitive market for jobs, marketing courses in college are not enough to educate marketing professionals entering the workforce. At least 48% of marketers in 2009 admitted to tuning into webinars to educate themselves further for their marketing career.

Not only have marketing professionals taken higher education more seriously, but have realized the high demand for social media marketing as well. Marketing careers now indirectly stipulate the need for social media and networking over traditional media. The 2010 Marketing Salary Survey states that 34% of marketers would lessen the amount of emphasis on newspaper marketing, and another 25% would see a decrease in magazine ad emphasis.

What does this mean for a student hoping to graduate with a degree in marketing? This means that you must choose marketing courses that will allow you to be relevant in today’s marketplace. Not only must you concentrate on additional learning tactics, but incorporate media and communication courses into your degree plan as well. The solution to prepare for a thriving marketing career is to maintain and stay on top of the current trends emerging every day.