A Guide to Marketing & Advertising Niches

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THIS MARKETING/AD GUIDE

I get pinged about what I do, and how that fits into the Marketing/ Advertising ecosystem. I’m in the process of discovering what that even looks like. So, I’ll like to take you on this journey with me!

• I try to stay away from Advertising roles (it’s a bit too sales-y to me) and I lean more into Marketing (which is all about storytelling, connecting, and giving grand experiences in my opinion).
• Expect an honest recount of my experiences.
• This guide will only detail the marketing/advertising specialties that I’ve had direct experience with.
• The highlighted specialties might change/look different depending on the company, team, or industry that you’re in.

MY CURRENT ROLE: CREATIVE STRATEGY

Other Names for This Role: Integrated marketing, branded content marketing, strategist, marketing partnerships, creative manager, creative success, producer

Job Description

Depending on where you work, the meaning and job function of a creative strategist will differ. I’m essentially a producer, writer, and director (for all my film people). I’m also kind of like a combo copywriter and creative director.

Job Duties

• Answering creative briefs. My answer can be anything from a branded article to an event or a board game. My job is to get the client results (i.e. awareness, clicks, subscribers, etc.) with my creative content.
• Research the brand that’s submitted the creative brief and research the market
• Work on positioning and aligning the brand with the company that I work for (I’m considered to be working on the brand side)
• Create one-sheets, written emails, and sales decks that lay out the positioning, strategy on how we’ll achieve results, and my creative concept.
• Project manage different team members to make sure they are aligned and on the same page throughout the entire pre-sales process.

EXPLORE MY PAST MARKETING & ADVERTISING ROLES

**Coming Soon** You can expect a breakdown of the following roles in the future!

While you wait, check out these FAQs about breaking into the marketing and advertising industry.

FAQs ABOUT BREAKING INTO MARKETING & ADVERTISING INDUSTRIES

Here’s a little bit about where in the world I was before getting into marketing/advertising, as well as some basic info about the marketing and advertising industry.

What’s the difference between the Marketing and Advertising industry?

• First things first, let’s break down what the heck makes Marketing and Advertising different. According to American Marketing Association:
  • Marketing is the process of identifying customer needs and determining how best to meet those needs. (My words: AKA it gets the people going)
  • Advertising is the exercise of promoting a company and its products or services through paid channels. (My words: AKA it gets the people buying)
  • In other words, advertising is a component of marketing.
    
• Here’s another breakdown that also talks about sales, promotion, pr, marketing, and advertising, a little more.

Did you major in marketing/advertising?

• I want to start off by saying, I didn’t major in marketing or advertising. I want to further say, that if you’re interested in marketing or advertising, you don’t have to major in it either!

How did you get into marketing/advertising?

• I actually didn’t really set my sights on marketing or advertising. I just tried a lot of things that I thought looked interesting or sounded fun. Those things just happened to all fall under the marketing and advertising umbrella.
• I got my start working in a bunch of student organizations as a volunteer as some sort of marketer. I also was a bit technical (i.e. I knew how to code) so that helped. That helped me build up my portfolio and eventually led to full-time marketing roles.

Do you have any tips for someone who wants to work in marketing or advertising?

• SPECIALIZE IN SOMETHING: The biggest tip I’d give someone who’s trying to break into marketing/advertising is to try to specialize (i.e. digital marketing, SEO, social media, etc.) and set your sights on a specific industry (i.e. media, tech, fashion, etc).
  
  Personally, I liked working in events, design, and user interfaces at the beginning of my marketing career, so I used those interests to guide me. In terms of an industry, I really wanted to see what all the hype was about in tech, so that’s where I decided to work first!

• BALANCE IS KEY: Specializing will make it a little easier to get your foot in the door. BUT, after you’re in, don’t stay in a specialty for TOO long. People will try to type-cast/ pigeon-hold you in that one thing. I, unfortunately, fell into this trap and had to work really hard to change my career path. At some point, you want to either explore a new specialty or become a generalist so that you can expand your skillset.

• NETWORK: Talk to other marketers/advertisers so that you know what types of jobs are out in the market, what skills the market demands, and to build a support system. There’s no substitute for real work though, so once you choose a direction, you have to find a way to get real experience.

• VOLUNTEER: I think volunteering is really one of the best ways to get started because it’s low risk, it’s free, you can build up your portfolio, and it could eventually lead to full-time marketing roles. It also can get you skilled up faster in what’s hot on the market than the traditional education route, certificate programs, or boot camps.
  
• STUDY + GET “REAL” EXPERIENCE: Read books about the industry, follow people who are in the industry, consume a lot of content, make something creative, and actively work to get “real experience” with “real clients (doesn’t matter how big or small).

WHAT’S NEXT: EXPLORE DIGITAL MARKETING

Check out one of my past roles, a Digital Marketing Specialist!

Sticky Notes

A Day in the Life of A Digital Marketing Specialist

In this post, we explore what a digital marketing specialist does from the time they wake up, to the time they clock out.

Sticky Notes, ERG

Interview With: Deja White, Digital Marketing Specialist

In this Q&A we explore what it takes to land a digital marketing gig in the media industry, as well as the skills and tools you need to use to be successful.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION BEYOND THIS POINT!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION BEYOND THIS POINT!

JOB TITLE: PUBLIC RELATIONS

I’m not really sure how to classify Public Relations. From my experience, I was doing more marketing than advertising. In some cases, the organizations that I worked with did pay for swag to get the community excited, so this would fall in like with advertising.

PR to me is all about brand awareness and making sure the public knows what you’re all about. When I worked in PR I didn’t have to clean up any messes, hold press conferences, or prep anyone for interviews like Olivia Pope. That’s a side of PR that I didn’t really want to ever have to touch.

I worked in multiple PR roles, and I always saw the fun sides of it.

My first exposure to PR was with the Residence Hall Association at my University. It was more so of a hybrid PR, Communications, and Marketing role. I worked alongside my community board to plan our community events, promote them, and do stints that got our residents excited about being a part of the community. I did this for 2 years, working with freshmen, and then moving on to work with a community filled with both underclassmen and upperclassmen. I later became a Resident Assistant. I basically did the same thing, but for a smaller amount of residents.

I also worked for a local Public Library and my role there also was all about getting our community excited about the library. It was fun! Check out a few of my duties below.

Public Relations Job Duties

Residence Hall Association/ Resident Assistant

• I owned a bulletin board (like the ones that teachers have in their classrooms) that I used to keep residents updated on all our events.
• I promoted events on ran social media.
• I planned, owned the logistics, and executed events for my residence hall residents alongside a community council.
• I designed residence hall swag (i.e. buttons, t-shirts, etc.) to get residents excited about living in the community.

Public Library

• Designed flyers detailing upcoming summer library events (storytimes, festivals, etc.)
• Printed, prepped, and disturbed flyers in various formats (poster size, bookmark size, and standard flyer size) and around the public library.
• Hung out flyers throughout the city at restaurants, on the street, and on the college campus, to promote our events.
• Drafted radio ad spots and announcements that were distributed to local radio stations and publications.
• Showcased our events via our social media channels
• Uploaded content on the website via our content management system
• Helped set up and breakdown our events

Public Relations Skills

• Copywriting and Copyediting
• Social Media Management
• Layout Design
• Social Media Template Design
• Print Production
• Event Planning / Production
• Project Management
• Public Speaking
• Creativity

Public Relations Tools

• Canva
• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Adobe XD, Premiere Pro)
• Content Management Systems (i.e. WordPress)
• Social Media Platforms (i.e. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)
• Microsoft Office Suite / Google Docs

Communications (digital, print)
Another place that I’d never imagined working was at my college’s alumni association. When I started working I didn’t even realize that there was a powerhouse function that made all things alumni work. I learned everything from branding to professional blog writing. That summer my writing was fine-tuned for sure. I loved seeing the inner workings of this organization. I left because

My duties:
Rewrite pre-written copy to fit specific audiences and specific formats

i.e. I had to re-write a letter that was addressed to older alumni and make it work for young alumni. I’d also have to make it work in a regular letter and then transition it to fit/work for something else like a pamphlet.

Write blog articles based on pre-researched topics and interviews

Research other schools’ branding decisions, and inquiry about the tools and resources they used to do it

Skills
Blogging
Copywriting
Copy editing
Competitive Analysis
Research

Tools
Microsoft Office Suite
WordPress
Asana

Journalism (digital): Journalism can be a form of marketing or advertising. Especially if brands pay for the articles that you’re writing (sponsored content). When I did journalism, I was working for the student newspaper in the pop culture/human interest category. I interviewed bands, and local organizations, and reviewed tv shows.

Duties
Scope out and pitch stories weekly.
Write at least one story a week before the deadline
Attend concerts, events, or whatever else in order to get the story

Skills

Tools

Why I left: It was a cool experience but I always felt like I was writing under pressure (we had weekly deadlines). My writing also would be altered heavily without the editing explaining why certain choices were made. At this point in my college career, i also didn’t enjoy writing as much. Ultimately I needed an experience that involved a mixture of media (not just writing), which would allow me to more freedom to tell stories the way I wanted to.

Production Design (digital, print)

Marketing Operations (digital)

Channel Marketing (digital)

Advertising Operations (digital)

Creative Project Management (digital)

Brand/Event Marketing (physical)

MARKETING/ADVERTISING INDUSTRY TERMS YOU SHOULD KNOW

• B2C: Business to consumer marketing
• B2B Business to business marketing