Every year, many professionals begin their journey in marketing because of its career potential. Marketing jobs continue to grow and hard-working marketing professionals are paid well. People who work in this industry get to exercise creativity and communication skills and many express high job satisfaction.
Marketing is a growing industry with plenty of opportunities for advancement. However, this field also experiences a lot of change. New technologies, shifts in how people communicate, and changes in the economy can all affect marketing roles. If you’re a marketing professional, here are eight reasons why you should continue your marketing education.
Grasp New Technology
Since the industry’s inception, the purpose of marketing has stayed the same – marketing experts find ways to connect with new customers and successfully land sales. Although their goal remains the same, the tools and techniques that marketers use often change.
These changes can happen very quickly and cause the entire industry to shift. For example, it’s only been 30 years since the internet launched. In those three decades, everything about marketing has changed – including how experts find customers, gather data, and reach new clients.
To be effective in this field, professionals have to stay on their toes. Constant innovation in the industry means marketing experts need to be lifelong learners. Education can help industry professionals understand new trends and continue to engage well with customers.
Enrich Your Life
When professionals are first hired into marketing, everything about their role is new and exciting. It’s easy to get up each morning, tackle new problems, and find creative solutions for reaching customers. However, eventually, industry professionals may feel like they’re running on a hamster wheel.
Additional education can bring the spark back to a marketing role. Research shows that learning is highly rewarding to the human brain. Mastering new information stimulates neural connections and improves engagement in all areas of life.
This means taking a professional certification course or getting an additional degree can improve experts’ well-being in personal areas too. The more life satisfaction industry professionals feel, the more engaged and productive they’ll be at work. It’s an incredibly positive cycle that’s jumpstarted by learning something new.
Increase Marketable Skills
Marketing is a highly competitive industry. Although experience is valuable, the industry changes so often that professional tools and processes quickly become outdated. Continued education helps experts stay relevant by developing their skill set.
To be successful in this industry, professionals must have a learning mindset. Resilience, adaptability, and humility are crucial to staying on top of new trends. In addition to teaching new skills, continued education develops professionals’ ability to learn and grow.
By staying on top of the industry, marketing professionals become more qualified for their roles. They have a better chance of promotion and solid reasons to land a raise in their current position. The choice to learn shows companies that experts are serious about engaging in their industry.
Fulfill Your Role
Additional education equips professionals to perform better in their current roles. New graduates who study marketing are learning updated skills and marketing techniques. However, it’s expensive to hire these new employees.
Although young professionals can bring a lot to companies, they don’t have the experience that older employees develop over time. Upskilling the company from within is the most effective way to improve performance while reducing costs.
It also benefits current employees. With new tools under their belt, marketing experts can streamline their processes and rethink their approach to solving old problems. Continued education makes work faster and easier so professionals can expand their impact.
Support Career Transition
There are many different directions professionals can go with an education in marketing. Many marketing professionals work with agencies, while others manage branding and user experience for a specific company. The skills marketing experts use can also be applied outside their specific field.
For example, many marketing professionals have skills in accounting, graphic design, leadership, and interpersonal communication. Marketing experts are used to putting themselves in other people’s shoes. They often combine creativity with critical thinking – skills that are easily transferable to other roles.
Continued education can prepare marketing professionals for a career change, either now or in the future. If nothing else, a special certification or degree can set professionals apart during an interview process. Not every certification is helpful for every role, so experts should consider their specific goals before pursuing more education.
Discover New Interests
Continuing education can also help marketing experts discover new passions. It allows professionals to explore new ideas without changing their jobs. Cross-learning can enhance experts’ current roles, add interest to their daily routine, and spark new ideas for traditional projects.
Marketing as an industry appeals to a wide range of personalities. It holds opportunities for people who are detail-oriented and those who see the big picture. Both introverts and extroverts can thrive in this field. In fact, this versatility is what makes marketing such an exciting career for so many.
Experts who pursue professional certifications or another degree may be surprised by what interests them. Learning is an act of discovery that opens the door to new opportunities. It prevents professionals from getting tunnel vision and brings context back to their roles in the industry.
Bolster Your Experiences
Because this industry changes so quickly, learning is an essential part of professional development. When paired with experience, it’s even more valuable. Many marketing experts go back to school for an MBA or an advanced certification program to enhance their valuable years of experience in the industry.
Experience allows professionals to understand and implement new ideas within the context of their existing roles. Seasoned professionals have many practical opportunities to implement what they’re learning immediately, trying out new ideas to see which ones work well for them. This improves retention and allows professionals to get incredible, lasting value out of their education.
Although nothing can replace experience, education can help professionals progress faster in their careers. Information is like a car – you can walk to the grocery store, but driving is more efficient. Continued education gives industry experts the tools they need to step up their game and advance to the next level in their profession.
Anticipate Market Trends
Because the market is always changing, anticipating the future is key to success. Professionals who plan ahead are able to give their companies a head start and reach more customers before their competition does. Continued education can help professionals make more accurate predictions.
For example, video content has exploded across the web. Instagram quickly adapted to this trend after seeing the way users responded to TikTok videos. Now, Instagram reels allow users to reach more customers while generating engagement on the platform. Many companies are also using videos to sell products online.
Marketing is all about catching the next wave. Continued education can give marketing professionals the tools they need to adapt alongside the industry. Because technology changes so quickly, constantly learning to use new tools is essential for keeping up with customer trends.
Foster Growth in Your Career
In no situation will learning something new damage a marketing professional’s career. It can only equip them with enhanced resources for fulfilling their role or pursuing career advancement. Career development also benefits companies by improving employee productivity and increasing their level of satisfaction at work.
Continued education is an excellent move for many professionals in the marketing industry. There are so many opportunities for industry professionals to enhance their existing skill set or branch out and gain new skills altogether. For serious professionals in this industry, continued education is an absolute must.
Devin Partida writes about topics concerning tech and the internet. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of ReHack.com.
