How to Become a Marketing Manager in Kansas

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What is Marketing?

Marketers may find that their work creates trade opportunities and jobs within the state of Kansas. This state ships 95% of its goods to consumers living in other countries. This shows that organizations, manufacturers, farmers, and ranchers in Kansas gain a huge benefit by participating in trade activities with countries around the world.

Students enrolled in marketing degree programs will learn how to succeed in a field where they are developing high-impact marketing campaigns after they graduate. In their courses, they learn how to drill down to the smallest details in those campaigns and use the correct form of advertisement to reach their market demographic. Each student takes courses in marketing research for managers, the basics of consumer behavior, digital marketing, social media, marketing strategy, and more.

No matter what job a marketing graduate accepts, they’re going to be working within one of the industries in the state, unless they work outside the state or find a job internationally. A marketing degree at any level in Kansas gives students the skills they need to communicate with clients and other business professionals. They’ll learn how to interpret statistical and demographic data and use it in marketing campaigns of all kinds.

Students may have chosen marketing because they want to know how to understand customer needs and be a part of meeting those needs. Within advertising, finding customer groups for targeting, personal selling, inventory maintenance, and putting products in stores are all things which may be the responsibility of a marketer.

Marketing professionals blend sales and communication skills in their daily work. Their role is vital to help a company sell a service or product. Marketing professionals also help organizations develop a brand and position that brand in an appropriate spot in the market. The hope is that they can help an organization see a return on their investment - having spent money to become more visible to their customers, they then benefit by having money coming into its accounts.

The marketer with digital skills expands their relevance, as well as that of their organization. Marketing professionals who recognize the importance of the digital world in marketing will soon find themselves in demand as the world becomes more and more focused on E-commerce and other digital formats. They may find that, as they explain the benefits of digital marketing to their organization, it will begin to expand and grow.

Marketing professionals may be generalists or they may specialize in specific areas of the field or types of marketing.

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Marketing Education in Kansas

The top industry in Kansas is manufacturing. Manufacturers brought in $27.6 billion in the space of one recent year. Kansas is also well-known as an agricultural state. Its ranchers and farmers sell crops, cattle, milk, chicken, and beef. Just as with any other industry, these products must be marketed.

Marketing plays a major role in the profits and earnings that the organizations in each of Kansas’ largest and smallest industries earn. Using real estate, rental, and leasing as an example, companies within this industry make use of marketing strategies to put their properties in front of businesses and individuals who may be looking for office space or homes to buy or rent. Depending on the techniques marketers use, whether they are social media or print media marketers, properties must be listed in a way that makes them accessible to likely buyers.

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Associate Degree in Marketing (AS)

Graduates of an Associate of Applied Science or other associate degree in marketing may find they have opportunities throughout the marketing profession. These include entry-level positions in wholesale, retail, marketing, and manufacturing. Obviously, if you wish to focus on marketing management, you will need to gain some experience or a higher-level degree.

A well-crafted marketing program ensures that students and graduates have leadership skills and a broad understanding of both marketing and management. Graduates who know the value of good customer service, as well as the skills they need to work in this field may be able to move up quickly. Students may decide to begin working in their field right away or they could transfer their credits to a four-year university in Kansas.

At the associate level, students will still have to complete their general education requirements before they begin taking courses in the marketing core. Once they reach their core classes, they may take business law, business communications, E-marketing, consumer behavior, principles of Selling, and classes in similar subjects.

Bachelor's Degree in Marketing (BS)

Students in a bachelor’s marketing program should learn creativity, strategy, flexibility, and take time to develop their interpersonal skills. If they have not graduated from a community college, some of their credit hours will be filled by general education courses.

Throughout their core classes, they will learn how to identify target segments of the population and how to design and create marketing campaigns which include the 4 Ps: product, price, place, and promotion. Other courses may include marketing research for managers, marketing strategy, digital marketing and social media, integrated marketing communications, sales for management, professional selling skills, and others.

Their coursework should give them a wide foundation which helps them to graduate as marketing professionals who can handle the entire marketing process, from beginning to end. At this level, students may also take a required practicum course. This focuses on promotion and advertising planning. When they complete their practicum placement, the real-world experience they have gained will help them add to their resumes and may even lead to a full-time position in marketing.

Careers for those with degrees at this level may include sales representative, accounting representative, research analyst, brand manager, product manager, internet marketing specialist, promotions manager, marketing manager, purchasing agent, or market research specialist.

Master's Degree in Marketing (MS or MC)

Graduates who enroll in a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications or another marketing degree will learning vital skills in communications, marketing, business, and more.

Marketing professionals with communication skills are able to tell the story of an organization, informing customers and employees about what they do and why they should support them. Students enrolled in marketing programs should be able to move their career upward as new opportunities arise. Potential careers may include content strategist, marketing director, digital and social media manager, digital marketing specialist, business development consultant, creative director, agency project manager, and PR agency account supervisor.

An MBA with a marketing concentration may help graduates to assist their company or clients in adding value to their enterprise. This particular level of knowledge in marketing, especially with an MBA, which gives you in-depth knowledge of the business world, means that marketing professionals who graduate with this degree will have an understanding of customers’ needs and desires, they should be able to develop unique marketing products and services, and they will work on communicating attention-grabbing brand messages.

Some career paths for an MBA-marketing graduate may include market research, brand management, professional sales, and retail management.

PhD Degree in Marketing (PhD)

A doctoral program in marketing can lead graduates into academic careers at community colleges to research universities. In such degree programs, students are paired with an academic advisor and supervised closely as they focus on either quantitative research or consumer behavior. Students also receive guidance in general academic requirements and course selection.

After they begin their degree program, students work closely with faculty members on their research projects. As they complete these projects, they may be able to accumulate several papers under advanced review. Thus, if they choose to begin a new job search at the end of the program, hiring managers will notice that students already have several marketing research articles being reviewed for publication.

Those in a doctoral program who are considering career other options will be able to choose to teach if they do not wish to continue working with their marketing firm. Another option is research. Students who choose this option continue to carry out high-quality research and work to have their articles published.

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Become a Marketing in Kansas

Kansas does not require marketing professionals to earn certifications once they graduate from their degree programs. Graduates are able to begin accepting job offers and working as soon as they can find someone to hire them. Indeed, you don’t technically need a formal education in order to work in marketing. Some gain entry-level positions and work their way up with nothing but great experience. However, larger firms prefer to hire those who have obvious knowledge that they have gained through educational experience and work-related experience.

Students may also choose to earn specific marketing certificates that may add to their skill sets if they are in a particularly competitive area for marketing professionals.

These include:

  • Digital Marketing Pro
    In this 30-hour professional certification program, students learn social media, content marketing, PPC/paid search, SEO and analytics, and email marketing.
  • Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) – Marketing Management
    Offered by the American Marketing Association, professionals who gain this certification learn the skills they need to work as an entrepreneur and lead a large department or a small team. Students also learn about contemporary topics in marketing such as product and services positioning, marketing strategy, customer behavior and segmentation, marketing research and data analytics, and pricing strategy.
  • Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) – Content Marketing
    Here, students learn how the best content may help services and products stand out from the crowd. Subjects covered include the following.
    • Metrics, Measurement, and ROI; Effective Lead Generation; SEO and Distribution Best Practices; Editorial Calendar Design; and Storytelling and Multi-Channel Content Creation.
    • Marketing professionals may also choose product training and certifications offered by the platforms they use, such as Twitter or Google.
  • Google Analytics Individual Qualification
    This certification offers professionals learning in both basic and advanced Google Analytics concepts. These include planning and principles, reports, implementation and data collection, conversion and attribution, and configuration and administration.
  • Google Web Designer
    This certification program delivers the basics of Google Web Designer and how it fits in with Display and Video 360. Three topics (Digital Marketing Strategies: Data, Automation, AI & Analytics) are provided in eight modules. Professionals gain a practical understanding about modern marketing via an organizational perspective.

Modules include:

  • Framework for Marketing in a Digital World
  • Customer Segmentation and Behavioral Marketing
  • The Customer Journey and Content Strategy
  • Accelerating Marketing Execution Through Agile Marketing
  • Marketing Automation and Artificial Intelligence in Marketing
  • Understanding Customers and Generating Insights
  • Brand Storytelling in a Digital World
  • Marketing Attribution, Testing, and Experimentation

Careers for Marketing Graduates

  • Marketing Director

    Marketing directors provide guidance, leadership, and direction to their marketing department. They may market one product, an organization, group of products, or an entire business. The marketing director evaluates and develops marketing strategies; they communicate marketing plans to everyone involved in implementing them, plan and coordinate marketing efforts, and build awareness and positioning for the organization’s brands.

    Marketing directors may work closely with the sales department on pricing strategies that mean the organization may maximize profits and market share. They may also organize trade shows, major events, and company conferences.

  • Social Media Manager

    Social media managers are expected understand how to work with all types of social media accounts. These may include Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and others as they come into common use. However, the job goes beyond a few posts and images.

    Social media managers create content to foster engagement on a huge variety of social media platforms and accounts. They curate posts and images for each brand’s social media accounts that align with the brand’s style and voice. They also monitor, respond to, and moderate audience comments. They may create shareable videos and images that tie into the service or product or run competitions to engage their customers in helping them to create this content. They also manage partnerships in social media with other brands.

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  • Media Buyer

    The media buyer is, as their title suggests, responsible for finding and buying ad space in all avenues for advertising: online, print, billboard, radio, television, and more. They may also carry out market research or review reports of the analysis of market research in conjunction with the marketing manager. A major part of their responsibilities is to find the most appealing media space and the most-desired time slots, negotiate with advertising sales agents, then make sure the advertising medium and its placement reaches their target demographic audience by reviewing audience response.

    Media buyers should have a good understanding of the principles of marketing and an excellent affinity for interpreting analytics.

  • Brand Manager

    Brand managers take responsibility for the overall image of a person or product. The main elements of their role include researching the marketplace and deciding where the client or their product fits in after analyzing competitive positioning, brands, products, and spending. They may also create marketing and advertising strategies and manage the budgets for each.

    A brand manager helps to develop designs and layouts for both print and digital advertising concepts, signage, and collateral. They also supervise promotional activities, look critically at pricing and sales, and re-evaluate ways of bringing the brand to a larger consumer base.

Sources:

  • https://business.ku.edu/undergraduate-programs/degree-programs/marketing
  • https://edwardscampus.ku.edu/overview-masters-integrated-marketing-communications
  • https://www.fhsu.edu/mba/concentrations/MBA-Marketing-Concentration/
  • https://business.ku.edu/graduate-programs/phd/marketing
  • https://www.ama.org/certifications/

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