Sometimes, knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what you should do. If you’re interested in a career in marketing, it’s a good idea to be aware of the common pitfalls along the way so that you can steer clear of them.
Your Education
The biggest mistake you can make here is in not going to college. A bachelor’s degree is a minimum requirement for landing many jobs, but there are more reasons to go to college than simply to get that piece of paper. Classes in business and marketing will give you a strong foundation in the industry and prepare you to excel in your first after college job. Another mistake is not being thorough in seeking out the many sources of funding that may be available to you. In particular, there may be scholarships for college students of different sizes that you are unaware of, which you can search for online. While some may be very competitive, others may receive few applicants, and you might be able to cover some or all of your costs with the money you are awarded.
Resume Mistakes
There are some specific errors that you need to avoid when putting your resume together, whether you’re looking for your first job or your fifth. If you’re working with a recruiter, go easy on the jargon and abbreviations since they may work across various roles and lack the deep understanding of the field that you may have. Similarly, try to use clear job titles. Be clear in your objective. If you’ve been job hunting for a while and you’re starting to feel a little worried, it can be tempting to say that you’re looking for any type of position or that you’ll work in both B2B and B2C, but it’s better to stay focused on the niches and career progression that interest you.
Not Focusing on the Customer
It’s always a mistake to lose sight of the customer when it comes to marketing, but the nature of this particular error involves too much focus on the business. Ask yourself what customers or clients really want information about: how well the business is doing, how to handle customer complaints, or what specifically the business can do for them? Those who are interested in buying something from a clothing store are going to be more responsive to information about the latest styles than how well the store is selling. Of course, it’s important for companies to establish themselves as successful and well-regarded, so there is certainly room to talk about accolades. However, content ultimately needs to be aimed at what the customer wants most.
Overly Relying on Social Media
This is a concern for digital marketers in particular, but social media is an aspect of nearly every marketing job today to some extent. Social media can provide exciting hits of engagements and can be a very effective advertising tool, but it’s not right for every industry, and every platform is not right for the customer base you’re trying to reach. Social media will be part of most strategies, but be sure that the strategy is developed with the customer base in mind and not with a one-size-fits-all approach.