What are marketing courses
The purpose of marketing is to generate public awareness, interest and demand for a particular product, company, or service. Marketing courses teach students about the wide range of subjects and areas within this subject.
Marketing executives must be able to develop a relationship between the public and the product/service on offer. For this to happen, it is essential that the marketer understand his or her target market: the more a marketer knows about and understands consumer behaviour, the more successful he or she is likely to be in providing the customer with a service they deem to be valuable. This in turn will increase the business s brand awareness .
While the nature and goals of marketing have not altered over time, the methods certainly have. A course in marketing will give participants training in the techniques involved in growing a company s brand: this includes tuition in more recent methods such as online, digital, social media and digital marketing.
What does it involve
Beginner s courses in Marketing normally last between eight and fifteen weeks and offer participants guidance on basic principles of marketing. Students will benefit from looking at case studies; learning about market and competitor research as well as find out more about product strategy and pricing. The traditional, and still highly potent, forms of advertising TV, radio and print will be examined and their key concepts explained. Some introductory-level Marketing courses can also act as stepping stones for more advanced qualifications such as diplomas.
Of course most marketing programmes must now deal with advances in technology and how they have changed marketing methods and strategy. Online marketing strategy courses can be quite brief in terms of duration (as short as five weeks), but dense in terms of the amount of material they get through. Students on such courses will learn how to devise online strategies: how to plan, research and implement an appropriate internet Marketing plans for a particular product or service. This will involve looking at such elements of social media marketing (Facebook/Twitter), display/banner marketing, mobile marketing, video marketing and website optimization.
Indeed, digital marketing has become a major component international businesses’ strategies for brand and revenue growth; and there are plenty of statistics to support such claims. For instance, a study by PwC showed that companies’ digital spend in Ireland increased by a massive 24 per cent in the first half of 2013. Elsewhere, comScore (a major internet analytics company) released a report showing that viewers in America watched 32 billion video ads online over the course of just a single month (December 2013).
Because of these trends, all marketing students will learn how to use online marketing tools from Google Analytics and Adwords to SEO strategies and blogging. They will also receive training in how to create effective integrated marketing campaigns.
There are also plenty of course options for those who are prepared to invest more time in their study, with some course providers offering Advanced Diplomas, BA and Masters degrees in Marketing. Such programmes tend to be extremely thorough, covering the most up-to-date marketing practices as well as key issues in service businesses such as managing supply and demand, relationship management, and human resource systems. Related areas such as Advertising & PR, Business Law, Marketing Communications, Web Design & Media and Consumer Analysis are also given in-depth coverage. These can all be taken part-time and can run for one year (for an Advanced Diploma) to four years (for a BA).
It should be taken into consideration that such programmes are very much aimed at those hoping to work within the marketing sector and so can be quite demanding. Student assessment is generally based on essays, exams, case studies, projects and presentations all of which are designed to prepare students for the demands of life as professional marketers.
Why enroll in a marketing course
All businesses need some level or marketing as part of their strategies for growth and so even obtaining a rudimentary level of marketing know-how is sure to be of huge benefit to many. Given that there is considerable government investment in start-up companies in Ireland, creating and promoting a strong brand identity has become paramount to establishing a strong consumer base (this is clearly acknowledged by larger companies who have dedicated marketing teams to enhance their growth potential). Also, as Ireland is now an export-driven economy, having a strong marketing campaign has become a necessity for developing a business s market potential overseas.
Of course considering the unstoppable growth of cloud storage, social media and mobile platforms, knowing how to market your brand to the online community is becoming a prerequisite for all marketing professionals. To this end, continual professional development is essential to not just stay ahead of the game, but to even keep in touch with it.
What comes next
Taking what has been said above into account, it stands to reason that trained and skilled marketers will remain in high demand. While working your way up to an executive position may be difficult, have the necessary marketing qualifications will put you on the right track. Even introductory marketing courses can prove the difference between finding work as a marketing assistant and not doing so.
However, marketing courses are typically designed for a variety of people. Those with training in marketing need not necessarily go on to work specifically in the sector a well-developed marketing knowledge will invariably profit entrepreneurs, communication specialists and business managers to a invaluable degree.
At a glance
Marketing courses can benefit a range of people from business managers to PR and communications specialists
Most Marketing programmes will cover traditional marketing outlets such as TV & radio, along with digital, online, mobile and social media marketing
Part-time Marketing classes for beginners are relatively inexpensive, costing around 290 to 490. These will normally last between 8 and 15 weeks. More extensive Diploma, BA and Masters degree courses in Marketing cost from 2, 000 to 5, 000. Diploma and Masters courses are typically of 1 to 2 years duration; Degree Masters programmes run for 4 years.
