Five Tips On Developing Your Skills As A Marketing Manager
Get Out There If you want to develop your skills as a marketing manager, get out there in the real world.
Networking is a great way to get first-hand feedback and practical advice on everything from marketing trends to emerging technologies and will also yield an invaluable network of contacts.
Seize opportunities to attend industry events, seminars and trade shows and get talking to professionals and customers.
To ensure you are kept informed of relevant events, join local business support and networking groups and keep an eye out for relevant events in trade press.
Invest in Training Time and money invested in developing your skills through training courses is always money well spent.
Not only does investing in training ensure you continue to develop your marketing skills and thinking, but having recognised qualifications such as those bestowed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing will open up more exciting opportunities as you progress through your career.
Many marketing training courses can be studied part-time alongside your work, ensuring you have the opportunity to put theory into practice as you develop your skills.
If your organisation doesn't have an established training fund in place, consider asking your employer if they would be willing to part-fund a course.
Even if there is no budget available for external training, showing you are interested in developing your skills demonstrates motivation and commitment to your role.
Push the Boundaries Good marketers know that just as customers don't stand still, neither should a marketing plan.
A marketing plan should be a living, breathing document that changes and adapts according to results and market conditions.
So a good marketing manager should always be looking to push the boundaries.
Constantly trying new techniques and tweaking old ones ensures your business stays ahead of the curve, but also means you develop your own marketing experience and skills.
Keep up to date with emerging trends by subscribing to industry newsletters, trade press and relevant communities online.
Get Feedback Feedback is one of the most important tools a marketer has at their disposal, so get into the habit of asking for it.
Whether it's asking customers for their feedback on a new product or your team for feedback on your leadership style, soliciting and using feedback is an essential part of developing your skills.
If this isn't something that comes naturally there are plenty of books available which cover the topic, or you could consider investing in a management training course.
Take Time Out It may seem obvious but unless you take a step back every now and again, it can be difficult to see where you are going wrong - or right.
Make sure you allocate time to reviewing your marketing efforts on a periodic basis and ask yourself whether things are going in the right direction.
Spending some time getting into the nitty-gritty of campaign results can be an enlightening experience and, along with investing in marketing training courses, is an important aspect of developing your skills.
Networking is a great way to get first-hand feedback and practical advice on everything from marketing trends to emerging technologies and will also yield an invaluable network of contacts.
Seize opportunities to attend industry events, seminars and trade shows and get talking to professionals and customers.
To ensure you are kept informed of relevant events, join local business support and networking groups and keep an eye out for relevant events in trade press.
Invest in Training Time and money invested in developing your skills through training courses is always money well spent.
Not only does investing in training ensure you continue to develop your marketing skills and thinking, but having recognised qualifications such as those bestowed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing will open up more exciting opportunities as you progress through your career.
Many marketing training courses can be studied part-time alongside your work, ensuring you have the opportunity to put theory into practice as you develop your skills.
If your organisation doesn't have an established training fund in place, consider asking your employer if they would be willing to part-fund a course.
Even if there is no budget available for external training, showing you are interested in developing your skills demonstrates motivation and commitment to your role.
Push the Boundaries Good marketers know that just as customers don't stand still, neither should a marketing plan.
A marketing plan should be a living, breathing document that changes and adapts according to results and market conditions.
So a good marketing manager should always be looking to push the boundaries.
Constantly trying new techniques and tweaking old ones ensures your business stays ahead of the curve, but also means you develop your own marketing experience and skills.
Keep up to date with emerging trends by subscribing to industry newsletters, trade press and relevant communities online.
Get Feedback Feedback is one of the most important tools a marketer has at their disposal, so get into the habit of asking for it.
Whether it's asking customers for their feedback on a new product or your team for feedback on your leadership style, soliciting and using feedback is an essential part of developing your skills.
If this isn't something that comes naturally there are plenty of books available which cover the topic, or you could consider investing in a management training course.
Take Time Out It may seem obvious but unless you take a step back every now and again, it can be difficult to see where you are going wrong - or right.
Make sure you allocate time to reviewing your marketing efforts on a periodic basis and ask yourself whether things are going in the right direction.
Spending some time getting into the nitty-gritty of campaign results can be an enlightening experience and, along with investing in marketing training courses, is an important aspect of developing your skills.