Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

The Truth About Marketing

bootcamp_email

sample of an email I made earlier this week

Before this summer, I purely thought of marketing as the front-end of the sales process. Goal being to simply create a mind provoking advertisement that entices potential clients to interact with the company. After this is done, sales takes over and the marketing department’s job is complete. As a marketing intern at dotloop, I have learned that getting people interested in the company is only the tip of the iceberg. Prospective, new and existing customers have to be in constant contact with the company in order to create brand loyalty, value and interest. This is done mainly through email, social media, events, newsletters, etc.

I have found that marketing is a balance between art, technology, and science. Meaning that the content has to be visually appealing using color and symmetry, must be delivered using the right platform and most importantly, has to be sent to the right segment at the appropriate time. Completing an entire marketing project from start-to-finish takes more collaboration and time than I would have ever thought.

The most difficult part? Constantly being asked to create. As a summer intern, I love being asked to think of new ways to target clients. Yet, I can see this becoming difficult after working for the same company for two or more years because you become comfortable with the product. It’s hard to think outside the box without having a fresh perspective.

I have found that in order to succeed, you have to be multi-faceted and have the ability to handle several projects at once. While this is true for any position, it is extremely important for marketers. Every week, there are a fresh batch of projects that need to be completed. Projects that were a high priority last week could be thrown out the window or put on the back burner the next day. Babson has prepared me well for multi-managing, yet I still have a lot to learn. For me, it’s important to take a step back and remember the bigger picture. I tend to be deadline driven (another Babson habit) so I am thrown off when a project is pushed back. Yet, I believe that this skill will come with experience and time. What do you think is needed to succeed in your industry?

If you have missed any of my past blog posts, they can be found here and here.