Marketing Officer
(Marketer, Marketing Coordinator)
Fact Sheet
Marketing officers promote a company's or client's products or services. This can involve marketing existing products, developing new products to cater for consumer demand, or developing markets for new products or services.
Duties and Tasks
Marketing officers may perform the following tasks:
- identify and analyse an organisation's strengths and weaknesses, and respond to opportunities and threats in the marketing environment
- set goals for market share and growth
- develop and implement appropriate strategies by selecting, segmenting and targeting markets, and promoting products and services to those markets
- make decisions regarding products, such as choosing labels or packaging
- work on developing new products
- work out an approach to pricing and set prices for products and services
- manage distribution channels such as shops and wholesalers
- make decisions regarding the distribution of products (such as taking orders, warehousing, stock control and transport), manage store image or undertake direct marketing
- develop plans for advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling and sales management
- undertake marketing audits to monitor sales performance.
Specialisations
Marketing involves working with, and gaining the cooperation of, people in specialist areas such as technical experts, production managers, accountants and advertising agents.
A sales manager plans and coordinates the activities of a sales team, controls product distribution, monitors budget achievement, trains and motivates personnel, and prepares forecasts.
A marketing service manager provides sales support by fielding enquiries, taking orders and providing phone advice to customers. They also assist with exhibitions, prepare documentation for brochures and sales kits, and commission market research.
An advertising manager develops a company's advertising strategy, liaises with advertising agencies to create the company product or image, prepares budgets and develops promotional and sales support materials. In larger organisations an advertising manager is responsible for a team of specialist staff.
A brand/product manager markets a company's major brand and products. They determine the pricing of products and maintain and direct the product's image in the market. They decide which new products meet market trends and which need to be phased out.
An electronic commerce manager coordinates and develops the marketing activities of a company over the internet, email and other electronic media, including online promotion, sales and communication.
A marketing manager coordinates the marketing activities of all areas of the company that are involved in delivering a product or service to a customer. In larger organisations the marketing manager may bring together a number of marketing functions or campaigns to create a corporate marketing plan.
Quick Facts
School subjects that include some aspect of ECONOMICS provide a useful background to these jobs. In some cases an economics-related subject is a pre-requisite for entry to courses that provide the training for the job.
These jobs require you to be able to see clearly to examine items close-up. It covers jobs where poor vision e.g. tunnel vision, could make the work place unsafe or the job difficult to undertake, e.g. draftsperson working with detailed drawings; checkout operator reading dockets; work requiring good hand-eye co-ordination for working with precision or semi-precision tools.
Workers performing these jobs would usually be expected to spend more than three-quarters of their day indoors, in an office, factory or other enclosed area protected from the weather.
These jobs require moderate or better reading and writing skills. Workers may be expected to prepare, understand or act on written materials, such as letters or reports. People may wish to avoid these jobs if their reading or writing English skills are limited to a small range of words or phrases and symbols. Jobs remaining may still require very basic reading or writing skills.
Included are jobs in accounting, administration, advertising, banking, distribution, economics, finance, marketing, personnel management, policy advice, public relations, real estate, sales and valuation.
These jobs involve WORKING WITH IDEAS, to creatively express, present or perform them. An appreciation of design, style, form, beauty or related concepts used to develop or interpret an idea are important. Activities include writing, painting, singing, dancing, decorating, designing and performing.
These jobs involve WORKING WITH PEOPLE, to sell to, influence, motivate, negotiate with, or serve them. Activities include selling, promoting or providing goods or services, bargaining, or presenting a point of view.
Jobs in this group usually require completion of secondary education and/or completion of some further study of a vocational nature, such as a Diploma or an Advanced Diploma.
Work Conditions
Marketing officers may have to work in the evenings or on weekends, and may be required to travel for business.
Personal Requirements
- able to analyse and interpret information
- creative
- very good communication skills
- good organisational skills
- able to work independently or as part of a team.
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