You don’t need a Marketing Degree to do Marketing in the real world

Too many students in my opinion waste their time getting a Marketing degree in this generation. I’m not belittling formal education, however marketing is more than what you may learn in a classroom.

We need students who can learn how to learn, who can discover how to push themselves and are generous enough and honest enough to engage with the outside world to make those dreams happen.― Seth Godin

What is Marketing through my perspective?

● Marketing is not all about the Four P’s & C’s taught in class. They may give the basic understanding of what marketing is however, its much more deeper than that.

● Marketing is engaging with potential customers through customer service. Its creating a genuine relationship with each other whether you’re trying to sell them your product/service or not. This adds credibility and trust, and eventually will lead to generating sales.

● Marketing is about taking risks. The risks I may refer to is being controversial in your business because the aim of marketing is to be known by your potential customers. These risks may result in backlashes but, is it worth it? It may be so.

Look at the Dancehall Artiste, Alkaline. Would he be so popular if he hadn't tattooed his eyeballs? I doubt he would.

● As a marketer, I believe you should challenge yourself with different Languages. Bridging gaps between cultures. This adds diversity to your depth of knowledge you may have and will lead to innovative campaigns.

● If you’re an artist, designer, teacher, writer, event coordinator (promoter), tiler, barber, bus driver, hairstylist, bag juice seller — Marketing is essential.

To be successful and grow your business and revenues, you must match the way you market your products with the way your prospects learn about and shop for your products.

— Brian Halligan

● Creating value through your goods and services is self-marketing. It will spread itself. If your product/service has value, it will generate conversation.

● Marketing is making something people want.

Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers. -Seth Godin

● Being generous is marketing. This has universal benefits.

● The act of giving is marketing. This is doing samples for your product (cliche) or getting a gift for your customer on their birthday.

●Marketing is about networking. Its about meeting others, creating a relationship with them and then propose your business. It’s about building connections for your business to thrive.

● Marketing is about solving interesting problems. It’s not look in a textbook to find an answer. It’s about finding the solutions for yourself.

● Marketing is having an appetite for learning. This will add freshening knowledge to assist in solving realistic problems and not problems from your text book.

●Marketing isn't just about big brands such as Starbucks & Pepsi. It’s also about small businesses, hospitals, schools and the way they do business with their customers. Intimate.

● Marketing isn't just placing advertisements in the newspaper. Most times, its a waste of time and money to place Ads in the newspaper especially if you’re targeting generation Y. This generation spends religious time online — digital space. So focus there( it’s cheaper). However, if you’re placing ads in print media, I suggest create compelling, story telling advertisements that will influence persons to even buy a newspaper to see it. (Although it may be shared via social media). This also applies to billboards. What billboard can you recall right now?

Compelling Billboard for a Hot Pepper Sauce company — What do you think?

Virality isn't luck. It’s not magic. And it’s not random. There’s a science behind why people talk and share. A recipe. A formula,even

- Jonah Berger

I’m disappointed by the level of marketing done by businesses in Jamaica. Only a few businesses, in my perspective, are doing it right. I believe these companies are just ‘there’ taking up space and they have the potential to take their business further.

Digicel has been doing it right. Creep (Chromatic sound) is doing it right. Rough rider (through the digital space of twitter) has been doing it right. Khemlani Mart is NOT doing it right.

So, do you need a Marketing degree to do these?

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