Marketing professionals help companies arouse interest in their products or services. Marketing pros develop brands, messages, and marketing strategies to engage potential customers and deepen relationships with current customers.

Marketers use research to gather information about customers' needs and preferences and the competitive environment. They use it to guide business strategy and to design data driven marketing strategies that reach target audiences and to learn if marketing activities are providing a return on investment for the company.

Marketers also manage the message and how it is delivered to target audiences. They use tools like advertising, public relations, content marketing, social media, trade shows, special events, catalogues and brochures, websites, and creative experiences to achieve their goals.

Marketers design strategies that bring new people into the fold and inspire them to take action. From awareness to trial, to purchase, to repeat customer, marketers touch people at every stage of the cycle. Marketers often form partnerships with other allied companies, and work closely with the sales team to assure that marketing messages are setting up the sales team for success.

Often marketing jobs require skills such as:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• High emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills
• Computer proficiency with Microsoft Office and creative tools like Adobe Suite
• Highly organized, problem-solver, capable of multitasking and working in a fast paced environment
• Knowledge of traditional and digital marketing tools
• Ability to analyze data and apply knowledge learned

The marketing department is part of the administrative team at most companies. Other administrative roles that help an organization’s operations run smoothly include human resources, accounting, logistics, shipping and receiving, and executive leadership.