In the market for a marketing career?

Marketing is an essential element of any modern business. It is the part of the company that turns the goods or services that the business produces into actual revenue. (And really, from the point of view of the people who own or run the company, that's the most important bit).

Manufacturers have marketing departments. Telecommunications companies have marketing departments. Law firms, supermarkets and car companies have marketing departments. In fact, even some marketing companies have marketing departments!

Quite simply, as the name suggests, it is the marketing executive's job to get whatever it is that the company does INTO the market. It's about getting the right product, in the right place, at the right time, at the right price to make the right profit.

The most visible form of marketing is advertising. For the most part, it is the role of advertising agencies to create the actual work.

However, it is the marketer's job to pick the right advertising agency, to brief them correctly so that they understand the product and the task, and to shepherd the project through to its completion.

But marketing is not just about making ads - there is a lot more to it than that.

To begin with, a marketing person needs to fully understand the product or service that he or she is selling.

If you are marketing a product, you need to work closely with the design and technical people as well as those responsible for production and logistics. You need to be across every aspect of the product your company makes.

Similarly, if the company you're working for provides a service, you need to know that service offer inside and out. What is the benefit your service provides and more importantly, why is your service different or better than another provider's?

Once you've got your head around what it is you are selling, you need to get inside the head of the person you want to buy it - the consumer. This is where market research comes in.

Research is a vital part of any marketing strategy. Only when you understand what people want and need, or what problem in their lives they want solved, will you truly know what to sell them, and how to sell it.

Again, there are research companies out there whose job it is to conduct the actual research. It takes a certain type of person and a special skill set to get the right information out of consumers and turn those findings into feedback that companies can use to more effectively market their brand. Who knows? Maybe market research could be your calling?

As part of your role as a marketing executive you will need to create marketing plans. These are the cornerstones of any marketing exercise. All of the information and analysis you accumulate about your company's products or services, the competitive environment and the consumer marketplace will come together in one document. These marketing plans will provide the framework for the way your company goes to market, so their importance can never be underestimated.

Like many things in life, the digital age has had a major impact on the field of marketing. In fact, it has created its own sub-section - digital marketing or online marketing.

Consumers spend more time online today than ever before, and this trend will only increase. Ask any publisher of any newspaper around the world and they will tell you that the circulation figures of their printed papers keep dropping each day, while their online readership numbers continue to rise.

So it follows that if consumers are spending more time on their computers and less time reading newspapers and watching television, then marketers need to spend more money on digital media.

That's why if you are embarking on a career in marketing today, it is essential to have a solid grasp on the digital and online side of it.

Social media has become a hugely important part of this mix. If you spend a lot of time on Facebook and Twitter, you will understand the significance of this. (If you change your Facebook status to 'engaged', see how long it takes for ads for engagement rings and wedding receptions to appear on your page …)

SEEK currently has a range of jobs across many disciplines in the marketing profession. Some require a level of experience and others may need certain qualifications, but generally, most employers are looking for a certain type of person.

They want go-getters with imagination and insight and an ability to identify problems and opportunities.

If this sounds like you, why not complete a SEEK profile so that these employers can find you?

Give them a compelling reason to get you in for an interview and see what you have to offer.

After all, before you can begin to market somebody's product, you need to be able to sell yourself.

After all, before you can begin to market somebody's product, you need to be able to sell yourself.