The Versatility of Becoming a Marketing Major and Why it Could Be Your Calling

The Marketing Major

Choosing the correct major can be a daunting task for any college student. If you need help knowing where to begin, we hope this article is helpful to you! The marketing major offers various classes that could appeal to many interests and career aspirations. With that comes a wide variety of opportunities, perfect for those who are currently still deciding about their major.  

In this article, we will discuss the marketing major as a whole and the reasons it is such a versatile option for those struggling to pick a major. 

Why is Marketing Important?

Marketing is all about satisfying customers while also promoting and selling your product offerings. Ultimately, we use marketing to attract and retain customer attention.  Marketing does not just happen at marketing firms, it happens in many business categories and many steps of the business process. 

Tons of your favorite brands, sports teams, and restaurants have a marketing department of their own. Marketing happens in many scopes of the business world. Almost every company needs a marketing department in order to fully satisfy its customers. This means that marketing takes place in a wide variety of places, appealing to many different interests. 

So many companies rely on marketing messaging to appeal to their customers. Marketing is an important part of the business world and will continue to be relevant for a very long time. 

Types of Marketing

As mentioned, marketing happens in many different scopes of business which makes the marketing major appealing to those of any interests. What makes marketing even more versatile is the variety of types of marketing.

There are many different types of marketing including digital marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, influencer marketing, email marketing, and many more.[1]

The variety in types of marketing is what makes the marketing major so appealing to someone unsure about what they want to do for their major and their future. So, let’s go a little more into depth about the different types of marketing listed.

[1] Chi, Clifford. “41 Types of Marketing Your Brand Should Invest In.” HubSpot Blog, HubSpot, 21 Nov. 2023, blog.hubspot.com/marketing/marketing-types. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Digital Marketing:  

Digital marketing communicates marketing messages through digital platforms such as social media, websites, emails, and text messages. This content is accessed through electronic devices. If you are someone who loves technology and the innovation that comes with it, digital marketing could be a great option.[1]

[1] Novak, Janette. “What Is Digital Marketing? Types, Strategies & Best Practices.” www.forbes.com/advisor/business/what-is-digital-marketing/

Content Marketing:

Content marketing involves the creation of online material such as videos, blogs, and social media posts. Content marketing allows for creativity-driven jobs in the marketing industry.

Social Media Marketing:

Social media marketing uses social media platforms to interact with customers and promote products or services. The field of social media marketing is very creative and ever-changing due to new trends arising constantly. 

Influencer Marketing:

Influencer marketing is the collaboration between popular influencers and brands to promote products or services.  Influencer marketing allows marketers to work alongside a wide variety of people and become creative with the campaigns they collaborate on. 

Email Marketing:

Email marketing is a form of marketing that uses email to connect with customers while displaying new products, discounts, or other promotions.  The field of email marketing allows marketers to be creative while displaying proper writing skills. 

I know, that’s a lot of different forms of marketing! In reality, there are so many more to choose from than what has been listed above. The marketing major truly relates to so many interests and future career aspirations. 

Luckily, Loyola offers many of these forms of marketing as electives under the broader marketing major. Learn more about all of the marketing classes Loyola offers.

Marketing Allows You to Pursue Your Passions

Another appeal of the marketing major is that it can allow you to work in a job you are truly passionate about. As mentioned, so many different brands use marketing within their business strategies. This means that with the marketing major, you could potentially work for some of your favorite brands and companies. 

There are a wide variety of passions that marketing can let you follow. If you love sports, you can work in sports marketing. Sports Marketing is the application of marketing principles and processes to sports products and non-sport products through association with sports. This means you could work for your favorite NFL, MLB, or NHL team, and combine your passion for sports with work. 

Additionally, if you love fashion you could get into fashion marketing and work for a designer or retailer. Marketing is a big deal in fashion, as it helps build brand awareness and improves sales. Another example is if you are passionate about food, you could work for a restaurant or food company such as Hershey. 

Hopefully, this allowed you to see how versatile marketing really is. These few passions are just examples, but no matter your interests or personality, there is a place in marketing for you. Ultimately, the marketing major is a great way to combine your passions with your career. 

Develop Your Skill Set with Marketing

Marketing also allows you to develop skill sets that you will use in real life, even if you do not choose to go into marketing as a career. First, marketing gives you great communication skills. Marketing develops your ability to communicate effectively both in writing and speech. The marketing major can also help with relationship-building skills, which is important both inside and outside of the professional landscape. 

Additionally, marketing helps you develop your analytical skills. The major helps you learn to analyze and research competitors, customers, and market trends. Going along with this, marketing can improve your strategic thinking. Marketing can include working on long-term goals and adapting to a changing market, which helps develop this skill. Lastly, marketing can help you to develop networking skills. At Loyola, there are many opportunities to network with other students, guest speakers, and professionals within the marketing major. 

Essentially, marketing is a great major to pick because of the wide variety of skills you will gain. The major is very diverse, and a great starting point no matter what career you end up in. Marketing will teach you important fundamental skills to have inside and outside of the workplace. 

Hear From a Loyola Marketing Major

Now that we’ve shown the versatility of the marketing major, it’s time to hear from a current Marketing student at Loyola. Hearing from others firsthand about their experiences is a great way to get a better understanding of the marketing major and if it is something that you would truly be interested in. So, let’s hear from a current senior marketing major, Lauren Kauffman.

Lauren stated, “My experience as a marketing major at Loyola has been a very well-rounded one and has provided me with all the necessary knowledge and guidance to become a successful marketer in my post-grad job position.” She explained that she has been able to grow within the major not only through individual efforts, but also collaboratively through group projects, research, and innovative thinking.

She also explained that she found the courses of Selling Concepts & Strategies, and Customer Research & Analytics to be particularly helpful in the development of her marketing skills. When asked about any professors who stood out in her learning experience, Lauren stated, “Dr. Marie Yeh taught me a lot about confidence and how to relentlessly pursue my goals. She also taught me the fundamentals of networking in order to form connections with others and grow professional relationships that I can hopefully use and learn from throughout my career.” 

Lauren has had three internships while at Loyola. She was a Marketing Training Camp Intern in 2022 for the Baltimore Ravens, a Marketing Event Staff Intern for the 2022-2023 & 2023-2024 seasons at the Baltimore Ravens, and a Retail Lending Product Management Intern at PNC Bank in the summer of 2023. She explains, “My internships at the Ravens were vastly different than the one at PNC, but nonetheless I felt prepared and confident in the abilities Loyola helped instill in me. I have no doubt that I utilized the skills I learned in my marketing courses to help me be successful in my internships, and the hard work I put into those courses truly paid off.” 

A Future in Marketing

Hopefully, this article has given you an overview of the marketing major and how diverse a career in marketing can be. Marketing is a profession that has many different fields as we have seen and offers fascinating jobs that appeal to all interests and personalities. 

If you are indecisive or nervous about choosing “the wrong major,” marketing may be the choice for you. There are a wide variety of classes to choose from under the marketing major, and many professors that each give diverse perspectives. Every class in marketing is unique and caters to different skills or interests. With the marketing major being so versatile, it may be a great place for you to start!

Learn More

After reading this article, I hope you are seriously considering becoming a marketing major. If that is the case, check out Loyola’s marketing page to learn more. 

If this has fully convinced you to become a marketing major, please fill out the Declaration of Major Form found on the Record Office's Site. Don’t forget to write in Marketing as your major!

Reference

“What Is Influencer Marketing?” McKinsey & Company, 10 Apr. 2023, www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-influencer-marketing. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.