A graduate program in marketing – one of the highest-paying master’s degrees – gives you the foundation to become a successful marketer. However, marketing is a dynamic field, one that rapidly adopts new technological innovations and evolutions, so you will need to keep learning new software programs throughout your career. Some of the most important and consistent types of computer programs marketers use include customer relationship management and marketing automation software, photo and video editing software and computer programming languages.
Customer Relationship Management and Marketing Automation Software
Marketers, especially those in management roles, commonly use computer software programs to manage and develop professional relationships with clients and customers. This type of software is called customer relationship management, or CRM, software. Whether you’re in marketing or not, there’s a good chance that you have heard of the CRM software program Salesforce through advertisements. Aside from Salesforce, some of the most popular types of CRM software programs in 2021, according to O*NET, are Constant Contact, Sage SalesLogix, MarketSharp, Blackbaud The Raiser’s Edge and Oracle’s Oracle Siebel Server Sync.
Closely related to customer relationship management is marketing automation. Popular marketing automation software programs include Oracle Eloqua and QAD Marketing Automation, O*NET reported. Marketing automation software emphasizes the use of technology to automate marketing tasks for the purpose of improving your workflow. As any busy marketer knows, this is a fast-paced and sometimes hectic field in which it’s common to manage several projects, often at several different stages and sometimes for several different clients, at a time. Marketing animation software doesn’t replace skilled marketers but instead serves to free up their time to focus on the most important responsibilities – the ones that can’t be automated.
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Although CRM programs and marketing automation software have different focuses, they both use computer technology to automate some aspects of marketing. That doesn’t mean that using both types of programs is redundant. Integrating CRM and marketing automation software gives marketers the most comprehensive set of data and technological capabilities.
Degree programs in marketing often equip students with the basic foundations of using CRM software programs, but you can also seek CRM training through certification programs in individual software programs, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Graphics, Photo and Video Editing Software
The photos, videos and graphics used in marketing campaigns need to be touched up and edited. Dedicated graphic designers, photographers and videographers – hired in-house or contracted with as outside freelancers – may do much of this work. Still, knowing the basics of how to use image and video editing software is a valuable skill for marketers, particularly marketing managers.
According to O*NET, some of the graphics and photo imaging programs marketers could benefit from knowing include Microsoft Visio and numerous Adobe Systems software programs, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and Creative Cloud. As video editing goes, consider getting familiar with programs like Adobe AfterEffects and Apple Final Cut Pro.
Not all marketing jobs require this proficiency, so if you don’t click with image editing software, that’s okay. You might prefer to look for specialized marketing roles, like market research analyst or marketing account executive, that don’t encompass image editing work.
Computer Programming Languages
Do marketers have to be proficient programmers? The main job duties of a marketer don’t include extensive coding. Even if a campaign requires a website or mobile application, creating that software is a task that will fall to a professional programmer or software engineer. Still, it’s useful for marketers to have at least a foundation in the basics of coding, especially if they plan to work in a digital space like social media marketing or search engine marketing. Coding and programming skills aren’t exclusively used to develop websites and software applications. They can also be used to manipulate and work with data for analytics purposes.
Which programming and development languages are the most valuable for marketers to know? O*NET divides them into two types: development environment software and web platform development software. Development environment software programs for marketers include C, Ruby, Adobe ActionScript and Microsoft’s Visual Basic programs. For web platform development software programs, languages like HTML, XHTML, DHTML, PHP, CSS, JavaScript and Ruby on Rails are useful options for marketers to gain familiarity with.
In digital marketing, marketers are often involved in the brainstorming and approval of website and application designs. Having a foundation in development and the basics of computer programming can help you understand what is possible and how to achieve it.
Additional Resources
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