The 5 Lessons Marketing Students Need to Learn Now to Succeed!

Learn The Lessons You Will Need to Be Successful!

I was asked today what college/university students should be studying to be successful in marketing and/or communications. Having spent my life in journalism, communications and marketing, here are the "5 Lessons Marketing Students Need to Learn Now to Succeed."

1. Students first need to learn how to become a great storyteller, whether with video, online, or on social media. How to create interesting and relevant stories that capture and engage readers/viewers. That is a skill that is demand by almost every business today.

2. Students must learn and USE each major platform to understand its capabilities and the consumer behavior of people using the platform. Example: Most of the marketing grads at SU are not using Pinterest, therefore they don't understand why it is so engaging for women or how to effectively use a platform that so many women use.

3. Students need to learn the FTC rules on disclosure and how to create a social media policy.

4. Students need to understand the changing world of data gathering, privacy, and the marketing of data. This is a very BIG deal. It's not about big data, I believe it's about the BIG backlash that's about to come because so much data is being gathered and sold about us, and now being used for more than marketing. Every business gathers data, what position will they take on this in the future. It's good marketing vs. ethics/values. "

5. Students need to understand that communications, journalism and marketing will forever keep changing. You must be comfortable with change. The technologies will change. How we gather information will change. How we "engage" our communities will continue to change. And that's the key--it's now about engagement, not about posting or sending out information. In essence, engage your community or you are invisible because some other business in your category will do it. 

Finally, please remember business is about people. If you deliver remarkable service at every touchpoint the profits will come. Anything less than remarkable service is just average because no one will talk about you.

(c) Joe Barnes, Digital3000.net Please Share With Attribution