Gone are the days of optional marketing budgets, quick-shot promotions, and bland TV advertisements (though some of these persist like the stubborn remnants of a species fastly approaching extinction). Truth is that every business is fighting tooth and nail to get their product into the public eye. We live in an age of billion dollar marketing budgets where a triple A blockbuster movie might cost $500 million to make in its entirety, but the marketing budget will double that figure. 

Sure you can ignore these demands and seek alternatives, but there is no denying that marketing has become standard for any industry that benefits from consumer attention. This has placed marketers into an enviable position. They are the gatekeepers to going viral, building brands, and multiplying customer bases. A good marketer is the key to unlocking the upper tiers of success in the modern day. 

And in the case of marketers, two is better than one; and only established marketing agencies land the best contracts–agencies who can tackle even the most titanic of budgets. These agencies are responsible for the catchy advertisement that you can’t get out of your head, the one-liner that made you follow a company’s social media account, and the reason why you find yourself gravitating toward one product over another. The best marketing agencies shift the tides of entire industries like Moses splitting the Red Sea and their accomplishments are no less miraculous 

So let’s take a look at the best marketing agencies around and figure out what kind of secret sauce they use to make magic happen. We’ve ranked these agencies by effectiveness defined as follows: 

• Industry clout: The most successful marketing agencies have demonstrated their skill with their own brand and have succeeded in marketing their own brand. The marketing agencies with most industry clout are those whose name every marketer knows. 
• Achievement: In the case of marketing, certain achievements speak for themselves. Some agencies, for instance, have taken small local brands and built them into international titans of industry. These kinds of achievements were our primary interest. 
• Reputation: It is a hard thing to finagle high end corporate success while maintaining a good reputation. The marketing agencies that have pulled this off certainly deserve recognition. 

• Cool Factor: If it’s cool, it sells. Sometimes a marketing campaign sticks with you because it’s truly original. Old Spice and Red Bull both had marketing campaigns that have become the backbone of the products themselves. We looked for marketing agencies–big and small–who made success look cool. 

The 20 Best Marketing Agencies 

Distilled – Seattle, WA

Team Size: < 40

Client Size: All Sizes

Focus: B2B & B2C

• SEO
• Digital PR Strategy
• E-Commerce 
• Content Marketing
• Experimentation
  

What makes them special?

Distilled takes the #1 spot on our ranking and it will be clear why that is. Ever wonder who was the team behind Red Bull’s marketing? That was Distilled. How about Ebay’s marketing? Yep, that was Distilled, too. So they must be one of the largest marketing agencies around with tremendous resources at their disposal, right? Amazingly, Distilled has racked up its impressive portfolio all while managing a team of only around 20 core employees. 

Distilled is one of those companies that every marketer knows of, and probably dreams of working for someday. What really makes Distilled special is that despite their high level of success and notoriety, they have remained small and maintained a high level of mobility that allows them to choose the clients they want to work with–both big and small. Distilled is the type of marketing agency you can point to when you want to describe ‘marketing done right.’ Click here to learn more. 

Straight North – Chicago, IL

Team Size: < 25

Client Size: Small and Large

Focus: B2B & B2C

• SEO
• PPC Management
• Email Marketing 
• Graphic Design
• Custom Web Design
  

What makes them special?

Straight North takes the #2 spot on our list for a multitude of reasons. They offer a unique real-time lead reporting tech, maintain strong industry clout, and land year over year successes in national campaigns. But foremost among these is that they are able to do all of this and compete with some of the largest agencies, all while employing the numbers of a much smaller local agency. They have worked with big clients like Raider Painting and the Thoma Foundation, and ServiceSkills eLearning, as well as smaller clients like Chicago Tag Label. 

Straight North excels particularly in the area of lead generation, but where they really distinguish themselves is through their ‘real-time lead reporting’ capabilities. With this technology Straight North can provide reports, lead profiles, and activity projections in real time. This gives clients an enormous amount of control over their lead generation campaigns while simultaneously offering a throttle that can help mitigate the risks of downtime such as that during A/B testing. Click here to learn more. 

Disruptive Advertising – Lindon, UT

Team Size: > 100

Client Size: Mostly Large

Focus: B2B & B2C

• Paid Search (Google, Bing)
• Paid Social
• Email Marketing 
• Audio Ads
• Conversion Rates, Analytics
  

What makes them special?

Disruptive Advertising has landed top-tier national accounts such as Fandango, Guitar Center, and Adobe. Disruptive Advertising would probably land higher on this ranking, however we are trying to give credit to the smaller teams that pull off such high levels of success, but Disruptive Advertising certainly reigns as one of the most dominant marketing agencies in the world with an impressive collection of awards and accolades that indicate they are not only successful, but also a pleasure to work with.

Disruptive Advertising distinguishes itself through a top-down comprehensive approach to business analytics. In many ways, they are more than a marketing company, marketing happens to be their primary tool of driving success. For this reason, the team at disruptive is known for diving into every nook and cranny of their client’s business and goals in order to develop the best plan of attack. If you are lucky enough to work with Disruptive Advertising, you can rest assured you will have a lifelong partner in building your brand. Click here to learn more.

Seer Interactive – San Diego, CA

Team Size: > 100

Client Size: Mostly Large

Focus: B2B & B2C

• PPC
• Paid Social
• SEO 
• Creative
• Conversion Rates, Analytics
  

What makes them special?

Seer interactive is a unique agency that has managed to strike the difficult balance between high levels of success and a down-to-earth philosophy. Seer Interactive has managed to build a humanistic approach into their agency’s foundation where they prioritize building trust between the client and the agency, as well as trust between the client and their customers. 

Seer has demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach through the tremendously successful campaigns for numerous AAA organizations like Intuit, Harvard University, and Linkedin. Seer manages paid search marketing budgets of over $40 million to drive innovation and stoke explosive growth, while working closely with client-managers to encourage developmental evolution within the client-company’s infrastructure. In this way, they take marketing to a whole new level and look to give their client’s more than just successful marketing campaigns but organizational face lifts as well. Click here to learn more. 

Klientboost – Costa Mesa, CA

Team Size: > 50

Client Size: All Sizes

Focus: B2B & B2C

• PPC
• Landing Pages
• SEO 
• Paid Search Marketing
• Ad Words (Google, Bing
  

What makes them special?

Klientboost is an agency that doesn’t just focus on link-building and conversion rates. They focus on teaching clients valuable tools and skills along the way. Their work has been responsible for the explosive growth of companies like Airbnb and Stanford University. One notable feature of their strategy is building customer bases into families centered around their client’s brand. 

Klientboost pushes lead generation and funneling in directions of innovation and creativity. Klientboost marketers believe that convenient and simplistic systems create a healthier relationship between their clients and their customers–which they then leverage to convert leads into scalable sales. It is an attractive model that many try to emulate but few pull off with the same fidelity. Click here to learn more. 

Fractl – Delray Beach, FL

Team Size: > 150

Client Size: Budgets over $10k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• Organic Search
• Content Marketing
• SEO 
• Marketing
• Digital PR
  

What makes them special?

Fractl is one the most well-known 100+ agencies, and for good reason. Much of their work with previous clientele now double as case studies for demonstrating industry benchmarks for lead generation, conversions, and brand rebounding. Industry pundits look to Fractl for industry standards and trends with their research covered by Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Marketwatch–just to know a few. This gives new meaning to the phrase ‘the work speaks for itself.’ 

Despite their size and notoriety, Fractl still works with smaller size companies given that they can afford the buy-in of the minimum marketing budget. Fractl has an impressive track record in clientele as well, having worked with industry titans like Discover, Indeed, and DirectTV. Click here to learn more. 

SEO Inc – Carlsbad, CA

Team Size: < 500

Client Size: All Sizes

Focus: B2B & B2C

• PPC Advertising
• Social Account Management
• SEO Copy
• Mobile Optimization
• Web Accessibility
  

What makes them special?

For more than 20 years SEO inc has demonstrated both success and evolution in the field of marketing. As any marketer knows, the industry changes massively from decade to decade and SEO Inc has demonstrated their adaptability by meeting these changes head on, growing to a team of over 500 specialized marketers today. Further demonstrating their clout is their successful accounts with Marriot, Beach and Sandals Resorts, and Burt’s Bees.

But what really makes SEO Inc special is that they provide an emphasis on organic search building and lead generation. Many marketing companies that reach SEO Inc’ level of success begin to shift their focus to more easily automated paid search options. SEO Inc has earned its reputation as an industry leader in both principles and results. Click here to learn more. 

Amp Agency – Boston, MA

Team Size: > 400

Client Size: Budgets over $100k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• UI/UX Design
• Paid Social
• SEO 
• Mobile Optimization and Installation
• Digital Product Promotion
  

What makes them special?

Founded in Boston in 1995, Amp Agency has grown into a massively successful marketing agency with locations in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and Austin, Texas. Amp’s specialization is in web development, UI/UX design, PPC, and social media marketing strategy, but as a full service agency there are few if any aspects of a job that would fall outside of its wheelhouse. As a veteran agency of the industry with decades of success, AMP Agency mainly takes on larger clients with extensive marketing budgets and high-end target ROIs such as their clients, Starbucks, Nike, and Patagonia.

Where AMP Agency really stands out however, is in its flexibility. Client reviews all convey a similar idea, that is, AMP Agency worked with them day and night to adapt to their needs. Many clients reported having to alter their direction or freeze budgets in the middle of a project, hazards which AMP met without resistance and still managed to deliver on targeted goals. This type of mobility is rare for a marketing giant as large as AMP Agency, and is rarer still to be delivered so consistently. Click here to learn more. 

Infront Webworks – Colorado Springs, CO

Team Size: < 50

Client Size: Small to Large

Focus: B2B & B2C

• PPC
• Search Engine Marketing
• SEO 
• Website Development
• E-Commerce
  

What makes them special?

Infront Webworks has racked up an impressive array of accolades as a small marketing agency, ranking as a finalist small agency in the US Search Awards. One of the consistent features in mentions of Infront Webworks is their client service. Clients of Infront Webworks are met in-person and are cared for throughout their partnership and often beyond. Despite their smaller size, their industry clout has been proven time and again by their landing of top-tier accounts such as YMCA, Goodwill, and the National Museum of World War II Aviation. 

One of the most impressive things about Infront Webworks is you can land them with only a small marketing budget (usually those over $1,000). It is rare for smaller marketing budgets to stick out their neck for clients on such small budgets, but it is a risk that Infront Webworks takes regularly, and delivers on with solid results that one would normally associate with one of the larger marketing agency giants. Click here to learn more. 

McGary Bowen – Chicago, IL

Team Size: 600

Client Size: Mostly Large

Focus: B2B & B2C

• Brand & Design
• Innovation
• SEO 
• Production
• Conversion Rates, Analytics
  

What makes them special?

Founded in 2002, McGary Bowen has become a powerhouse of success, and now stands as a global force in marketing and advertising. They have one of the robust portfolios on this list, having worked with a host of industry giants: Hershey, American Express, Budweiser, United Airlines, Subway, Oscar Meyer, Disney, Hallmark, Verizon, Brita, Olive Garden, Reebok, Clorox, and Kool-Aid. 

While it is certainly impressive to take stock of what a smaller agency can do, sometimes you just have to give credit where credit is due and recognize what the pinnacle of success looks like for a large marketing agency. When you look at what McGary Bowen has been able to achieve in two decades of explosive growth, you start to get a good picture of where they are going, and it’s nothing short of amazing. Many marketing agencies around the world aspire to this level of success and notoriety. Click here to learn more. 

SKDKnickerbocker – Washington DC

Team Size: > 100

Client Size: Mostly Large

Focus: B2B & B2C

• Crisis Communications
• PR Management
• SEO 
• Direct Mail
• Market Research, Analytics
  

What makes them special?

Founded in 2004, Knickerbocker has become an agency of prestige in the marketing world. In 2019 they took home a Holmes Report Award for the ‘best public affairs agency of the year.’ And this is a clear indication of their approach to marketing–they are truly a full-service agency and might be more compared to a full-on management company due to the extensiveness of their services list. Their speciality however, lies in the intersection between policy, privacy, and the press, since they have worked with clients in both government and politics.

Their unique clientele will give you a clearer picture of what distinguishes from Knickerbocker from the competition. They have worked with Americans for Securing All Packages, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. But perhaps most notable of their clients is their recent partnership with Joe Biden’s presidential campaign. If you are interested in full-service marketing delivered by top-tier PR specialists, look no further. Click here to learn more. 

Web Mechanix – Columbia, MD

Team Size: < 50

Client Size: Budgets over $10k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• PPC
• Web Development
• SEO 
• UI/UX Design
• Conversion Rate Optimization
  

What makes them special?

Web Mechanix was founded in 2009 and has grown to a small, but elite group of marketers. Web Mechanix targets mid-sized enterprises and has mastered its approach. Their focus is twofold: on the one hand they work to improve marketability and brand value in the eyes of investors and sponsors, while simultaneously working to improve efficiency and ROI in their daily product sales and lead generation. This is clearly a winning formula because Web Mechanix brings in a number of awards from various institutions year after year.

While their main focus is mid-sized operations, they have demonstrated success with larger accounts as well such as Amazon Brands, Trinity University, Social Solutions, and Learning Tree. While there is certainly something to be said for tailoring a custom marketing plan for each client, Web Mechanix demonstrates the value of sticking to a winning formula. Click here to learn more. 

Silverback Strategists – Alexandria, VA

Team Size: > 50

Client Size: Budgets over $10k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• Google Analytics
• Ad Words
• SEO Strategy
• Social Media Marketing
• Content Marketing 
  

What makes them special?

Founded in 2007, Silverback Strategists has since grown as an agency to a team sized at around 40 members with a second office in Philadelphia. Silverback is known for boosting mid-market operations through a focus on google search optimization and the strategic use of keyword marketing. Through combining this approach with a simultaneous push across social media platforms, Silverback Specialists has been able to deliver clients with consistent success. 

Silverback Strategists have worked with some notable clientele including Strayer University, Mattress Warehouse, and Discovery Education. Client reviews and their awarded history shows that Silverback Strategists are able to deliver on a whole slew of marketing services, and can bring any mid-to-large sized enterprise up to the speed of industry leaders. Click here to learn more. 

Avalaunch Media – Lehi, UT

Team Size: >50

Client Size: Budgets over $1k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• Web Design
• PPC
• SEO 
• Creative Strategy
• Content Marketing
  

What makes them special?

Avalaunch Media was founded in 2012 and has since become an industry leader in content marketing with a specialization in video and audio content marketing. Avalaunch is credited with automating mid-sized company’s marketing campaigns through the creation of top-tier reusable content that usually becomes the company’s flagship marketing materials. 

Avalaunch has mastered the approach to working with companies on a smaller budget, and stretches their client’s dollar to an impressive extenet. Where Avalaunch really distinguishes itself though is in clientele care, that is, many of the client-reviews report that the Avalaunch team worked with them closely every step of the way with prompt replies and quick problem solving delivered through a collaborative working relationship. Click here to learn more. 

SEO Works – Sheffield, United Kingdom

Team Size: < 50

Client Size: Budgets over $1k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• PPC & Paid Social
• Web Design
• SEO 
• Ad Words (Google, Bing)
• Brand Management
  

What makes them special?

Sometimes you need to look outside the United States to find the marketing agency that best meets the unique needs of your operation. SEO Works is aware of this, and has maintained global relevance by specializing in niche keyword vectors. These areas include: automotive, b2b, ecommerce, education, health, manufacturing, and professional services. One of their most successful campaigns involved a PPC strategy targeting pharmaceutical conversions.

One of the strong suits of SEO Works is their specialization in certain keywords. Many marketing agencies will tailor strategies on the fly to meet the needs of a client’s unique SEO demands. But by building experience in targeted areas of the industry, SEO works becomes more specialized and more desirable to those companies that work within their specialized range. Click here to learn more. 

Coalition Technologies – Culver City, California

Team Size: > 100

Client Size: Budgets over $1k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• WordPress Development
• PPC
• SEO 
• E-Commerce Development
• Web Design
  

What makes them special?

Founded in 209, Coalition Technologies has demonstrated enviable growth since its inception, having expanded their team to over 100 members after opening additional offices in Seattle, Washington and Austin, Texas. This level of success represents the dream for many smaller marketing agencies, and Coalition Technologies found their success in PPC search engine optimization. Despite their relatively young company and smaller size, Coalition has landed some outstanding accounts such as Harvard University, Whataburger, and Paypal.

What really sets Coalition apart from the rest is its proven track record demonstrated in over 600 case studies with high-margin ROIs. They deliver on these results time and again through a focus on an AI-facing future. That is, Coalition employs state of the art statistics analysis and high tech strategies backed by hard science. There is very little guesswork in marketing when Coalition Technologies is involved–a selling point in itself to many clients who are skeptical of promised outcomes. Click here to learn more. 

Directive – Irvine, California

Team Size: < 75

Client Size: Budgets over $5k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• PPC
• Content Marketing
• SEO 
• Social Media Marketing
• Conversion Rate Optimization
  

What makes them special?

Founded in 2014, Directive has carved out its corner of the market by specializing in marketing for software companies. Likely leveraging their fortuitous geographical location to this end, Directive has stayed intentionally small and intentionally focused on their target industry, i.e. computer software. This strategy has proved immensely successful as they have been able to stay about the same size, while increasing their operational capacity and professional achievements year over year. 

What really takes Directive to the next level is their choice of specialization. By specializing in computer software marketing with a homebase in close proximity to the computer software capital of the world, they have absorbed a tremendous amount of clout in the global eye of marketing industry. In many ways, this has placed Directive in the throne of software marketing, attracting customers from all over the world looking to catch the wave of the new trends and strategies, to which Directive is inevitably privy. Click here to learn more. 

• Fruition – Denver, CO

Team Size: < 50

Client Size: Budgets over $1k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• Web Development & Design
• Social Media Marketing
• SEO 
• UX/UI Design
• Digital Design
  

What makes them special?

Fruition is a full-service marketing agency that specializes in working with small to mid-market businesses. Fruition leverages its smaller size to maintain a high level of professional mobility, that is, they are able to employ a variety of skill sets to each their client’s goals. While their focus is smaller to mid-sized operations, they have demonstrated success with larger clients, too: US Department of Energy, the City of Ontario, and American Golf. Client reports and reviews suggest that Fruition is successful at tackling a surprising number of problems. 

Fruition’s unique approach to marketing is delivered in a three-fold strategy of building, growing, and finally, protecting. The idea is Fruition will first focus on building the necessary infrastructure of a marketing effort, then focus on growing leads and ROIs, before then focusing on protecting data, customer information, and hosting systems. Click here to learn more. 

Infographic World – Great Neck, New York

Team Size: 50

Client Size: Budgets over $5k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• CRO
• Social Media Marketing
• SEO 
• Graphic Design
• Visual Content Production
  

What makes them special?

Founded in 2009, Infographic World (IGW) has proven the success of its unique approach to content marketing for the past decade, particularly over the past several years, and now consists of a star studded crew of expert marketers (many previous team members from Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram). IGW specializes in visual content marketing, and delivers data through visually pleasing forms of content. They further specialize in some specific keyword vectors: healthcare, business industries, IT, and advertising. 

Despite their seemingly focused approach, IGW employs their visual marketing strategies as the foundation of their full-service marketing package. What clients typically go to IGW for however, is their industry-leading approach to converting data into easy-to-digest graphics, which can in-turn, function as client’s funneling content, landing page, or promotional content.

PBJ Marketing – Washington D.C

Team Size: < 20

Client Size: Budgets over $5k

Focus: B2B & B2C

• PPC Advertising
• Digital Strategy
• SEO 
• Social Media Marketing
• Marketing Analytics
  

What makes them special?

Despite having a small team of under 20 members, PBJ marketing maintains two offices, one in D.C and one in New York City. PBJ works with mid-size businesses to accommodate a variety of marketing needs. It is often the case that a marketing agency is only as good as its data, and this is a principle that PBJ leans into. By delving deep into the market analytics most relevant to their client’s goals, they are able to find strategies that other agencies would have missed. While PBJ focuses more on mid to small size enterprises, they have done work with some heavy hitters such as the University of Maryland, MillerCoors, Czech Board of Tourism, and the Hawthorn Group. 

What really sets PBJ Marketing apart from competitors however, is its stellar results, which have been recorded in the form of case studies. FactoryPure reported a 40% increase in ROAS; MPower Financing reported 146% increase in overall revenue; and BelcaraHealth reported 2,500% increase in leads combined with a 357% cost reduction to lead generation. These are the type of results you expect to see in much larger marketing agencies, which makes PBJ marketing an exemplary small agency and a benchmark of success for those who aspire to similar achievement. Click here to learn more. 

The post The 20 Best Online Digital Marketing Agencies Ranked By Effectiveness appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.

• Customer Engagement
• Customer Retention and Loyalty
• Marketing Optimization and Performance

What Marketing Role?

• Marketing Specialist – Data Literate through Data Expert
• Social Media Manager – Data Expert
• Search Engine Optimization Specialist – Data Literate through Data Expert
• Email Marketing Manager – Data Expert
• Web Content Writer – Data Literate
• Web Producer – Data Literate
• Product Manager – Data Literate through Data Expert
• Marketing Analyst – Data Literate through Data Expert
• Advertising Coordinator – Data Literate
• Advertising Manager – Advertising Coordinator
• Public Relations Manager – Data Literate
• Brand Manager – Data Literate
• Media Buyer – Data Literate through Data Expert
• Chief Marketing Officer – Data Literate through Data Expert
• Digital Marketing Manager – Data Literate through Data Expert
• Digital Marketing Director – Data Expert
• eCommerce Manager – Data Expert

Data Literacy Vs. Expertise

Data Scientist in Marketing vs. Marketing Data Analyst

How Data Scientist Skills Align With Marketing Positions

• Exploratory data analysis
• Generate prescriptive insights
• Selection of Methods and Metrics for reporting to a variety of stakeholders
• Training of Employees to understand important data and data use
• A/B testing
• Aiding Management With Data Pipeline

• Exploratory data analysis — Brand Manager, Digital Marketing Director, eCommerce Manager
• Generate Prescriptive Insights — UX Manager, Advertising Manager, Media Buyer, eCommerce Manager
• Selection of Methods and Metrics — Brand Manager, Media Buyer, Chief Marketing Officer, SEO, Advertising Manager
• Training of Employees to understand data — Digital Marketing Manager
• A/B Testing — UX Manager, UX Designer, Advertising Manager, Social Media Marketer, Media Buyer, eCommerce Manager, SEO, Email Marketing Manager
• Aiding Management With Data Pipeline — eCommerce Manager, SEO, Email marketing manager, Social Media Manager

Where to Learn Data Science Skills For Marketing

• Scripting Language Like R or Python
• SQL
• Statistical or Machine Learning-Based Predictive Modeling
• Exposure to Internet Marketing Data
• Communication Skills

The post What Marketers Need to Know about Data Science appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.

Wait up a sec… we should add that data is just the start of all of that. Data in and of itself isn’t worth that much, unless it can be coerced into something meaningful. To show you what we mean, let us introduce the DIKW hierarchy.

You see what we mentioned in the intro is true, but only using the popular conception of “data.” Technically, data in and of itself doesn’t tell us much until it’s processed. What do we mean by processed? Well that depends on how much (and how quality) the processing is. To illustrate this point, here are examples of what constitutes each step of the DIKW heirarchy:

• Data includes logs, measures, addresses, phone numbers, names, number of clicks, and so forth, but without any interrelationships mapped. Data in and of itself does not answer any meaningful questions, but is rather the material out of which answers can be constructed. To fully illustrate this point, data is just a collection of symbols. On it’s own it might as well be written in a language foreign to you. What many people commonly refer to as data is actually information.
• Information is what many people mistakenly refer to as data. Information is data with a context, or that has been organized into a structure. A list of subscribers to a service and their ages is data. Wrangling the data to provide percentages in certain age groups is information. Following the example, once you know that 90% of your subscribers have kids and are in their 40’s, you can start to answer questions like “who, what, when, where.” Creating information through the processing and refining of data is a crucial portion of a business intelligence analyst’s role.
• Knowledge is more abstract than information, but easy to identity when we see it. Knowledge applies personal experience and mental rules (whether knowingly or unknowingly) to information. Put simply, knowledge answers “how” to implement or integrate understandings from information. Knowledge is often exhibited when information is provided to high-level decision makers or those experienced in their field. Knowledge is knowing what to do with your information.
• Wisdom can be seen as related to knowledge over time. In a business setting, wisdom extrapolates from knowledge and faces the future. Application of a businesses’ values, providing vision into the future based on knowledge, and having the leadership to provide this vision are what wisdom is all about. While elusive, wisdom is seen through “visionary” acts informed by information and knowledge.

So what does this have to do with the role of a business intelligence analyst? A quick look at what “business intelligence” is should make this clear. Business intelligence refers to

• Technologies
• Applications
• And practices

that are used in the collection, analysis, integration, and presentation of information. In short, business intelligence analysts take an organization’s data, and make it something more valuable in an effort to support business goals. Let’s look at a few components of business intelligence analysis below.

Training of Business Intelligence Analysts

Business intelligence analysts may come from a variety of academic backgrounds or be self taught. With this said, most major employers require at least a bachelor’s degree for business intelligence roles. While any quantitatively-focused major will do including hard sciences, math, computer science, or engineering, many “softer” degrees coupled with training in informational analysis tools and business processes will also do. As a great deal of data gathered in business settings has to do with the presentation and honing or services or products, marketing is a common degree for business intelligence analysts. Many bachelor’s level degrees in marketing work on data literacy and learning about the types of information that are useful in marketing settings. Master’s degrees in either marketing, data analytics, or business administration further hone marketing-specific tools and data management processes.

For those interested in business intelligence, yet who have degrees in other fields, graduate certificates in marketing may also provide a time and cost effective way to hone skills in the field.

Tools of Business Intelligence Analysis

We’ve mentioned a few of the routes to learning tools needed for business intelligence analysis, but what exactly are these tools? Depending on your precise role in your team, business intelligence analysis can range between fully data science-centered roles (more technical) all the way to report creation (less technical). Categories of tools used in this process include the following:

• Spreadsheets
• Online Analytical Processing
• Reporting and querying tools
• Digital dashboards
• Website Analytics Services
• Data Mining Technologies
• Business Activity Monitoring Tools
• Data Warehousing Practices and Tools
• And Data Cleansing Techniques and Tools

Examples of these software and technology types include:

• Microsoft Office or Google Sheets
• IBM Cognos or Micro Strategy
• BIRT Report or Jasper Reports, SQL
• Tableau or Domo
• Google Analytics among others
• Scripting languages or pre-built tools
• TaskCentre or KnowledgeSync
• Ab Initio Software or Amazon Redshift
• OpenRefine among others

This may seem like a large “stack” of tools, techniques, and technologies. But it’s likely that your role as a business intelligence analyst will focus on one subset of data collection, analysis, integration, or presentation. Furthermore, your employer will likely have a select group of tools already in place, lowering the number of tools you’ll need to be familiar with at any one time.

Business Intelligence Analyst Jobs

So now that you have your bearings a bit, what does the business intelligence analyst job market look like? First off, business intelligence analyst positions can go by a number of names including business analyst, ETL analyst, data warehouse analyst, data scientist, data miner, data processor, analytics solution expert, and so forth. With the basic stack of tools and techniques above a guiding point, there are over 10,000 openings as of the time of this article’s writing for business intelligence analyst and similar jobs. These positions range from entry level through C-Level analytics and analyst professionals and are available in every state and metro area in the nation. In fact, there’s quite a large shortage of those with data analysis and related skills. That’s part of why many publications have named data science as the “hottest” profession of the 21st century.

Business Intelligence Analyst Salary

So you’re intrigued by the job description, and maybe could see yourself in a role related to intelligence analysis. What sort of career trajectory can you hope for? First off, this greatly depends on your location and the given field you choose to work in. Analysts work in pretty much every sector and for employers ranging from non-profits to high finance, from city governments, to space agencies. With that said, business intelligence analysts bring home a hefty wage for the requisite education requirements to start. Many entry level data analysts will bring home over $55,000 a year. While senior business intelligence analysts often bring home over $100,000 in salary and additional compensation. As with many information economy jobs, large business hubs and tech-centered economies boast even higher salaries. Experienced data scientists in Silicon Valley have been known to bring home $300,000+ in salary and additional compensation. While this isn’t the norm, for enterprising, driven, and talented business intelligence analysts in the making a wide range of opportunities are available.

The post What is a Business Intelligence Analyst? appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.

All these questions and more are the focus of digital strategists, the Swiss Army marketers in charge of leading an organization’s digital marketing long-term planning, creation, and implementation. Or, as Gene De Libero explains:

Digital strategists are the people that lead the problem solving charge, helping to connect the dots between the needs, wants, and desires of the customer and those often illusive business, brand, and marketing goals. . . . Of course, at any given time during the engagement, you can swap out “business” with “customer,” “creative”, “technology”, etc. Same strategic approach, different lens.

Sound like a job you’d be interested in? Below, we break down ways to become a digital strategist, including job prospects, salary, and the particular skills required. First though, let’s review the specific responsibilities of the role.

Digital Strategist Responsibilities and Job Description

• Create strategy and content for web presence and outreach
• Analyze and optimize web traffic performance
• Identify new communities for lead generation
• Research latest digital marketing tools and technologies
• Monitor SEO/SEM, marketing, and sales metrics to forecast trends
• Build strong clients relationships
• Work across multiple teams (including creative, sales, and marketing) and organizations

Digital Strategist Salary and Job Prospects

According to Payscale, the median salary for digital strategists is $59k, with more experienced digital strategists earning between $80-120k.

Job prospects are particularly promising. Because digital fluency ranks among the most in-demand marketing skills, you’ll be in an excellent position to advance your career along multiple paths, many of which offer significant salary bumps and long-term job growth.

For instance, at the next step up, digital marketing directors earn $154k a year and carry more decision-making weight (depending on organizational structure). Maybe you decide to pivot toward a broadly-focused managerial position: the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects jobs for advertising, promotions, and marketing managers to grow 10% over the next decade, and median salary is $130k. Finally, at the top of the food chain, marketing executives can earn well over $200k a year.

Related roles and career paths include:

• Digital Brand Manager
• SEO Managager
• Senior Marketing Manager
• Social Media Marketing Director
• Marketing Communication Director
• Internet Marketing Director
• IoT Marketing Strategist
• Chief Experience Officer

Using Your Education to Become a Digital Strategist

The majority of digital strategists have at least a bachelor’s in marketing or a related discipline, and many of the most innovative marketing programs are developing unique curricula to meet industry demands.

Depending on your career goals, a master’s track in marketing could be a good idea, as well, in which you’ll need to decide between a number of different programs and specializations.

If you want to stay within general marketing, it’s important to understand the difference between an MBA in Marketing vs. a traditional master’s. Aspiring digital strategists may want to stick to the latter, which features a skill-oriented, technical curriculum, but an MBA is a great option for those interested in managerial and C-suite roles further down the line.

The best options, however, may be specialized programs. Master’s degrees in Social Media Marketing and Marketing Research offer in-depth training, or you might consider career-focused, less formal bootcamps in digital marketing. In the same vein, graduate certificates are increasingly popular for their affordability and short completion time: Duke, UC Irvine, UCLA, Georgetown, and the University of Toronto are among a growing list of top-tier institutions offering online Digital Marketing Certificates.

Using Your Skills and Experience to Become a Digital Strategist

At the same time, because digital strategists’ responsibilities are constantly evolving, there aren’t any specific educational requirements. What really matter are skills and experience.

Half of working digital strategists have between 1-4 years of experience, and a third have 5-9. Generally speaking, employers ask for a minimum of 3 years on the job, but, again, the more you can demonstrate you have the requisite skills, the more your chances of employment increase.

That means that unlike broader marketing roles in areas like communication or management, digital strategists may need to prioritize hard and technical skills, such as:

• Target segmentation, value proposition, positioning, and brand strategy
• Working knowledge of web design and HTML
• Proficiency in a CRM software, e.g., Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SAP
• Proficiency in SEO and related platforms

Earning digital marketing certifications can also help you stand out against the competition and provide tangible skill demonstrations:

• AMA Certified Professional Marketer
• DMA Certifications
• Google Analytics
• Google AdWords
• Facebook Advertising
• HubSpot
• HootSuite

None of this is to say traditional soft skills are irrelevant. Digital strategists need excellent verbal and written communication skills to meet internal and client-side expectations, as well as a healthy balance of leadership skills, organization, project and operations management know-how, and more.

The post How Do I Become a Digital Strategist? appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.

Whether it’s developing a blog presence, building social media channels, or monitoring discussion forums, community managers have a hand in each of an organization’s online communities in order to engage customers, analyze trends, and track brand identity. (The internet being what it is, they’re often on the front lines of crisis management, as well.) During a time of radical business-to-consumer disruption, the community manager acts as a passionate organizational representative as well as an eager listener, understanding that strong relationships build brand loyalty, and brand loyalty builds strong organizations.

In short, the stakes are high, and job opportunities are on the rise. For those interested in becoming a community manager, we’ve highlighted job prospects, salary expectations, and relevant education and skills. But first, let’s take a closer look at the job description and responsibilities of a community manager.

Job Description and Responsibilities for Community Managers

• Plan and implement social media and communication campaigns to align with marketing strategies
• Coordinate with marketing, PR and communications teams to ensure brand consistency across multiple platforms and campaigns
• Follow or develop all company public-facing communication guidelines, including language, voice, and style
• Respond to comments and customer queries in a timely and polite manner
• Foster relationships with customers, prospects, industry peers, and journalists
• Monitor and report customer feedback and reviews to team members
• Analyze web traffic trends to identify and hone effective online strategies
• Locate individual prospects and communities for business development opportunities
• Research latest relevant tools and technologies
• Plan and attend online and real-world meet-ups for your community

Job Prospects and Salary for Community Managers

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings in media and communications (industries that occasionally overlap with community management) are expected to add more than 40,000 jobs over the next decade. On the other hand, the BLS tends to group community and social media managers under public relations and the marketing, promotions, and advertising umbrella. In that case, jobs are projected to grow 9-10% through 2026 and add around 50,000 jobs. Bottom line: it’s clear the industry is growing, and jobs are trending up.

Payscale reports the median annual salary for community managers at just under $50k per year, but that number can vary significantly between organizations. High-earning community managers make up to $80k, and a community director title pushes salaries into the $130-150k range. Because the position is still relatively new and underpopulated, there’s plenty of room for advancement, including career tracks to roles as a Marketing Manager, Marketing Communications Manager, Digital Marketing Manager, or Marketing Director.

Using Your Education to Become a Community Manager

The majority of community managers (about 66%) have at least a bachelor’s degree, though no specific academic training is required for the job. Still, if you want to stand out among the competition, the most practical degree is a bachelor’s in marketing, where you’ll learn the ins-and-outs of the trade and pick up some hands-on experience. Typical course work includes:

• Principles of Marketing
• Marketing Strategy
• Marketing Research
• Supply Chain Management
• Consumer Behavior
• Organizational Behavior

Specialized master’s degrees, particularly for programs in Social Media or Public Relations, are certainly helpful but, again, far from mandatory. If you’re interested in practical, affordable education options, we’ve highlighted some of the best digital marketing bootcamps as well as marketing MOOCs, which tend to emphasize career-oriented skills and feature industry-leading instructors. Alternatively, many community managers are self-taught professionals. Keep up with latest in marketing technology, find some relevant books to read, and follow your favorite marketing professionals on social media.

Using Your Skills and Experience to Become a

Experience is a plus, but nearly 80% of community managers have less than five years on the job. Your skill set is much important. Among the most important?

• Written Communication: Community managers must be able to communicate in a clear, effective, and memorable manner, with a focus on brand identity and business development goals.
• Customer Service: Serving current customers is just as important as developing new relationships, and implementing best practices for customer service is key.
• Organization: While “multi-tasking” may be a thing of the past, task-switching is a major part of the community manager’s job, whether it’s moving rapidly from one social media platform to the next, checking web analytics, or checking up on a customer service ticket.
• Adaptability: On that note, community managers need to be nimble online. Adapt or die.
• Critical and Analytical Thinking: The internet carries vast potential, both good and bad. Community managers need to have excellent critical-thinking skills (and solid common sense) to capitalize on the positive potential while mitigating actions that hurt the brand — sometimes easier said than done.

Last but not least, certain certifications can help you gain a competitive edge and stay updated on the tech side. These include:

• AMA Certified Professional Marketer
• DMA Certification
• Google Analytics
• Google AdWords
• Facebook Blueprint
• Twitter Flight School
• HubSpot
• HootSuite
• MediaBistro Social Media Certifications

The post How Do I Become a Community Manager? appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.

Still, successful comm coordinators earn decent salaries, and long-term career opportunities include several lucrative marketing roles. Let’s take a closer look at communication coordinators’ responsibilities as well as job projects, salaries, and the education, skills, and experience you’ll need to become a communications coordinator.

Marketing Communications Coordinator Job Description

• Creates communications programs that describe and promote the organization and its products including all relevant marketing content, graphics, logos, or other promotional products
• Works with outside vendors and agencies to design and execute advertising campaigns, trade show exhibitions, mail campaigns, and seminars
• Aligns public relations strategies and communications
• Identifies and develops relationships with media personnel, potential partners, and agencies to promote services and events
• Coordinates media requests and serves as liaison
• Writes and publishes website, blog, and newsletter to develop brand identity and generate inbound marketing opportunities
• Manage and curate organization’s social media accounts

Salary and Job Prospects

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, marketing manager jobs are expected to grow 10% over the next decade, while market research analyst positions are projected to skyrocket 23%. Altogether, these account for some 150,000 new jobs through 2026.

Though neither directly corresponds to the communications coordinator role, each points to a promising employment trend in marketing and the industry’s overall health. From 2012 to 2018, worldwide marketing services spending jumped nearly $100 billion to $460 billion, 35% of which came from the United States. Since the turn of the millennium, revenue for U.S. PR agencies has doubled, reaching $13.5 billion in 2016. As the Digital Revolution continues to disrupt business and communications, demand for marketing professionals will follow suit – increasing salaries, as well.

Median annual pay for an entry- to mid-level role like communications coordinator generally falls around $45,000. That’s a reasonable salary, but long-term career routes offer superior compensation. A marketing communications manager can earn $98k-114k per year, and a director can earn $125-145k. At the C-suite level, the median salary for a marketing executive is over $220k.

Point being: marketing communications coordinators sacrifice short-term modest pay for several long-term career routes with excellent salary potential.

Using Your Education to Become a Marketing Communications Coordinator

Over 75% of professionals in similar entry-level marketing roles have a bachelor’s degree. If you’re relatively certain you want to pursue a career in the field, the bachelor’s in marketing is an obvious choice that covers the basics, for example:

• Principles of Marketing
• Introduction to Economics
• Financial and Managerial Accounting
• Business Ethics
• Consumer Behavior
• Promotions and Advertising
• Marketing Research
• Marketing Management
• Operations Management
• Strategic Management

Still, plenty of other tracks are available, as well. Depending on your circumstances, you may only need an associate’s degree, or maybe you want a specialized bachelor’s in communications or public relations.

Thanks to the rise in affordable online education, many professionals prefer pragmatic marketing bootcamps or MOOCs, which combine expert instruction from industry leaders with skill-oriented coursework and professional development.

Using Your Skills and Experience to Become a Marketing Communications Coordinator

At the same time, plenty of marketing communications coordinators have no formal academic training. Marketing is very much a learn-on-the-go industry; even the most prominent professional marketers on social media have to adapt their strategy constantly. So if you don’t have a degree in marketing, don’t fret.

The most important factor will be intangibles: do have the soft skills needed for a successful career in marketing and communications? Some of these we’ve covered:

• Critical thinking
• Written and verbal communication
• Public speaking
• Leadership
• Organization
• Creativity
• Collaboration

Stress these skills to potential employers, and provide sample work if possible. “Unteachable” traits can set you apart from the competition, and, as important, pave the way for long-term professional growth.

From there, develop and hone some of the most in-demand marketing skills; ideally, you’ll have proficiency in at least a few relevant marketing tools and technologies, as well. While most of these can be picked up on the go, as with any job, the more you can demonstrate immediate qualification, the better your chances are for landing the position. To become a communications coordinator, you’ll likely need to have working knowledge of:

• CRM: Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SAP, etc.
• Social Media Management: Canva, Mention, Commun.it
• Content Creation: Blog Topic Generator, Content Idea Generator, Feedly
• Email Campaigning: MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, Benchmark Email, Constant Contact
• SEO
• Content Management Systems

… and more. For additional ideas, explore the site for helpful features like “A Day in the Life of a Digital Marketer”, or how to build a unique personal brand online — especially of use if you’re trying to stand out in the job market.

The post How Do I Become a Marketing Communications Coordinator? appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.

Today, the Digital Revolution is responsible for a new launch: a radical, updated marketing strategy that accommodates our complex, interconnected world.

Many different people have given rise to this brave new world — not all of whom work in marketing, mind you — but the position most responsible for modern marketing is the marketing manager, one of the highest-ranking roles in the profession. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the defining features of marketing managers, including a job description and projected salary, as well as ways to become a marketing manager, including degrees in marketing and on-the-job experience.

Marketing Manager Job Description

• Manages the long-term and day-to-day marketing activities and programs for an organization
• Researches and analyzes market trends, demographics, pricing, competitor products, and other data to plan marketing strategies
• Tailors marketing strategy to meet business objectives
• Finds, hires, and assembles a marketing team
• Effectively communicates marketing vision and strategy to a team, and ensures key expectations are met
• Collaborates with creative team to create promotional materials, website content, advertisements, and other marketing-related projects
• Manage marketing budget and monitors results
• Identify market weaknesses for business development and lead generation

Salary and Job Prospects for Marketing Managers

The marketing industry should enjoy major growth in the next few years. In the United States, digital marketing spending is predicted to exceed $100 billion by 2019, up from $56 billion in 2014. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, advertising, promotions, and marketing managers are, perhaps unsurprisingly, among the most in-demand professionals in the country, with 250,000 currently working in the field. Hiring is projected to increase 10% over the next decade, adding 24,000 positions and nearly doubling the average rate. (Comparable jobs in sales management and general management occupations will grow 7-8%.)

Pay is highly competitive, as well.

The median annual wage for marketing managers is $130,000, and upper-level managers or managers with advanced degrees may earn even more. The highest 10% of marketing managers earn $210,000 per year. The top-paying industries are (in order): professional, scientific, and technical services; management of companies and enterprises; finance and insurance; manufacturing; and wholesale trade.

Using Your Education to Become a Marketing Manager

Most marketing managers have at least a bachelor’s degree (nearly 60%), though not all necessarily have a degree in the field.

Still, the benefits of a bachelor’s in marketing are obvious enough: in addition to developing essential marketing skills and techniques, students build a basic foundation of marketing knowledge through courses like:

• Principles of Marketing
• Marketing Strategy
• Marketing Research
• Supply Chain Management
• Consumer Behavior
• Organizational Behavior

For working professionals or anyone interested in an advanced degree, there are several master’s in marketing degrees to consider. (37% of marketing managers have a master’s degree.) The most popular is the MBA with a concentration in Marketing, which combines a rigorous MBA curriculum with advanced marketing courses. Alternative degrees include master’s programs in Social Media Marketing, Advertising, or Marketing Research.

For more specialized tracks — particularly if you’re already working in the field or know a specific professional track you want to pursue — a master’s in Communication or Public Relations are in-depth, hands-on programs that can improve career and salary prospects.

Thanks to the rise in online education opportunities, more and more marketing professionals are opting for quick, affordable routes like digital bootcamps or Marketing MOOCs, which include certificate options and typically feature highly practical, career-oriented curricula taught by working professionals. (In some cases, these benefits can actually make a high-quality bootcamp or MOOC more valuable than a formal but mid-tier master’s.)

Using Your Skills and Experience to Become a Marketing Manager

One of the most important factors in becoming a marketing manager is experience. Nearly 40% have 5-10 years of experience, and 20% have over 10 years.

Still, most employers are straightforward: if you’ve got the skills, you’ve got a chance at the job, particularly in a big-picture field like marketing, which requires a wide range of skills and strengths. Some of the most common of these include:

• Critical and analytical thinking
• Written and verbal communication
• Public speaking
• Leadership
• Organization
• Creativity
• Collaboration

Valuable hard skills include:

• Proficiency in a CRM software, i.e., Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, SAP, etc.
• Budget management
• Product development
• Financial planning and strategy
• Familiarity with web design, graphic design, and production

Looking for other ways to advance your career? Following prominent professional marketers on social media can help inspire new ideas and keep you updated on the latest marketing trends and strategies from industry leaders. (It’s also a useful talking point for job interviews.) Ditto studying marketing books or simply developing the right habits.

As a final note, specific certifications can help you land a marketing manager job, as well. The following is a brief list of some of the most popular:

• AMA Certified Professional Marketer
• DMA Certified Marketing Professional
• Google Analytics
• Facebook Blueprint
• HootSuite
• Google AdWords
• HubSpot
• Bing Ads
• W3Schools
• Code Academy

The post How Do I Become a Marketing Manager? appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.

The Rise of Video on Social Media

Stats About Video on Social Media Networks

• In 2017 74% of social media marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing, ahead of blogs (68%)
• Video content represents 74% of all Internet traffic
• Four times as many consumers would rather watch a video about a product or service than read about it
• Writing the word “video” in an email subject line ups open rates by 19% and clickthrough rates by 65%.
• Facebook users spend three times the time watching live videos than they do with traditional videos.
• In 2016, 51% of all video plays were on mobile devices, which was a 15% increase from 2015 and a 203% increase from 2014.
• 85% of adults get content through multiple devices at the same time.
• 85% of videos on Facebook are watched with the volume muted.
• Facebook users watch 8 billion videos per day.
• Videos that are less than five minutes long make up 55% of total video consumption time on smartphones.

Tips and Tricks for Using Video on LinkedIn

The post Tips for Using Linkedin For Self-Marketing appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.

1. The GaryVee Audio Experience

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 20-40 minutes
• Frequency: Daily
• Podcast Style: Various

2. The Goal Digger Podcast

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 30-40 minutes
• Frequency: Every other weekday
• Podcast Style: Workshop/Interview

3. Online Marketing Made Easy

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 40-50 minutes
• Frequency: Weekly
• Podcast Style: Various

4. Social Media Marketing Podcast

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 45 minutes
• Frequency: Weekly
• Podcast Style: Interview

5. Perpetual Traffic

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 30-40 minutes
• Frequency: Weekly
• Podcast Style: Interview

6. Marketing School

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 10 minutes or less
• Frequency: Daily
• Podcast Style: Various

7. Social Media Marketing Happy Hour Podcast

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 15 minutes
• Frequency: Every weekday
• Podcast Style: Various

8. PNR: This Old Marketing Podcast

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 1 hour
• Frequency: Weekly
• Podcast Style: Various

9. Harvard Business Review IdeaCast

• Homepage
• Avg. Episode Length: 20 minutes
• Frequency: Weekly
• Podcast Style: Interview

10. Copyblogger FM

• Avg. Episode Length: 15-20 minutes
• Frequency: Weekly
• Podcast Style: Interview

The post The 10 Best Podcasts for Marketers appeared first on Best Marketing Degrees.