3 High Demand Marketing Career Specializations to Consider in 2019

Media and journalism have undergone countless changes in the recent past, but the need for effective marketing is eternal. In 2018, we saw a marked contraction in the numbers of working public relations professionals. (Source: The Australian government’s Department of Jobs and Small Business.) As traditional PR becomes less effective than it used to be other forms of marketing are showing greater promise (Source: Inc.com).

If you're a new graduate or generalist marketer, you might want to consider improving your career opportunities by honing your skills in one specific marketing specialisation. Let’s take a look at 3 of the marketing career specialisations you might want to consider in 2019 and beyond.

1. Content Marketing

When brands create content such as videos, podcasts, infographics, blog posts or articles intended to educate their prospective customers or pique curiosity about their offerings, that’s content marketing. Many brands are finding that content marketing is now providing better return on investment for them than traditional public relations campaigns can provide. Content marketing is typically effective for meeting a variety of goals including creating brand awareness, driving website traffic, motivating sales inquiries, increasing numbers of newsletter subscribers and ultimately increasing sales.

It isn’t easy to get content marketing right. It can take an army of people to create the type of attention-getting content that people want to view, discuss and share with others. It’s a challenge to find and project just the right brand “voice” that will resonate with prospective customers. Once the right content has been created, it’s also a challenge to get people to view it.

Perhaps you have the skill set it takes to manage the creation and dissemination of top-quality content that will bring your brand substantial numbers of new leads and customers; if so, you’ll want to consider specializing in content marketing. If you excel at managing big projects that include numerous complex details, your services as a content marketer will quite likely be in high demand.

2. Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is one of the hottest marketing trends of 2019 – but many old-school marketers find it puzzling. One of the biggest challenges is the pitfall of influencers who have legions of fake followers. (Source: Forbes.com). Another challenge: Influencer marketing requires close collaboration with third-party influencers who each have their own agendas – which might or might not align well with your brand’s mission statement. When there’s a mismatch, the audience is sure to pick up on the lack of authenticity.

Perhaps you have the skill set required for mastering the elusive process of developing relationships with all the right influencers, enticing them to promote your brand and managing influencer campaigns that drive genuine interest in your brand. If this is your talent, your services as a marketer are likely to be in exceptionally strong demand in 2019 and the years beyond.

3. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is growing increasingly complex as more social media platforms become available. There are more than 60 social media sites available now (Source: Makeawebsitehub.com), and more keep popping up.

There are 5 major skills you’ll need to succeed with a career specialisation in social media marketing: copywriting, creativity, analytics know-how, SEO knowledge and organisation skills (Source: Training.com.au). This complex skill set is not the easiest to come by – and many employers value these skills in a marketer. If you’ve developed these skills, or you’re keen to do so, a career specialisation in social media marketing is worth considering.

These are 3 marketing specialisations that could propel you to better opportunities in 2019 and beyond. These are not the only 3 possibilities; there are numerous other marketing specialisations that also have merit. However, these 3 specialties currently have broad appeal to employers in a variety of Australia’s top industries. If you have the required skill set for success with content marketing, influencer marketing or social media marketing, these are all high-demand niches that could lead to excellent career opportunities.