Neil: Charles, you consistently talk about having a CV full of high quality qualifications for those seeking to develop marketing careers? What are marketing qualifications like CIM so important?
Charles: Marketing qualifications are important for two reasons. Firstly they give you an up-to-date set of knowledge to allow you to view the world and to make important decisions for a business and indeed for life. Secondly they are a mark that you have kept your knowledge up-to-date and as such from employer they show that you have met and I recognised level of achievement.
Neil: Marketing qualifications should help those developing marketing careers if the theory is supported by practical marketing experience?
Charles: Yes, a practical professional qualification is just that. It is about the application of marketing knowledge and theory to a real-life situation that is most important for practitioners and employers. Academic qualifications give a level of knowledge as a bedrock for understanding the way is this works but they cannot give the practical insight the professional qualifications can.
Neil: What kind of gaps are there in a typical marketer’s portfolio?
Charles: Today with the tablet world we live in the gaps in marketers portfolio of knowledge is constantly changing. Over the last five years the issue of digital marketing has gripped a lot of the headline. However today as we continue to experience low gross much more is needed and being demanded in terms of improving return on investment. So topics such as mastering metrics, digital strategy and innovation becoming ever more in demand.
Neil: I guess marketing careers can also be supported by a marketer attending conferences, events and exhibitions? Which marketing events are the best?
Charles: There are an ever-increasing host of new sources of information on the Internet about marketing. One could spend Wednesday watching webinars and reading white papers so one has to be selective. Branding is important so looking for those webinars and information sources that come from directable sources such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing, eConsultancy, Hubspot, all the major consultancies like McKinsey’s. Avoid those services which are trying to sell you something whether it is their own ideas subscriptions or web services . One of the best ways keep me up-to-date is a subscriber or use a correction service such as paper.li or the one I prefer to scoop it.
Neil: Marketing careers come in all shapes and sizes from research and strategy to marketing communications and campaigns. What do you see as the crucial skill sets?
Charles: The answer to this question is hard as there are very wide range of skill sets that will be needed in any company. And these are dependent on the specialisms the required by the company. But the two crucial areas of any marketing needs is an understanding of where the data is coming from and how to apply it in the strategic or planned way.
Neil: Marketers are always being told to focus on their Continuous Professional Development (CPD). What does this mean in real terms?
Charles: Any good professional marketer keep central each up-to-date as the world keep changing but it is useful to be recognised as being up-to-date and not being left behind. So the concept of continuing professional development has real meaning in today’s world and recognition as an up-to-date marketer is something that all should aspire to. The title charted marketer or charter practitioner in public relations is one which every employee or use it as a consultancy should be seeking. There is much discussion is the fact that charted mark the status has not yet taken off but this will happen over time. It took chartered accountant decades before that was the most recognised qualification level.
Neil: So finally, what three top tips can you give a marketer developing their marketing career?
Charles: Keep up-to-date; Enjoying what you do is essential to a good job and is the sensual way of feeling on top. Learning should be enjoyable and in many instances it is with more people now quoting it is their favourite past time. Writing; It is a very useful way of developing your ideas and establishing your credibility. Writing your ideas down on paper is an ideal way to exercise your creativity. And Travel; Travel broadens the mind, enlivens the sole, informs the intellect and inspires the entrepreneur.
Charles Nixon has many years’ of marketing experience, from government relations, through market research to marketing communications and strategy. He gained this experience across a broad range of industries including textiles, software, telecommunications and financial services working for Arthur Andersen, Mercury Communications, Extel Financial and Touche Remnant. Charles is Chairman and a founding director of Cambridge Marketing Colleges and consults in marketing for high technology and publishing companies. He is a former member of the CIM’s International Board of Trustees and is President of the CIM Cambridgeshire Branch. He has an MBA from Warwick Business School, is a Fellow of CAM, CIM and the Royal Society of Arts.