What is Marketing Management? A Complete Beginner’s Guide.

Woman speaking to coworkers about marketing management tactics.

Marketing management is a critical business area that includes strategy, execution and the program oversight required to promote a company’s products and services. Marketing is a fundamental part of every business, whether it’s a for-profit company or a nonprofit organization.

Marketing professionals work in large and small companies across every industry, including financial services, consumer goods, technology, education, healthcare and the government. Some marketers are managers, and others are individual contributors who report to a marketing or sales manager.

A marketer might be part of a large team or work on their own. Their responsibilities are as varied as the business type they support, but a marketer’s role includes a mix of practice areas essential to their ability to help their employer attract and retain business.

Quick tip: Marketing practice areas include planning, campaign and project management, content development, social media marketing, email marketing, event management and online marketing.

Start With an Associate Degree in Marketing Management

If working in marketing is something you hope to do in the future or you’re considering an associate degree in marketing management, this guide will provide you with foundational information.

Woman strategizing marketing plans. Because marketing is such an essential element of every business, employers need employees who understand marketing and business skills, and can demonstrate their expertise. A great way to grow your expertise is by earning an undergraduate degree in marketing management. What you learn in an associate degree program grounds you in core marketing and business concepts that benefit you throughout your career — from getting hired to being promoted to earning a competitive salary and benefits.

Studying for a marketing management degree, you’ll quickly discover the many facets of marketing and business, and why this career carries such broad appeal. A marketer is close to the action in an organization, working in partnership with sales and service departments and using the latest marketing technologies and tactics across assorted marketing channels. A marketer’s “never a dull moment” life should keep you engaged because there’s always something new to plan and execute and your employer’s expectations that you’ll help them reach more customers.

What is an Associate Degree in Marketing Management?

An associate degree in marketing management provides you with the skills and knowledge you need to work in various marketing-related positions. This program also gives you a solid foundation in business leadership and proper exposure to current trends in marketing.

The two-year Associate of Applied Business in Marketing Management Technology degree program from University Online is a popular program worth considering if being a marketer is something you dream of. The program courses are meant for real-world application of business skills and marketing strategies in action.

Quick tip: When you understand marketing fundamentals and know how to apply them, this helps advance your marketing career.

Popularity of Online Associate Degrees in Marketing

If you graduated from high school recently or that was several years ago, starting an associate degree program might seem daunting at first. But if you choose a marketing management program that’s entirely online and flexible, you can find the process of getting your associate degree to be easier than you think.

Here’s what to know about associate program:

Flexible to fit your life: You choose your study schedule, which gives you the time you need to manage other responsibilities at work and at home.
Saves you time and travel: All course materials and interactions with instructors and fellow students are online, so there’s no requirement to travel to and from school.
Pick your perfect pace: You can study part-time, though many students attend full-time and find a schedule that works well for them.
Unparalleled support from: You get help and advice from our instructors and staff, including your Student Success Coordinator, who is by your side from program start through graduation.

Respected, employer-valued education: You earn your degree from a public, nationally recognized and accredited university with 20+ years of excellence in online education.
Quick tip: Studying college courses online is a popular (and rapidly growing) option for people with busy lives (work, family, hobbies, etc.). A recent study reported that 51% of college students take one or more online courses — a big jump over previous years’ statistics!

Is Marketing Management a Good Degree?

If you spent any time researching the benefits of a marketing management program before you found this guide, you likely came across information that matches what we tell students: There are many benefits to earning an associate degree in marketing.

First, an associate degree in marketing management helps you learn the basics of marketing. Additionally, you’ll be prepared to hone essential business and communication skills, which you’ll find beneficial to know, no matter where you work do marketing work.

Finally, earning an associate degree can be a stepping stone to the Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies degree, another UC Online degree that you can complete in just two years.

What Can I Do With an Associate Degree in Marketing Management?

Studying marketing management courses in the associate degree program helps you develop critical thinking skills to solve marketing problems and know fundamental marketing concepts, such as product, price, promotion and distribution.

Our online program introduces you to business marketing focus areas that give you an advantage over people who didn’t earn a degree that focuses on business and marketing, with a program curriculum that covers the spectrum of everything you need to know to begin your career.

Quick tip: A marketing management degree can be a door-opener, allowing you the opportunity to apply for positions at diverse types of businesses in most every city or state.

Key Skills and Knowledge Gained from an Associate in Marketing Management

Our associate degree in marketing management prepares you to work in many different marketing positions in both the public and private sectors. The program provides you with a solid foundation in marketing theory and practice and teaches you key skills and knowledge you need to succeed at work.

In addition to marketing courses, the this undergrad degree includes courses in business, communication and computer applications, which give you well-rounded expertise to work effectively in any business environment.

Objectives of Marketing Management

Marketing management is both straightforward and complex. What’s relatively simple is that marketing’s role is to increase sales, whether the business sells products, services or both things.

Where the complexity comes in is how a marketer goes about managing their efforts. They must decide which strategies, tactics and tools to use and the best methods for reaching the end customer. This abundance of opportunity is one thing that makes the field of marketing so exciting. Today’s marketing professionals know there’s an unlimited number of ways to market a business. This is because innovative marketing technologies and channels emerge every day — and customers’ preferences and needs are continually changing.

Whatever strategy a marketer chooses, marketing must create value for a business, successfully positioning its products or services in ways that appeal to whoever could buy from the company.