If you’re looking to bring your creativity and passion to the apparel industry without becoming a designer, then you may want to consider becoming a fashion marketer. Fashion marketers are trained business professionals who use their artistic vision to enhance public awareness of a particular brand of clothing, footwear, or accessories. By calculating the demand for certain fashion styles, marketers are able to help designer labels, department stores, and boutiques maximize their profitability. Most fashion marketers will brainstorm innovative promotional ad campaigns that spark interest in a targeted shopping audience. Since the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment in marketing will grow slightly faster than average at 13 percent through 2022, it’s a great time to follow the steps below to become a fashion marketer.
1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
Fashion marketers need to have at least a four-year bachelor’s degree to qualify for even entry-level marketing jobs. Earning an undergraduate degree from an accredited school will give you a well-rounded foundation for a successful fashion marketing career. Fashion marketers often major in marketing, but studying retail management, advertising, business administration, or fashion merchandising could be helpful, too. Outside the classroom, contact your Career Services department to find internship experiences relevant to the fashion industry.
2. Attain Work Experience
Once you’ve completed your baccalaureate education, it’s time to jump into the competitive job market to fill your resume with valuable work experience. Most fashion marketers have at least two years of full-time work experience before being promoted. Therefore, it’s essential that you acquire a relevant job for initial training. Fashion marketers may start in entry-level roles like sales associate, assistant buyer, or advertising sales agent. You’ll build work contacts and get your feet wet in the fashion industry to advance into mid-level fashion marketing positions.
3. Consider Attending Graduate School
Employers in the fashion industry are increasingly seeking out applicants who have gone the extra step to earn a master’s degree from an accredited graduate school. Investing in a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing can open new doors for advancement (please see, The Top 10 Best Online MBA in Marketing Degree Programs). If possible, find a reputable university offering a specialization in fashion marketing or management. Even though tuition won’t be cheap, the master’s degree can help you advance as a fashion marketing manager for an average yearly salary of $137,400.
4. Pursue Professional Certification
Although this step certainly isn’t required, pursuing professional certification credentials can place you on a faster track to advancement. Certification proves to employers that you have the dedication, know-how, and practical skills to excel in fashion marketing. Through the American Marketing Association (AMA), you can become a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM). Online courses are also offered to become a DMA Certified Marketing Professional (DCMP). Investing in certification could be what your career needs for more industry recognition and marketability.
Overall, fashion marketers have an important job in planning and directing the development of aesthetically pleasing promotional campaigns. Fashion marketers also use their strategic business skills to set fair prices to maximize sales profits while at the same time keeping buyers satisfied. In today’s digital world, many now focus on Internet and social media marketing tactics too. When you follow the above step-by-step guide to become a fashion marketer, you’ll have the skills to coordinate apparel production that meets the latest style trends.
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