People often think marketing has to do with moving out on the streets looking for whom to buy their products. There is more to Marketing than we know of.

Irene Aguh, the Global head of Marketing at Fuzu was with Tobore and Itunu on Dreamcity Unilag FM to discuss personal and brand marketing.

Irene said she discovered that Marketing is now being recognized as a field on its own, different from the idea she had while in school just like everyone else. Marketing has evolved from people walking down the streets into a job where you find brilliant ways to do things, you don’t have to stand from your chair or your house, you just have to keep thinking about the people you want to reach and those you will use to reach them, then tell them what to do.

She said a lot of people run from marketing as a job because they don’t have an understanding of what it entails. For marketing, you shouldn’t just be sent out to the street to make money, you need to be strategic. Marketing should contribute to the money being made by the company but watch out for the trap between sales and marketing.

Marketing through support sales, may not guarantee sales, it all depends on what you are trying to do. Ideal Marketing should go through the stages of awareness acquisition, conversion, retention, and referral.

Using herself as an example, Irene who is a graduate of the English Language explained that it is possible that one doesn’t get the choice, of course, to study at school or don’t get to work with the certificate obtained from the school, just like her. she once headed the branch brand management of a company and now into marketing, she said the English language was probably the only thing connecting her certificate to her current job.

she disagrees that youths in Nigeria are not employable but said many youths don’t have the chance. Companies need to start lowering the expectation of work experience from fresh graduates because some didn’t get the course they wanted but settled for what was offered to them and are probably not interested in the field till they see the opportunity.

When employers demand skills, there are specific things they are looking for and not just general ones. Professional courses can help but beyond professional courses, you can volunteer. You also have to grow on your own without necessarily spending money, and focus on what you really need. Not having the required skills does not affect the chances of getting employed. Present yourself in a great way, and keep talking to people, it’s another way to learn. if you can’t get a job experience, you learn from people or learn online.

There are certain things that will make an individual outstanding as a personal brand. One is dressing; people don’t understand that it makes a lot of difference. You should also watch the way you talk; you have to build a presence that attracts people. Another thing is to talk consistently about what you do. It is up to every one of us to help each other, go beyond what school has taught us, share knowledge, and exchange ideas. To be relevant in the corporate world today, you have to keep updating your skills because you are there to learn. You have to keep learning to stay relevant.

On Private organizations and civil service, she said the time of benefitting from civil service might have passed because the civil service though hires a lot of people, and limits the chances of growth. The private sector, on the other hand, has a lot of growth opportunities and you can also make a lot of money, so, it is left to the individual to make the choice.