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Fashion Marketing Career 101: Jobs, Salary, Colleges & CoursesNew York, London, and Milan, what do they have in common? Fashion Week! We’rein the midst of the fashion season and decided to shine some light on fashionmarketing for aspiring marketers. The fast-paced industry keeps marketers ontheir toes to devise creative campaigns to present fashion products artfullywhile achieving conversions and ROI. Let’s look at fashion marketing as acareer – the job description, salary, and degrees and talk about how aspiringmarketers can chart out a successful career in fashion marketing.Table of Contents## Fashion Marketing DefinitionFashion marketing, also referred to a fashion merchandising, is defined as theprocess of planning and promoting goods or services in the fashion industry tothe right audience at the right time and place with the use of marketing andadvertising tools and strategies.Like other branches of marketing, Fashion marketing and merchandisingencompass the following marketing activities: * Identifying your target customer base and understanding and anticipating their specific fashion needs. * Predicting, tracking, and creating trends in styles, colors, sizes, fabrics, package designing. * Forecasting sales in the current fashion trend cycle. * Conceptualizing, designing, and developing fashion products. * Determining resources, and selecting and buying the right material. * Planning the pricing, promotion, and distribution of products. * Crafting advertising campaigns and promotional activities to attract buyers. * Creating enticing and exciting fashion shopping experiences. Fashion marketing and merchandising is a dynamic industry as the fashion cyclekeeps evolving. Therefore, fashion marketers need to make quick decisions andadapt to fast-changing trends to be successful in this profile.Learn More: What’s the Future of Women in Martech? Hear From 7 Leading FemaleProfessionals## Fashion Marketing Job DescriptionWhat does it take to become a fashion marketer? Let’s look at the skills andresponsibilities required for a fashion marketing job.Working in the fashion marketing industry can be challenging, but if you havean eye for detail, passion for fashion, and can balance your creative andbusiness side, it can be highly satisfying. You would also need a bachelor’sdegree in marketing and (or) fashion and relevant experience, we will come tothis later in the article.Here is what you would find in a typical fashion marketing job description.Fashion marketing jobs require core marketing skills that would need you to: * Devise strategies to raise awareness, promote products, and intrigue customers * Track customer trends to understand their requirement and present products that best fit their needs * Plan goal-oriented campaigns that drive sales and boost revenue * Analyze customer behavioral data and conversion and sales metrics * Make data-driven decisions to anticipate trends and strategically apply inferences to tweak current and future marketing efforts * Be on top of marketing budgets, inventory channels, store management, and other operational activities * Optimally use emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) to create immersive experiences The future of fashion marketing relies on brands embracing new technology likeAugmented Reality to reach even more consumers. Augmented Reality enhances theshopping experience by allowing shoppers to try on clothes, glasses, shoes,and even visualize new makeup without leaving home. These virtual shoppingexperiences are also made for sharing on social media.~ Todd Grossman, CEO Americas, Talkwalker, exclusively to MarTech AdvisorApart from these core skills, some of the qualitative skills of a fashionmarketer include: * Understanding fabrics and having a keen eye for designs * An interest in fashion and a creative mind * Observational skills to keep a tab on fashion news and changing styles * Relationship building skills to better understand, communicate, and bond with consumers * Collaboration and presentation skills to work with design, business, and sales teams * Multitasking and time management capabilities If you are skilled, talented, and hardworking, you can expect to earn a prettydecent salary. In the next section, we discuss some popular fashion marketingjobs and what you can expect to earn in these roles.## Fashion Marketing SalaryHow much can you make as a fashion marketer? Fashion marketing salaries varyacross profiles and experience. Here is a list of some of the popular fashionmarketing jobs and respective salaries:Fashion Marketing Jobs | Fashion Marketing Salary (Average/Yearly) —|— Intern | $32K – $38K Coordinator | $42K – $55K Specialist | $45K – $52K Digital Marketing Strategist | $41K – $51K Marketing Manager | $64k – $89K Merchandiser | $31K – $63K Publicist | $41K – $66K (Compiled from Indeed.com, ZipRecruiter.com, PayScale.com, Glassdoor.com)Most senior positions spanning senior managers to directors are paid based onexpertise and job portfolio with salaries ranging from $100,000 – $200,000 peryear.To excel in the fashion industry, it is important to be well versed in thefundamentals of fashion marketing. Therefore, a fashion marketing degree canhelp you plan your entry into the industry.Let’s talk about how to obtain a fashion marketing degree, colleges forfashion marketing, and online degrees to get you started.## Fashion Marketing DegreesA fashion marketing degree covers different areas of the fashion industry. Toobtain a degree in fashion marketing you will need to learn the essentials ofthe fashion and business courses. You will also need to equip yourself withresearch methodologies and analysis and forecasting of the fashion market.Visual merchandising and presentation, exhibition design, design, andproduction management are some courses offered in most of the degrees.It is always good to identify a niche/specialty to excel in the field thatinterests you the most. Some of the popular specialization options are: * Marketing Communications * Fashion Business Management * Textile Development & Marketing * Cosmetics & Fragrance Marketing * Accessories & Jewelry Design and Marketing * Apparel Design & Production * Fashion Branding & Promotion * Fashion Magazines * Fashion Show Production * Fashion Forecasting Here is a list of the top 10 fashion marketing colleges in the US, accordingto Fashion Schools: 1. Fashion Institute of Technology, New York 2. IOWA State University, AMES, IOWA 3. Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 4. Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 5. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 6. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota 7. Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 8. University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 9. Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, Georgia 10. Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Fashion is ever-changing and you need to constantly refresh your skillset. Ifit isn’t possible to go to university, you can enroll in colleges that offerfashion marketing online degrees.Most fashion marketing online degrees offer courses in fashion design andmerchandising. Best Colleges has compiled a list of fashion marketing collegesthat offer online degrees: * University of Wisconsin-Madison * Central Michigan University * Johnson & Wales University * Southern New Hampshire University Reading fashion marketing books can also help you revisit your fundamentalsand add new dimensions to your perspective. Here are a few books we recommend(in no particular order):Learn More: What Are Marketers’ Biggest Fears? Expert Insights, PlusOvercoming Them## How to Kickstart your Fashion Marketing Career?Here are a few tips to get an aspiring fashion marketer started: 1. Identify your passion for fashion and take a job match quiz to check whether you have a creative and business flair for a fashion marketing role. 2. Enroll yourself and work towards obtaining a fashion marketing degree. 3. Embrace new technologies that can improve your fashion marketing strategies. 4. Work as an intern to learn about the industry requirements, expectations, and core expertise. 5. Experience in fashion marketing can help you identify a niche segment that matches your skillset. 6. Get a specialization course to upgrade your skillset. You could even pursue a fashion marketing online degree and continue working in the industry. 7. Remember to read fashion marketing books and news in your leisure time for the latest trends. Creativity, hard work, a keen eye for detail, analytical skills, and adaptingto ever-changing trends can catapult your fashion marketing career.Share your fashion marketing career story with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, onFacebook; we’re always listening!