Careers in media sales and advertising might seem like the saving grace for the young generation of this dispensation, most especially when they fail to get job opportunities in another sector.
However, careers in media and advertising can be genuinely interesting and rewarding.
Media sales and advertising basically involve supplying advertising space to different businesses across a range of different media, i.e. newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, and online.
The space where you see has been sold by a media sales professional – anything from double-page spreads in the center of Vogue and banner adverts on your favourite website, to that funny little advert in the back of your local newspaper that offers solutions to ‘ladies problems’.
How do I get into media sales and advertising?
Setting up a career in media sales and advertising may be challenging. However, media sales and advertising groups are usually occupied by a range of young, energetic people, so your day can often be exciting and lots of fun.
You may also be able to earn a great bit of extra cash from bonuses. Developing a career in media sales and advertising will probably involve a lot of selling over via Emails, text, and phones.
Firstly, it’s all about discovering the people in reliable organizations that are charged with the responsibility of advertising budgets and building relationships with them. It’s then your responsibility to discuss their advertising needs with them and persuade them to buy advertising space in the publication that you are working for.
More details
Later in your career, you might transcend into an account manager position, where you might be more responsible for Engaging clients face-to-face, taking them out for dinner, understanding their advertising needs, and building lasting relationships with them.
These duties are more strategic and have little or nothing to do with the hard sell. You might also be given the responsibility of leading sales campaigns for bigger ad campaigns, instead of selling space in the classifieds section of the newspaper or magazine you work for.
What qualities does a prominent media sales personnel possess?
Much like other sales careers, jobs in media sales are driven by targets and deadlines. The kinds of people who thrive in this industry are friendly, energetic, confident, tenacious, resilient, and hard-working.
Media Sales Professionals
Media sales professionals need to understand their market inside out, and must have the ability to understand and use sales data in their pitches. Excellent negotiation skills are also essential, as the intangible nature of advertising space and time means its selling price can be flexible.
Media and advertising career aspirants can pursue their careers with professional media agencies that sell advertising for a different range of clients, or those who work in a successful media sales section of a specific media organization, such as ITV or the Guardian.