I need advice, should I take this Marketing couse?

just a preface - i didnt read anything in this thread.

but instead of taking a fucking college course on marketing, why dont you study guys who actually do it in the real world?

a good start would be dan kennedy. just read everything that he's ever written and you'll be all set. i promise you it will be much better than your course, and probably cheaper (again, didnt read)
 


Fuck that class. Your better off taking that 495 and using it to market your product. Some of the beat marketers in history have had little more than an 8th grade education. It's all about experience experience experience. Go stick your dick in a few holes, even if it gets bit off a few times you will learn way more.

Even of you take that course you'll come out of it and loose money anyway so might as well do it in a way you can make some back
 
I'm not a fan of academic business degrees, but at $450 and a week's time, I'd say go for it. Even if the course is a total waste of time, you'll meet some people there who you can hire on a freelance basis for stuff because they'll be wanting to make some money whilst they're doing their degree.

Also, if you ever want to do consulting for big companies, most of your prospects will have a trad marketing background. Being able to phrase stuff in their their language will really help you here.

However, DON'T expect it to help you with the stuff you've talked about in your OP. That's copywriting and graphic design. You'd be better off spending $450 for a couple of hours consulting from someone who has experience in what you're trying to achieve.
 
I did a module at university on "Markets, Marketing & Strategy".

It was basically porters 5 forces, product differentiation & segmentation. The most useful thing I learnt was why companies trademark features with their own special names to differentiate themselves from competitors and stuff. Kinda like the whole "Intel Inside" thing. That people when they're looking for a computer, look for a computer that has "Intel Inside", even though it means nothing at all.

It didn't teach me much of use, in particular it didn't teach me useful things like how to actually market. Just a load of theory on what big brands do to differentiate themselves.

I learnt much more from reading Ca$hvertising & a few other random books. These sorts of courses prepare you for corporate marketing, which is very different to what you do as a small business/start-up. Even talking to successful local restaurant owners can teach you a lot about good marketing techniques.
 
I was studying a straight law degree, but switched it up to law/commerce with marketing being the main part of the commerce degree. It was retarded, honestly the only class I found things a little useful was consumer behavior, some of the marketing topics were decent in general areas but the majority of the degree is simply preparing you to work in some company.

I've got a couple of books on my kindle that I like to go to such as ca$hvertising, anything by Robert Cialdini on influence, I also like Claude hopkins and Victor O. Schwab.

Each to their own of course, I focus specifically on the creation of ads themselves, marketing as a broad topic has a lot more to it than just advertising. I find when I make ads I need to forget the things I learnt at uni and focus purely on the numbers from the tests when finding a winner and building bigger conversion rates.
 
Don't forget marketing is a fancy word for selling. Typically they won't teach you that 1 critical thing in most marketing courses. I honestly can say your better off learning it your own way. Get out an sell those magic ethnic penis pills. While your selling continue to ingest every thing you can learning about the process. There are gobs of books (many have been recommend on WF). Then go and dig up some of the old Nightngale Conant audio books and play them when ever you can. Listening to Zig ziglar for 1 hour will teach you more about marketing then any fancy marketing course. And last but not least network with as many qualified people as you can
 
Let me just say this. What I have learned in the last 2 years from being online, trying things, being part of communities like this, is more valuable than any course could ever teach.
 
You can learn more from reading books and taking some action. Spend $50 on these books, and launch some Facebook campaigns with that $400. I'm not a hater on higher education btw, I have a marketing degree from Georgia Tech. But this is a bigger bang for your buck.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/The-Personal-MBA-Master-Business/dp/1591843529]Amazon.com: The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business (9781591843528): Josh Kaufman: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Advertising-Methods-Prentice-Business-Classics/dp/0130957011]Amazon.com: Tested Advertising Methods (Prentice Hall Business Classics) (9780130957016): John Caples, Fred E. Hahn: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/The-22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing/dp/0887306667]Amazon.com: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! (9780887306662): Al Ries, Jack Trout: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/CA-HVERTISING-Ad-Agency-Psychology-Anything/dp/1601630328]Amazon.com: CA: How to Use More than 100 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology to Make Big Money Selling Anything to Anyone (9781601630322): Drew Eric Whitman: Books[/ame]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344001909&sr=1-3]Amazon.com: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials) (9780061241895): Robert B. Cialdini: Books[/ame]
 
Don't worry about every one preaching only "RL Experience is so much more valuable" because it's not a fair analysis.

University course work will teach you much more in a condensed period of time and the testing requirements force you to consume the knowledge.

Obviously someone will win a job with 4yrs of actual experience vs 4yrs of college. However, once you get further along and you have 4 yrs of college and 4 yrs of experience vs someone with 8 yrs of experience, the tables can easily turn due to the foundation you built from.

As for learning from books, only do that if it fits your personality and you are good at learning from books without a course.
 
blureach said:
Don't worry about every one preaching only "RL Experience is so much more valuable" because it's not a fair analysis.

University course work will teach you much more in a condensed period of time and the testing requirements force you to consume the knowledge.

Obviously someone will win a job with 4yrs of actual experience vs 4yrs of college. However, once you get further along and you have 4 yrs of college and 4 yrs of experience vs someone with 8 yrs of experience, the tables can easily turn due to the foundation you built from.

As for learning from books, only do that if it fits your personality and you are good at learning from books without a course.
Click to expand...

Errrr...

My marketing course was tested by one 2000 word essay, in which I got 75% (a first, here - i.e. top grade) by contrasting how Redbull and Lucozade each sell their products. It made up about 15% of my first year university grade, which quite frankly is hilarious.

My essay was a crock of shit. I wrote it based on knowledge I had prior to the degree and from drinking tons of Redbull and seeing both of their advertising campaigns. I then made up references afterwards citing studies about how celebrity endorsements and shit are good. In business you can find a reference/study into basically anything. Hilariously I was complimented on my use of the particular study, and how "good" it was to see that particular person's work cited, as it was fundamental, rofl.

I used one lecture's slides of about 12 lectures in the course to write it, and none of the seminar work. Heck, I only went to 2 of the lectures.

How the fuck is that more valuable than reading a few books, going online and attempting to implement marketing strategies yourself? That above experience was at a top UK university, too. I dread to think what it's like at an "average" one.

We had an ongoing joke about our marketing lectures, people used to play drinking games at the back of the lecture theatre based on buzzwords the lecturers were using. (It was on a friday from 4pm-6pm)
 
mituozo said:
Errrr...

My marketing course was tested by one 2000 word essay, in which I got 75% (a first, here - i.e. top grade) by contrasting how Redbull and Lucozade each sell their products. It made up about 15% of my first year university grade, which quite frankly is hilarious.

My essay was a crock of shit. I wrote it based on knowledge I had prior to the degree and from drinking tons of Redbull and seeing both of their advertising campaigns. I then made up references afterwards citing studies about how celebrity endorsements and shit are good. In business you can find a reference/study into basically anything. Hilariously I was complimented on my use of the particular study, and how "good" it was to see that particular person's work cited, as it was fundamental, rofl.

I used one lecture's slides of about 12 lectures in the course to write it, and none of the seminar work. Heck, I only went to 2 of the lectures.

How the fuck is that more valuable than reading a few books, going online and attempting to implement marketing strategies yourself? That above experience was at a top UK university, too. I dread to think what it's like at an "average" one.

We had an ongoing joke about our marketing lectures, people used to play drinking games at the back of the lecture theatre based on buzzwords the lecturers were using. (It was on a friday from 4pm-6pm)
Click to expand...
I'm not saying one is better than the other. I got a major in Economics and only took entry level mkt courses that I didn't take seriously at all.

I learned everything I know about marketing on my own but it's taken a ton of trial and error mixed with reading shit loads of articles and conversations.

If you are interested in a subject, you should be doing all of that stuff anyway while studying your course work. Even though my education was econ, I attribute my successes of my business to certain courses I took such as acct, game theory, basic econ & stats.

I am not the type of person that can read a book and implement. I love reading fiction but can't get through a chapter in anything non-fiction. My only two options for learning are: standardized course work with testing or implementing without out knowing wtf I'm doing.

Therefore, for me the best path is to build a foundation from standardized course work and implement at the same time.

I'm not refuting anything you are saying. I'm telling this guy he needs to do whatever fits his personality and if he responds well to structured education, he should compile that with his RL experience.
 
mituozo said:
Errrr...

My marketing course was tested by one 2000 word essay, in which I got 75% (a first, here - i.e. top grade) by contrasting how Redbull and Lucozade each sell their products. It made up about 15% of my first year university grade, which quite frankly is hilarious.

My essay was a crock of shit. I wrote it based on knowledge I had prior to the degree and from drinking tons of Redbull and seeing both of their advertising campaigns. I then made up references afterwards citing studies about how celebrity endorsements and shit are good. In business you can find a reference/study into basically anything. Hilariously I was complimented on my use of the particular study, and how "good" it was to see that particular person's work cited, as it was fundamental, rofl.

I used one lecture's slides of about 12 lectures in the course to write it, and none of the seminar work. Heck, I only went to 2 of the lectures.

How the fuck is that more valuable than reading a few books, going online and attempting to implement marketing strategies yourself? That above experience was at a top UK university, too. I dread to think what it's like at an "average" one.

We had an ongoing joke about our marketing lectures, people used to play drinking games at the back of the lecture theatre based on buzzwords the lecturers were using. (It was on a friday from 4pm-6pm)
Click to expand...

What college did you go to? I can guarantee you that nothing like this ever happened at any college class I've ever been in (and I've been in quite a few).

Lots of people here go to a shitty college (because they dislike school), see it is shitty, and then use it as reinforcement to convince themselves that all school is shitty and that they are justified in disliking school.
 
ayzo said:
Amazon.com: CA: How to Use More than 100 Secrets of Ad-Agency Psychology to Make Big Money Selling Anything to Anyone (9781601630322): Drew Eric Whitman: Books

Amazon.com: Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear (9781401302597): Frank I. Luntz: Books

Amazon.com: Tested Advertising Methods (Prentice Hall Business Classics) (9780130957016): John Caples, Fred E. Hahn: Books

Anne Holland's Which Test Won – A/B Test & Multivariate Testing Education for Marketing Professionals

Read through those first and if you feel you're still lacking in that area go ahead and enroll.
Click to expand...

Anne Holland is no joke, check out her Mixergy interview.
Increase Your Conversions. Get Recurring Revenue. Sell Your Business. – with Anne Holland | Business Tips

The course looks lame, imo, but it's cheap and like TylerDurden said, college girls.
 
cardine said:
What college did you go to? I can guarantee you that nothing like this ever happened at any college class I've ever been in (and I've been in quite a few).

Lots of people here go to a shitty college (because they dislike school), see it is shitty, and then use it as reinforcement to convince themselves that all school is shitty and that they are justified in disliking school.
Click to expand...

I've been to two universities, the first one was Imperial College, which I dropped out of after 7 weeks due to hating the place - I was doing straight CS there, and 60-70 hours per week workload meant I had no time for my other projects, which was my primary reason at the time for dropping out. IC means serious business, and the contrast between there (i.e. probably best CS school in the country) to my second university (top 5) is staggering. Workload was literally half. The second university I'm not mentioning here by name, because I'm on "temporary withdrawal" and I don't want it getting back to the particular school (eParanoia ftw), but it's ranked in the top 5 in the country for business and management. (I was doing joint honours, CS & Business). Again, on withdrawal after completing my first year (with a first, incidentally - so not a typical "cba to do any work so im a marketer lolz") because everything else I'm doing took over, and I'm pretty sure I don't need a degree to do what I want to do with my life.

Incidentally, my experience in Computer Science at the second university was entirely different to that of the business education there, it was a lot more serious, examined thoroughly, better taught and more effectively, too. (Which didn't stop the fact that after first year most of my classmates still couldn't program well at all, even if their theoretical knowledge was good.. Further reinforced by my attempts since to take on a CS intern from a respectable university, who couldn't even handle a basic pseudocode recursion exercise I gave him in an interview).
 
First make sure you know what you are going to learn in the the course you want to take.what are the things covered in the course? what is the scope of the course? On the site i am unable to see contents of the course you are talking.
 
UPDATE:

I emailed the prof of the course and let her know that I was launching a new venture. I asked if I could focus the in-class assignments and project on my own business. She said no. She said the final exam is based on the textbook, and that there will be ALOT of reading from the textbook.

So I've decided to just buy the textbook for $80 and go through it at my own pace with my own business in mind. It will be a nice resource to have on my bookshelf as well.
 
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