How to Become a Marketer without a Marketing Degree in 2023

The Harsh Truth

I wish I could give a less obvious answer than this, but there’s no shortcut around it, the secret formula to becoming a marketer is…

Start marketing.

Though that’s the tricky part, it’s easier said than done. I graduated with a science degree with zero marketing knowledge, so the struggle of starting from scratch was a huge challenge for me.

I understand that you might be hoping for me to direct you to:

A premium course

A once-in-a-lifetime webinar

A magic pill that will transform you into an instant 6-Figure Marketer.

Sorry to break it to you, but this is not another form of procrastination to make you feel a false sense of productivity by finishing your 28th webinar this year.

All the information you need is already on the internet for free. But the biggest challenge for everyone starting is putting that knowledge into practice and getting immediate feedback.

So instead of just reading this article, I’ll share actionable strategies I would use if I were to start my marketing journey this 2023.

Build Your Marketing Experience in 1 Month

Reading job listings requiring years of experience can be discouraging and hopeless if you're just starting. But deep down, these employers just need to guarantee that you can prove your worth with your work.

After interviewing a bunch of marketing applicants for my team, I’ve realized that the number of years in your resume is just that, a number. Your experiences don’t have to be limited by date, but by the amount and substance you were able to work on in a short period.

Most companies will get a sense that you know what you’re talking about if you can show:

Confidence

Hunger & Eagerness to Improve

Initiative

You can hone all of this in weeks or a year, but it will all boil down to the number of repetitions and adjustments you put in.

Here’s a 4-Week guide you can start with if you feel lost or overwhelmed. You can speed up the process, but I recommend doing it at a comfortable pace and giving yourself a deadline of 30 days.

📅 Week 1: Build Your Foundation

Focus on 3 Skills

You don’t have to limit yourself to one type of marketing, but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything all at once. I highly suggest picking your top 3: Social Media, SEO, Video, Paid Ads, and more.

This is a crucial step early in your career because this will give you focus on which path you enjoy the most. You can earn a lot more money with other types of marketing, but if you always find yourself burning out and hating every second of it, what’s the point?

List out your Ideal Brands

Who do you want to work with? What type of brands/businesses get your brain overflowing with ideas?

You’re probably thinking, “Why is this necessary? Shouldn’t I just work on the next job available on LinkedIn?” Actually, no. You might end up burning bridges and ruining your reputation when working with a company that doesn’t interest you.

It’s easier to hop on something new like NFTs and Crypto, but if you’re solely doing it because it pays more, you’re in the wrong niche.

How to identify a niche you enjoy:

When you’re stuck in a Youtube wormhole researching and digesting every content possible.

You’ve subscribed to a healthy amount of podcasts or newsletters available about a certain topic.

When you bore out your friends by overexplaining the specifics of a niche you learned about 3 hours ago.

In short, as long as it piques your curiosity and interest, I suggest adding it to your list.

I’m fascinated by Tech Startups, SaaS (Software as a Service), DTC (Direct To Consumer), and even the creator economy. I like marketing these niches because of my interaction with the products. So choose yours wisely.

Price It Right

“What should I price my service?” This is the #1 question every fresh grad, career shifter, or freelancer asks.

The truth is, you can price yourself from $0 to $1000+ right off the bat.

Though I hate to say it, it really depends on your situation because there are a lot of variables you have to consider:

Are you focusing on your local or international market?

What’s the average price of your competitors?

What are your living & business expenses?

How much is your profit margin?

Do you want it per hour? or per project?

I can’t say what’s the best price for you to charge, but I can promise you that the effort you put into honing your portfolio and experience within these 4 weeks will give you the confidence to ask the price you’re worth.

This video can be a good start if you’re looking for an in-depth pricing method.

I’d be happy to share mine in the next blog posts, so if you’d like that inside scoop, I recommend you sign up for my newsletter.

Know your Limitations & Capacity

Not doing this early on can lead to traumas and heartbreaks.

When starting your marketing career, you’ll tend to feel you have to overwork yourself just to get the client, get a raise, or even keep the job.

That’s a valid reason to hold on, but sooner or later, you’ll be getting more tasks that are not included in your job description. Instead of just being a social media manager, you become the virtual assistant and even the video editor.

It’s highly recommended that you write out the specific job description or services that you’ll be doing based on your price. Always have a document or email to which you and your client can refer back.

You can adjust to your client's needs, but be firm with your rates. You need to at least meet halfway so both parties are happy.

📅 Week 2: Create Your Opportunity

Build a Project Brand

Now that you’ve built your foundation in Week 1, this is where the fun starts.

To make things simpler, let’s say the top 1 skill you want to focus on is becoming a social media marketer. You’ve researched, watched every YouTube video, and joined every course and community possible, and that stops here.

It’s time to work.

There are 2 routes you can start with: creating a fictional or a real brand. I suggest you choose which is easier and more convenient for you, so there would be no excuses to start.

Let’s say you’re selling Used Books ( I think that’s simple enough, right?)

Think about how you can market it:

Are there communities already looking for used books?

What platforms should you focus on to reach your initial target audience?

Can you easily produce content for this project?

Treat your “Fictional/Real” brand as your client, and you, as the social media marketer, should prepare all the systems and processes for the marketing strategy to work. (i.e., Brand Persona, Content Calendar, Asset Folders, etc.)

Your goal for this project is to show how you can translate your social media marketing skills into getting reach and converting to clicks or sales. Are you applying the optimization strategies you’ve learned? Is your content able to provide value to your audience, making them comment, save and share?

Don’t focus on the follower count for now. Test different types of content that would be helpful for the audience you’re trying to reach. Should you invest more in creating short-form videos? Are carousels still beneficial? You’ll never know what works if you don’t have data.

Work for Testimonials & Portfolio

This is very similar to what you did with your (Fictional/Real) brand, but with this, you’ll be exercising your skills in pitching to clients and showing your value to them.

“Wait! Why should I work for FREE?”

Relax. I got your back. You won’t be working for FREE because you’ll ask for something in exchange from your initial clients, which is their recommendation & their permission to add the work to your portfolio.

Think of this step as your training wheels or free money in a casino where you have the freedom to experiment and make mistakes with fewer risks compared to an employee. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put your 100% effort into it.

If the client likes your work, they could either hire you or refer you to other businesses in their network that could benefit from your services.

Word of mouth is gold at every career start, and your first impressions could make or break you.

I suggest starting with 2-3 clients to work with. Contact your friends, message businesses around your area, or DM any brand online that’s just building or struggling with its online presence.

It’s hard for people to say “NO” if you’re going to do something valuable for them at zero cost to their business.

Do this strategy with purpose. If you’re already confident with your skills, you can skip the FREE part and name your price during your interview or proposal.

Show, Don’t Tell

You have to show why you’re different to make yourself stand out.

For most newbie marketers, finding a specific niche immediately can be tough, especially if you haven’t found out what marketing focus you’re good at.

But if you’re one of the lucky few who already knows what they want, you should double down on your strengths and highlight your Unique Selling Point (USP). Add those differentiators in your bio and your portfolio.

You’ll make your potential client’s life easier by stating it immediately in your branding, so they’ll know you’re the GO-TO-GUY/GAL for that topic or niche.

For example:

Tiktok Specialist? Create a Tiktok UGC Framework

Podcast Specialist? Show your podcast promotion process

Content Marketer for Startups? Talk about your Keyword Research System

The more you show that you’re capable, the less decision-making they have to do when filtering out all applicants.

📅 Week 3: Promote Your Work ( Don’t Spam )

Make Yourself Visible

Now that you have sample works in your portfolio and a few negotiation skills in your belt, it’s the perfect moment to start marketing yourself.

Ironically, marketing is where most upcoming marketers fall off, feeling rejected or having no one respond to their cold emails. I know, it sucks. Fears and doubts start to creep in when getting a new client.

But on the upside, marketing yourself is your biggest edge as well.

If you want to attract clients, build trust and credibility by creating an account on the platform you’re planning to specialize in. You can’t be an Instagram Social Media Manager if you’re not creating or curating any content on Instagram. Having a website is a must-have, but if your budget doesn’t permit, use social media as your website to establish who you are and what you do.

Attract leads by showing your value and authority with the content you create. Spamming people with irrelevant promotions is only gonna hurt your brand/business.

Build your personal brand on your platform of choice:

Instagram: Create Reels about your business or a case study

Twitter: Create threads about lessons or tips for your chosen niche

Tiktok: Create storytime videos talking about your marketing journey

Youtube: Create a channel giving weekly strategies or vlogs showing your process.

Outreach

After creating your online presence, doing outreach will be much easier than not having one.

As an introvert, I’d rather have clients message me and find me throughout my content marketing efforts, but doing outreach is a sure way to get your foot in the door.

If you need to earn money from your marketing career, you must understand that messaging random people online will take much more time, effort, and patience.

Having thick skin would be a huge plus. If you don’t have one yet, it’s time to start now.

Things to remember when doing outreach:

Don’t copy and paste your cold pitches

Personalize your messages based on the brand you’re reaching out to

Point out their flaws in a nice & polite way
Share a glimpse of how they can improve
Add salt to their pain points, and explain how you can help solve their problems

Be social on social media

Don’t just post. Engage with your potential clients by commenting on their content until you build a rapport.
Send a DM without asking for anything in return. Always ask how you can help them.

Focus on Output, not Results

It’s normal to feel down when you’re doing all the work, but there’s no visible result.

"Control what you can control. I can control my emotions, my attitude, my effort every day." – Mitchell Trubisky

Instead of overthinking why your client and job applications are being rejected, focus on what you can improve.

Frequency of pitching cold emails

Specificity in your messaging through social media

Number of posts you create daily/weekly

Find leaks or causes of rejection in your application or pitch

Asking friends for a referral

Sooner or later, the effort you put in will translate to more opportunities. Be objective and track yourself if needed, so you’ll have a sense of progress and not feel lost.

📅 Week 4: Rinse, Repeat & Tweak

Gather Feedback

The thing about the internet, social media, or Web2 is that it’s honest. It’s too honest that silence can say a lot.

After spending your first 3 weeks testing out your skills & marketing yourself, knowing what works and what doesn’t will be your secret weapon in the long run.

When we’re too focused on ourselves, we immediately judge or overpraise ourselves based on our effort. I can’t blame you. You’ve spent sweat, tears, and probably blood just to finish your work.

But at the end of the day, you are not the client.

Learn to listen to your market's wants or needs without sacrificing your values. The more you get an idea of things that help them, the easier to sell your service.

Double down on your strengths. The initial clients you’ve worked on for free will share this with you, and be sure you take notes because this will be your moneymaker.

How to get feedback:

Ask them what did they like the most & least about the work/project.

Be proactive in asking, “How can I help you more?”

Don’t take it personally. They’re talking about your work.

Build systems and processes

Your future self will thank you for having a system early on in your freelance & marketing journey.

Once you’ve done everything in this guide manually for 4 weeks, the next step is to learn how to compress the time for each task.

Start tracking which part of your freelancing or marketing process takes a lot of time, find a solution to automate that, and then focus on key steps that will bring you more customers/clients.

Automation is your friend.

Here are some ways you can automate your systems for FREE:

Create a CRM in Notion to track your client’s info and assets

Use Trello or Clickup to easily manage your projects and daily tasks

Canva is a no-brainer if you want to start creating content with zero excuses

Have a Calendly account, so your clients can easily pick a time based on your schedule

Use Mailerlite, Convertkit, or Sendfox to automate your emails

If you have more tools in your tech stack, send me your suggestions here

Increase your Rates

Now you have everything in place, let’s get you more bread.

It’s difficult to put a price on your service when you’re just starting, but the whole goal of this 4-Week guide is to build your experience and confidence to understand how much time and effort it takes you to deliver a result.

During the first 3 weeks, you can get an estimated range of what most companies or professionals in your niche are paying for your job role or service.

When you start from zero, always leverage your previous Free Client to a Paying Client, replicate it to the next client, and increase your pricing until you’re happy with it.

The more confidence you have in your work, from testimonials and KPIs you’ve accomplished with your previous client, the higher the rate you can ask.

If I were in your shoes as a Freelancer, I’d go with a per-project payment over a per-hour basis.

Having a timer in this type of work can be limiting to you and your client, but if that’s the case, make sure your hourly rate covers all you need for all of your expenses. ( ⬆️ See the Price It Right section. )

🎁 Bonus

If you’ve come this far in this article, I just want to say congratulations!

I hope this 4-week marketing guide served its purpose of giving you an outline to start your marketing career.

This article is focused on beginner marketing freelancers, but don’t let that hinder you from applying it to other career paths.

Career alternatives for newbie marketers:

Getting a full-time job

Becoming a Content Creator or Influencer

Start your own business

Manage a non-profit organization’s marketing effort

Choose the journey that you’re excited to do every single day.

💡Want More?

If you found this helpful, there are three ways to get more:

1. Join my newsletter for marketing noobs and steal 3 marketing ideas for FREE.

2. Watch my latest video about my marketing journey.

3. Book a Clarity Call with me.