Marketing
- Department Office: ST 203A
- Phone Number: 507-537-6223
- Website: https://www.smsu.edu/academics/programs/marketing/
The field of marketing impacts all aspects of business in the global economy today. Success or failure of a product or service in today’s highly competitive marketplace depends on a well-executed marketing program. The successful graduate of the Marketing Program at Southwest Minnesota State University will find numerous opportunities within the business community to pursue a meaningful and financially rewarding career. Typical career paths encompass both the consumer and business-to-business markets. Entry-level positions would include sales, advertising and promotion, public relations, purchasing, distribution, product development, and marketing research. Positions would exist for both domestic and international assignments. A marketing graduate could advance to positions such as sales manager, distribution manager, product development director, director of marketing research, director of sales, director of public relations, vice-president of marketing or research, to name a few of the possibilities.
Marketing majors have the opportunity to be participate in the Southwest Marketing Advisory Center (SMAC), an organization that pursues actual marketing research projects for various local governmental and commercial organizations.The center has been a major force in Southwest Minnesota in promoting marketing principles and research by offering these services to commercial, governmental, and civic organizations.
The Marketing Program provides a discipline of courses that will equip the graduate to effectively excel in the competitive job market that exists today. All courses offer a balance of theory coupled with practical examples and exercises so that key elements become part of the student’s working knowledge needed for successful career development following graduation.
The major in Marketing culminates in a Bachelor of Science in Marketing degree. A Bachelor of Applied Science in Marketing is also available for students transferring to SMSU with an Associate of Science degree, Associate of Applied Science degree, or a two-year technical diploma approved by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU).
A minor in Marketing is also available and is an ideal supplement for those students majoring in such fields as Agriculture, Fine Arts, Management, Finance, Accounting, Chemistry, English, Environmental Science, Political Science, Speech Communication as well as Health and Fitness.
Graduation Requirement: A minimum 2.25 GPA in all Marketing major courses is required for graduation.
Note: Students must complete a minimum of 120 credits in order to graduate with a Bachelor's degree.
Pre-Major Requirements
Students intending to major in marketing at Southwest Minnesota State University must meet the requirements listed below before being accepted into the major program.
- Complete MATH 110 College Algebra (3 cr.), MATH 115 Finite Mathematics (3 cr.), or MATH 150 Calculus I (5 cr.) with a minimum grade of “C.”
- Complete ENG 151 Academic Writing (4 cr.) with a minimum grade of “C.”
- Complete COMM 110 Essentials of Public Presentations (3 cr.) with a minimum grade of “C.”
- Complete 32 credit hours with a minimum 2.25 GPA.
- Transfer students must eliminate all deficiencies in two semesters to remain in the Marketing Program.
Pre-Marketing requirements for the Marketing major are departmental requirements, not Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) requirements. All students, including transfer and honors students, pursuing a Marketing major must meet or exceed these departmental requirements.
This course will explore why marketing is the foundation for all successful businesses. Students will gain an understanding as to why businesses that do not effectively implement marketing principles will fail, even when possessing a superior product in the marketplace. Effective product development, promotional activities, distribution and pricing will be evaluated to discover the key elements needed for successful business operations.
Market structures, transportation networks, warehousing, communication, and selection of distribution channels.
The elements necessary for a successful retail operation will be evaluated and analyzed. Store location and layout, merchandise selection, purchasing procedures, inventory control, budget planning, pricing and promotion will be examined in relation to the selected target market for the retail operation. Actual case studies will be explored for greater student understanding.
This course emphasizes professionalism in sales, as well as developing an adaptive sales approach for any type of selling. Topics include locating, identifying, and qualifying prospects; obtaining appointments and selling by phone; demonstrating products and services; handling objections and closing the sale; selling after the close; the ethics of sales; and the legal environment of selling.
The Internet has generated a new and vital distribution channel for marketers that is highly competitive, dynamic and requires specific skills in order to be an effective tool for todays practicing marketer. This course develops a comprehensive understanding of the requirements necessary for successfully incorporating the Internet into an integrated corporate marketing program.
This key segment of the promotional element within marketing is analyzed from the perspective of the corporate marketing function. Costs in comparison to impact for various media choices in reaching various target markets is examined. A method of evaluating advertising campaigns recommended by advertising agencies is explored by learning the strengths and limitations of each medium typically used in the discipline. Students will develop this understanding by creating an advertising campaign through a team effort.
The nature of marketing to consumers makes it virtually impossible to determine individual purchasing preferences so the market must be analyzed based on general characteristics of the target market for a product or service. This course studies the behavioral characteristics of various consumer groups to better equip students with skills necessary to plan consumer-marketing strategies based on behavior patterns.
Todays promotional mix offers a multitude of media choices along with varied approaches to influence a target market for a given product or service. IMC is the most current approach to evaluating the relationship between personal selling, advertising, public relations and promotion and determining the distribution of resources among these elements of the promotional mix. The various forms of available media are also evaluated within the context of these various disciplines.
The marketing process between business organizations is much more extensive than consumer marketing in terms of transaction size and complexity. The high concentration of business-to-business firms in specific geographic areas is analyzed and the specialized marketing tools required to reach them are evaluated. The unique operating characteristics of the business marketing process is detailed, providing students with a broad understanding necessary to be productive in this lucrative segment of the marketing profession.
Motivational principles are analyzed and developed to provide fundamental principles of the management role in the selling environment. Since a sales manager typically does not see his or her subordinates on a regular basis, motivation is a key factor in helping the manager to achieve the corporate objectives being pursued. Territorial assignment and management principles are also developed.
In order to determine preferences for various consumer products and services, a sampling of consumers within the target market must be questioned and their viewpoints extended to the target market as a whole. To do this effectively requires adherence to research principles so that the sample gathered actually represents the views of the marketplace as a whole. Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to define the research question, design an effective questionnaire, use correct sampling techniques, code the responses, analyze the data and properly report the findings.
In todays rapidly changing market conditions is important for managers to learn how to integrate creativity and innovation management in their decision-making processes. In this course, students will learn how to stimulate and develop the creative potential of the members of the organization in order to contribute to better performance and results. The course will use innovative teaching strategies with the objective of fostering the creative process among students. As part of the course, students will work a team project where they will look for innovative solutions for problems within our communities.
This course will provide students with a strategic view of digital marketing and its challenges and opportunities, with a tactical approach using exercises and projects to learn and use digital marketers growth hacking tools and techniques. The course will develop a strategic framework for planning and analyzing digital marketing strategies from the web to mobile, email to apps, social media, and user-generated content. The course will cover the range of digital advertising and marketing channels and touch upon new and emerging media and developments. Discussion will focus on strategies and metrics for success, measurement and optimization techniques, and planning and goal setting. Using various tools and techniques in practical exercises and projects, students will understand using digital channels to achieve their marketing goals.
This course is intended to help students understand consumers social interactions while examining the various social media channels available to marketers, learning how to build social marketing strategies, and practicing how to track their effectiveness. Also since social media is heavily technology-driven some of the relevant aspects in digital marketing will be covered more broadly. This includes emerging topics in electronic commerce and mobile marketing. Further the course is designed to help the student understand how marketing has (and has not) changed due to the rise of social media and changes in various underlying contextual factors, such as dramatically increased speed of information dissemination across consumers and brand.
Digital marketing analytics is foundational to digital marketing because it is the language used to optimize and connect results across all digital marketing tactics (search, social media, email, display, video, etc.). An effective digital marketing analyst is a vital data translator for a business. You can be a digital marketing analyst and establish yourself as an indispensable employee. Becoming an analyst requires the cultivation of both technical and soft skills. These skills are taught through this course.
Content marketing is a strategic approach that involves the sharing and creating of online material such as blogs, social media posts, videos and so on. The content delivered through social media, when used by companies has a clear direction to focus on the defined target audience. It is intended to stimulate interest, attract and retain customers while ultimately contributing to the organizations vision, mission and profitability.
This course covers how mobile marketing is defining business today, including strategy, tracking ROI, advertising, applications and mobile websites. From text messaging to QR codes, consumer interactions with mobile devices, and the laws and ethics of mobile marketing are explored in this course.
This course examines the strategic use of search engine optimization in marketing to build profitable customer relationships. Topics in the course will include consumer search behavior, search engines and algorithms, website user experience, on- and off-page SEO, and strategies for conducting SEO campaigns for traditional and niche search engines. The course is designed to teach the fundamentals of SEO and provide practice with analysis and skills associated with doing SEO for a business or organization.
The pursuit of individual ideas for successful business ventures has been flourishing during the past years in this country. Entrepreneurs and established firms launching new products/services are facing a complex and competitive environment. This course will give potential entrepreneurs the necessary skills to face this uncertain environment. New business models along with new marketing strategies will be explored assuming an entrepreneurial setting. Students will be exposed to the unique challenges of marketing in a start-up organization. The basic marketing principles will be applied to different entrepreneurial situations.
The global economy that exists today requires a comprehension of the unique marketing qualities that confront an organization attempting to expand the influence of a product or service beyond this nations boundaries. You will learn the special issues and considerations that must be considered when marketing to other countries including the unique cultural qualities that must be considered when developing marketing campaigns.
The course aims at developing the necessary skills for successful business negotiations such as communication, interpersonal relations and critical thinking. The course will focus on the complex three-stage negotiation process: preparation, negotiating, and post-negotiation implementation and evaluation. The course combines theoretical knowledge and practical experience through learning by doing. The students will be engaged in role-playing exercises, simulations, group discussions.
Customized course of instruction with content approved by the Marketing advisor and course instructor.
Customized set of activities designed by the student and instructor to enhance areas of marketing understanding.
This marketing capstone course will permit students to effectively use the marketing knowledge and skills developed during their entire course of study and apply that knowledge effectively while playing a simulation in a team environment. The course will briefly review marketing fundamentals at the onset to better prepare students for making effective and efficient decisions on the simulation.
Arranged Independent Study in Marketing
The Senior Examination will be administered to all graduating Marketing seniors in order to graduate. The Senior Examination assesses the students knowledge of the business core. The exam can be retaken. The student must be a senior and in the final semester at SMSU.
The opportunity to pursue an internship is design to supplement course materials with actual related work experience. The student will submit weekly reports on work assignments as well as a report at the conclusion of the internship. The number of credits allowed will depend on the magnitude of the internship.