To truly ace your marketing essay, you are to have a complete grasp not only of the subject you are about to discuss but of the discipline in general. And, of course, you are to understand what makes a good essay and what are the top ways to write one. So, let’s go over all of these aspects together.
Writing about marketing
To write about marketing, it is important to understand what is the ultimate purpose of the discipline. To put it simply, marketing a thorough study that analyzes a variety of market segments in regard to their potential financial profit. Just like any other academic paper, a solid marketing essay starts with a compelling thesis statement. In other words, you have to choose your topic and decide which particular aspects of it you will be discussing in your paper.
This, however, is only the first step of the way. The initial idea you have for your paper may be quite compelling; still, it won’t do you any good if you fail to support it with factual stats and data. This, in its turn, presupposes a lot of researching and narrowing the topic down.
Then again, you have to remember that a marketing essay is still an essay; that is, it has to be crafted in an engaging way. No matter how important the stats and the data may be for this paper, writing skills are vital, too.
Working within already established frameworks
You will unlikely be working on a topic no one analyzed before. So, starting within an already developed framework of information on the subject is always a nice idea. One of the best ways to start your research is to look at currently operating companies, analyzing their products and marketing strategies. This will help you come up with a relevant thesis statement and will give you a better insight into effective marketing and business tactics. Plus, it is always great to base your marketing essay on practical insight rather than theoretical information.
The next step on your research stage is collecting enough material to support your ideas. The number of sources will mostly depend on the particular topic you are working on, so if you are not sure how many you need, consult your professor. All in all, ‘the more, the better’ principle does not always work here. A general guideline is to have one new source for each page of your text. However, you can do with less — especially if you place emphasis on quality, not quantity of your sources.
So, how do you choose quality sources? For starters, you are to remember that blog posts do not qualify as academically acceptable resources. It does not mean that you cannot search for information online, though. You simply have to consult specialized search engines (Google Scholar is a nice start) and databases.
Search for the latest information available on the subject and try sticking to articles that have been published by reputable universities. Scientific materials are also a nice idea, and most of them are easily available online. Newspapers and books can also be a valuable source of information. Remember, a good marketing essay interprets and analyzes a variety of sources available to you.
Once you have found enough academically valid sources, you will have a way better insight into the topic you are dealing with. So, you should by that point be able to come up with a compelling thesis for your essay — that is, take your rough idea and turn it into a comprehensive statement. Further on, you will build your paper on this statement.
Another useful writing tip would be to create an outline before you actually sit down to writing. Think of the outline as of the plan for your whole paper. You are not supposed to make it very detailed; however, jotting down the main points in the most logical and easy to follow order is a great idea. It will help you stay focused while writing, limiting the possibility of a writing block to a minimum.
Make sure to include factual evidence in your outline. This is where all of the frameworks you’ve been analyzing come in handy. Also, don’t forget to mention how the info you are analyzing is relevant to the present-day business environment.
You can also include some actual case study examples into this part. They will help you expand and explain your main idea — that is, your thesis. Below, you will find more tips on working with case studies for your marketing essay.
Working with marketing case studies
Case studies are the best way to figure out how the topic you are analyzing is relevant to the present day business environment. Referring to a case study is also a great way to start your introduction. This way, you will have a chance to jump straight to the point — that is, highlighting the reason for your research and its relevance. This is a fresh and intriguing way to introduce your topic and hook the reader — which is the ultimate goal any introduction should aspire to.
Once you are finished with an introduction, you can start structuring your body paragraphs. Here, it is important to remember that each paragraph has to convey one clear thought. It does not mean that you have to describe a new case study in every new paragraph. You can, however, dedicate a paragraph to a separate aspect of the same study. Don’t worry — there will always be a few to focus on.
Once you have revealed all of your arguments (and supported them with actual case study evidence), you can move on to the conclusion. This part highlights the results you’ve come to and restates your thesis statement. It is important not to leave any questions unanswered here. At the same time, it is imperative not to introduce any new information. So, before writing a concluding paragraph, you will have to go over your main body again to make sure nothing is left out. Remember, a good conclusion once again highlights the practical importance of your work and places emphasis on the possibility of future research.
Revising a marketing essay
Ideally, you should start revising your work the next day after finishing it. This is the best way to spot out any logical inconsistencies in your paper and see if all of the questions you asked have clear, comprehensible answers. The best tip here would be to focus on the contents of your essay first. Only after you’re 100% satisfied with the message you are conveying, can you focus on the spelling part of your work.
Minding an academic format
Marketing essay has to follow all the rules of academic writing, and formatting is an essential part of it. Your professors will usually specify which format they expect you to comply with (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). If they do not, you can choose any formatting style you like — as long as you stay consistent. This goes for a variety of formatting details — from choosing the fonts and spacing to citing external material and referencing the bibliography page.
This is pretty much everything you need to know to write a great marketing essay. If however, you still feel a bit over the top, you can always consult professional essay writers to get the job done.