Chapter 13 states that “promotion is a powerful part of the marketing mix because it determines what and how you communicate with target audiences” (Ch. 13 introduction). As far as the personal marketing plan assignments go, the “target audiences” are potential employers or graduate schools. In addition, personal selling, one component of the Promotion Mix, is a key factor in helping you discover information on whether a job/position or graduate is a fit for you.
The PM 5 assignment will help you focus on and plan for how you will promote and sell yourself strategically. You can think about this using four of the seven promotion mix elements mentioned in the chapter: (1) advertising, (2) sales promotion, (3) personal selling, and (4) public relations.
First, how can you advertise yourself? For example, do you have a resume? If so, what does it look like and say about you? If your resume is formatted in a basic template that looks just like everyone else’s, how will you stand out from others competing for the same job? We will go over some tips for resumes later in the semester.
Now, consider what your social media profile states about you. Think about this: if a prospective employer were to look at your Facebook, or Twitter profile, would they like what they saw? Would it reflect the image of a thoughtful, driven professional? Maybe you need to take a look at what is “out there” about you.
Next, consider a sales-promotion tool such as sampling. Internships give firms an opportunity to sample your work, perhaps so much so that you could be hired on a permanent and paid basis. Do the companies you want to work for offer internships? If so, look into how you can go about applying for them? Can you adjust your financial situation in order to accept an unpaid internship if it helps to advance your career?
And, consider your ability to personally sell you/yourself. In an interview, what will you say to convince a prospective employer that they are better off with you than without you? Keep in mind that salespeople use strategies to make a good first impression. You should want to begin to work on things such as appearance, grooming, professional dress, and a firm handshake to fine-tune your first impression.
Finally, public relations are essential as you start to develop your career. Think about what your colleagues/friends/roommates, teammates, think about you? Who would recommend you – professors, coaches? Consider what you can do to improve or enhance others’ perceptions of you.
Your Task: Create an outline that consists of the specific advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, and public relations strategies you plan to use as you begin your career. It will help you to answer the questions for each type of promotion (placed in this PM) in order to summarize how each can help you market yourself. An example for the outline is:
Your task: Write one question for each component of the SPINTM selling framework. Your document should include questions for a situation, a problem, an implication, and a need-payoff. Keep in mind that the questions should be written and focused on either your targeted job or graduate school program. You will also need to include a sentence or two for each question on what you hope to find out from each specific question and how that information might benefit you.
