Personal Marketing: Promotion

The final post of the semester completes the 4-p approach to personal marketing by looking at the 'P' many regard as the most glamorous -- promotion. This is the component of the marketing mix which addresses what message you are conveying about yourself and where/how you will communicate that message. 

There are some logical steps you can take to develop a promotional 'campaign' for yourself in your career search. First, you must define the message you wish to communicate -- that is, what is the most important thing about you that you want employers to remember about you? This could be used in developing your objective on your resume. 

Once your message is clearly defined, then you can begin creating some promotional materials for yourself, such as a new resume, website, business card, etc.  Make all of these materials consistent; just like a commercial product, all promotional materials should reflect the brand in a uniform way. 

A good next step is to determine a 'media plan' for yourself. Where will you advertise yourself? How will you spread the message you are trying to communicate? Some obvious answers would be on networking sites such as Linked In, appearances at career fairs, and responding to specific job postings with a resume. But try to think of creative ways to get your brand out there -- perhaps you can utilize a PR strategy by participating in some impressive community service project, or by winning a professional award of some sort. We face the same problem that all brands face: how to break through all of the clutter (other eager job-seekers) and reach consumers (employers)? A creative promotional plan could help get you into your dream job.