marketing

Objectives

• Understand the process of preparing a marketing plan
• Create a positioning statement
• Create a list of features and benefits
• Develop marketing strategy

Assignment Overview

Write a mini-marketing plan for yourself. The plan should give you a framework for marketing yourself to potential employers or a graduate school or wherever you want to go in your life. It will be graded on how well it reflects the structure of a marketing plan and applies marketing concepts to your own personal situation.

Deliverables

• Max of 1,000 words or 2 pages
• Single-spaced, double-spaced between paragraphs and headings
• Normal margins and font
• Include all required elements.
• You may use this document as a template.

Grading 

• 25 points, rubric available at course site

Required Elements

OBJECTIVE.

State a personal or professional objective. For instance, marketers might wish to achieve $7 million in sales within 3 years. Your personal or professional goals will undoubtedly be a bit different but would be stated in similar terms. Some examples:

• Be employed as a marketing analyst in Indianapolis after graduation. 
• Own a restaurant in Richmond in five years. 
• Earn a promotion within a year of finishing my degree. 
• Gain admission to a law school next year. 
• Be a team lead volunteer for a national organization in two years. 
• Become a deacon in three years. 
• Create an online community for hemophilic college students this year.

Your objective should be specific, measurable, action-oriented, reasonable, and time-bound. It should also be uniquely yours.

POSITIONING.

How are you going to differentiate yourself from others on the job market (or, applying for graduate school, or starting a business, etc.)? How do you want employers, graduate schools, customers, your family, etc. to view you? You are going summarize this with a clear positioning statement that is personal & relevant to you.

Your positioning statement should be forward looking and stated in this form:

“Among all potential (job candidates, restaurants, family members, new hires, church members, Facebook groups, etc.), (your name, restaurant, family, etc.) is the most (list 1-3 unique qualities that differentiate) because (proof that you actually have those qualities).“

The qualities you can bring (to who or what) should be demonstrable with evidence & stories which highlight how you have those qualities. Make it real and make it achievable.

MARKETING STRATEGY.

Target Market. Describe your target market. Include a brief rationale for your decision.

Examples: From all potential employers, which industry or related companies will you target? Why? From all possible customers, which customer group(s) will you target? Why?

Product. What are the features of this product (you or your offering) that will appeal to the target market? What will you do to enhance your offering (product improvement)? How will this benefit others (your employer, your family, your church, whatever)?

Features: Include what you (the product) can offer, as well as what changes or improvements you (the product) are needed, to meet your objective.

Benefits: For each feature, what’s the benefit to your target market?

Price. At what price to the target market?

What is the salary (or benefits) an employer will have to provide for the product? For graduate school, it might be a scholarship or financial aid. For a business, you might have prices.

For other professional goals, what does this cost others? You could include training needs or time commitments. Even social media has customer costs (e.g., Facebook uses targeted ads that “cost” users their time & attention). Think broadly about this.

Place. Where will the product be offered to reach the target market?

This can be a physical or virtual location. The idea is ensure the product is available to the right customer at the right time and place.

Promotion. How will you communicate the benefits of the product to a target market?

What are you trying to accomplish (i.e., your promotional objective)?
What is your message?
What medium will you use?