Marketing paper

Overview:

We are all marketers. We market ourselves in a quest to find a job, make a date, warm up a relationship, get connected, or achieve something we want or deserve. We are always sending messages about ourselves, whether we know it or not. Marketing yourself is a necessity. It is natural and sincere; it is second nature.

Many things inhibit us from marketing ourselves: fear, risk, time, effort, social factors, lack of planning, and previous experience. The secret is to mitigate these inhibitions by finding out who you are, where you derive confidence, and what you are passionate about; and then make your intentions and actions congruent to that knowledge. With a 5 page single spaced self-audit and conscious planning, you can overcome the things that inhibit you, accomplish your goals, and better market yourself.

Evaluation:

Part I: Understanding Me 30 pts

Part II: My Marketing Plan 40 pts

Part III: My Conclusions and Evaluation 30 pts

Total 100 pts

Checklist:

Please follow the organization of the assignment, labeling each section. Focus on self-insight, thoroughness, and the relationship between what you discover about yourself in Part I and the marketing plan you create in Part II. Your marketing plan should reflect your goals for a career.

□ Part I: Understanding Me

A self-analysis, in part, entails asking yourself some very difficult, but important, questions. It is critical that you respond to the questions honestly, because your answers ultimately will be used to create your mission statement and personal marketing plan. A less-than-candid appraisal of yourself will result in an ineffective exercise and poor planning for your future.

Answer these questions about yourself. Please put the questions and answers in the APPENDIX at the end of the paper.

Who am I? What do I stand for? What do I do well? Where do I get my confidence from? What role do I play in a group? What motivates me? What am I passionate about? What are four words I would use to describe myself? How do I add value to others? to a company? to the world around me?

Have someone close to you answer the same questions about you. Please put the questions and answers in the appendix at the end of the paper. **The interview questions and answers do not count toward the 5 pages.

Someone could be a spouse, boy/girlfriend, parent, sibling, roommate, etc. The closer they are to you, the better analysis they can provide.

Who is _____? What does he/she stand for? What does he/she do well? Where does he/she get confidence from? What roll does he/she play in a group? What motivates him/her? What is he/she passionate about? What do you love about him/her? What are four words you would use to describe him/her?

A. Begin your paper comparing the two lists.

By comparing the two lists, determine your skill set and determine what job you would like to obtain. What do you enjoy doing? What job matches your skills and personality? List a general area for what type of job you would like when you graduate from college. (half page)

B. Develop a mission statement for yourself.

Using the answers from the above questions, formulate your mission statement. Remember to focus on YOU. Keep it specific, realistic, related to your distinctive competencies, and motivating. This statement should define and inspire you. (half page)

□ Part II: My Marketing Plan

Planning for a career and obtaining a job involves the same activities that marketing managers use to develop and introduce products into the marketplace. You may have terrific talents and skills; however, you still need to market yourself systematically and aggressively. Even the best products can remain unsold unless marketed effectively.

A. Situation Analysis (SWOT analysis)

What are your strengths and weaknesses? What type of competitive advantage do you have? How are you differentiated from others? Please include a SWOT graph and a written analysis of each quadrant. (half page)

B. Market Research

Research 5 companies where you would like to work. Include a chart in your paper that highlights the following information: company name, entry-level job titles, geography locations, salary, HR recruiter/email address, and a UVU alumni name or other network contact.

(half page)

Marketing Program

A. Product Strategy

1. Product – Resume

Please include your resume, which will be graded. Remember to include details, numbers, awards, and impact on your resume. (1 page)

2. Place—Networking

Please tell me where you will look for a job. Include 2 job boards and 2 networking opportunities. (half page)

3. Promotion—Interview

Write a 30-second elevator pitch. Write five interview stories focusing on your unique skill set. Your short stories show the situation, task, action and result. Highlight unique skills like leadership, communication, work ethic, creativity, quantitative skills, teamwork, etc.

(1 page)

4. Price – Accepting the Offer

Please write up you salary negotiation and offer acceptance strategy. (half page)

□ Part III: Conclusion

Summarize what you learned from this assignment and how you will use it to secure your job after graduation in 3 or 4 sentences.