Post #15: New Blog

Hey,

I just wanted to thank you for reading. The blogging process has been a lot of fun, and, although I may have had low inspiration at some points and have been in a time crunch because of the busyness of the end of the semester, I have really come to see the value of having a blog, especially as a personal branding tool. I have plans to continue blogging about life in general, possibly for a long time.

It has been great to learn about marketing this semester and to be able to apply my knowledge to all of this personal branding stuff. I feel I have a much more informed perspective about myself and "how and why" I should continue to let people know what I am up to. I have one more year at Saint Michael's, and I am optimistic that it will be a great year. Thank you for reading, I'll let you know when I decide about the next step in my blogging career. Special thanks to Professor Popovich for a great semester, all the members of my different groups, Brendan, Laura, Katie, and Josh, and to Kevin. Take care - you always have my best.

Truly,

Tim

Post #14: Reflection

Hi all,

This semester has been informative, and has really helped me to consider personal branding. Before the semester started, we were given a reading assignment. We were given the option of four books, and I picked the book called BrandingPays by Karen Kang. That book was the inspiration for the focus of my blog, and it has given me a new perspective of marketing and of myself.

In terms of time in class and the semester’s assignments, particularly group projects, I have learned about marketing from so many different angles. The simulation that we completed was a great way to link all of the different parts of a business – mostly marketing and finance. I usually am not fond of group projects, but the simulation was a great group project. Each decision that we made was exciting because of the competition. We had many opportunities to present in class, and I enjoyed all of the TED Talks that we reviewed in class.

In addition to the idea of personal branding, capturing value has been another phrase that has stuck with me throughout the semester. I named my blog How and Why to Capture Value because we learned that the end stage of marketing is to capture value. What does it mean to capture value? In marketing, it means that the product or service sells itself. A successful marketing campaign will enable the product or service to sell itself – people will want it because they have to have it. The same principle applies to personal branding – that’s what I’ve been trying to get at through this blog! I think that a person can be likened to a product which fits in a certain industry, has a certain price tag, and needs to be promoted in many ways in relation to its target market. People can capture value once they assert themselves as the expert in their field or the best at their job. Just like a product, that reputation is typically the result of a long period of research, development, and time in general. BMW didn’t become the Ultimate Driving Machine overnight. Similarly, I know it will take me a long time to become the expert in whichever field I may choose.

To conclude this blog, I will leave you with this – the final words from BrandingPays: “’You have to develop a brand because everyone needs to develop a brand to be successful,’ Doreen advises. ‘You have to have all the qualities. You have to look the part, look professional and be pleasant. You have to have the communications skills.’... ‘You may have the best content in the world...but you have to figure out how to sell and communicate it in a way that people will buy and appreciate it.’ The same can be said of personal brands.” I hope this blog have helped you to find some of those ways that will allow you to sell and communicate your brand.

Best of luck always,

Be on the lookout for another blog,

Tim

Note: The text that I refer to throughout the blog is Marketing: An Introduction, in its 11^th edition, by Gary Armstrong and Philip Kotler.

Post #13: Personal Branding in the Real World

Hello,

So, I’ve been talking about all of this personal branding stuff, but is it really applicable in the real world? What types of situations might personal branding apply to? Well, I would like to talk about an event briefly to illustrate how personal branding can really be a valuable tool.

On Saturday, April 26^th, I attended the 2014 New England and Canadian Maritimes Regional Meeting of the American Academy of Religion (program -check out page six). I was there primarily to give a presentation regarding a summer research project, but I was also there to network. Before I went, I was unaware of what to expect. However, I wanted to be as prepared as possible so that I would give a good impression. So, I wore a suit and tie, I brought business cards, and, of course, I practiced my presentation many times.

I woke up at 6:00am that morning and arrived at Boston College for the conference at 8:45am. The first round of papers started at 9:00am, and I heard two interesting papers – one regarding inculturation, the other regarding the Eucharist. It was nice to get a feel for how the sessions worked, and now I felt more confident about my presentation at 1:15pm.

The rest of the conference continued with the keynote address, which was a presentation by a professor, and then it was time for lunch. Lunch was followed by the business meeting and then the rest of the day consisted of presentations. I left at around 6:00pm – it was a long day.

Despite it being a long day, I think it was well worth it. The first two connections that I made were with two Boston College graduate students. One of them happened to be friends with a friend of mine from Saint Michael’s, while the other was presenting at the same session as me. Then during lunch I sat with the convener of my session and she was very interested in my study. We talked at length about my findings and the relevance that they held for the ecumenical landscape. One of the other connections I made was with the same professor that gave the keynote address. She happened to be on the committee which reviewed the submissions, and she let me know that I was the only undergraduate at the conference – pretty cool. We exchanged business cards and moved on.

Even though I only connected with a few people, I think I marketed myself well. I set myself apart in a positive way because of three distinct differentiations. First, I dressed up. Many of the graduate students there dressed respectively, but I was the only one in a suit and tie. Second, I was the only undergraduate there – I took a risk by submitting my paper and it certainly worked out. Finally, I attended for the entire day. Many of the presenters would arrive for their presentation and then leave. I made sure to attend for the entire day and actively participate in the other sessions by asking questions of the other presenters. The conference was a great chance to brand myself. I hope that you will identify ways to do the same. I think a good place to start would be to look into different events in your field for the next academic year – you never know where different connections will lead you. Take me for instance – I ended up studying religion and going to a religion conference through a business professor. Anything can happen!

Best always,

Tim

Post #12: Direct Marketing

Hello again,

This is going to be another short post because all of these topics are blending in. In chapter fourteen of the text, there is an emphasis on direct marketing.Here are the various ways of direct marketing as mentioned by the text:

Face-to-Face or Personal Selling

Direct-mail Marketing

Catalog Marketing

Telemarketing

Direct-Response Television Marketing

Kiosk Marketing

Online Marketing

The first and last are very important and have already been mentioned in previous posts. The five in the middle do not apply very well to personal branding. Personal selling, direct marketing, and the promotion mix have such similar aspects. Despite this, I wanted to have individual posts for each of them to drive the point home that marketing yourself on the personal level is very important. Whether you talk with another person face-to-face, or you post on Facebook, every interaction is important.

Only a couple more posts - make sure to tune in!

Tim

Post #11: Personal Selling

Hi everyone,

As our textbook remarks, ‘personal selling is one of the oldest professions in the world’. It is an art that has certainly been fading, but I think it is absolutely worth discussing here, especially because it pertains to personal branding. People do not usually go door-to-door to sell appliances anymore, but selling oneself is still a necessary ability.

Throughout this blog, the topics that I have addressed have been mentioned essentially as guidelines for personal selling. Target markets, crowdsourcing, and deciding which markets to enter are all different ways to look at personal branding and selling. This is going to be a short post because I am in a time crunch, but I do have an idea for you. Go back through the blog and look at what I have said about personal branding. Does it make sense? I have applied much of what I have learned in marketing class to personal branding. Personal selling is a function of all of the product mix because you need to know everything about the product (you), but you also need to be willing and ready to discuss it with others. That is what I am trying to provide a model for - willingness and readiness to discuss yourself with others: that is how you build a personal brand and capture value. Comment with questions if something doesn't make sense.

Best,

Tim

Post #10: The Promotion Mix

Welcome back,

Chapter 12 of our text describes the Promotion Mix. Here is a a bit of information about each one:

Advertising

In the personal branding model, advertising could consist of web presence on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Social media has been a focal point of many marketing campaigns, and many companies have more than just a social media intern these days – they have large teams managing their social media platforms looking for any online mentions of their company or product. For personal branding, social media sites are a powerful tool. They give people an identity online and allow people to create an image for themselves online as the result of many posts and pictures online. All of those activities add up to create a reputation online. All of those posts can be thought of as sales promotions.

Sales Promotion

Our text indicates that sales promotions coincide with the short-term. Therefore, these could be thought of as posts you might make on Facebook or LinkedIn, or any tweets you make on Twitter. These posts are small promotions of yourself and your thoughts. Even if you are simply going for a laugh, it is really a sales promotion. I used Facebook, as many of you know, to promote this blog over the middle of the semester, and I also posted it on LinkedIn a couple times. When you post on Facebook, know that it is an opportunity to get a message out to many people – be careful what you post.

Personal Selling

This is nearly a synonym for personal branding – more detail in the next post.

Public Relations

Essentially, this pertains to keeping a solid reputation. Being able to head off rumors and build a good image are what makes for good public relations. This is very important in terms of establishing a personal brand in the public eye. After building up a reputation with individuals word will travel into the community and a personal brand will have to be managed more carefully.

Direct Marketing

This is the most important in the personal branding world. In two posts I will go over Direct Marketing in detail.

All in all, I think social media is a very valuable tool if it is used wisely. It is really a personal branding platform in many ways, so go out and use it!

Tim

Post #9: Deciding Which Markets to Enter

Hello,

I hope you are well. This week in class we went over chapter fifteen, which discusses global marketing. Much of the text describes how marketers need to prepare for the differences in culture if their company wants to market internationally. In previous posts I have discussed communication and the importance of tailoring messages for certain markets. That importance holds true for the international market and, of course, for you in all of your markets.There is a section in the chapter titled, “Deciding Which Markets to Enter”, and although it explicitly explains this decision process for companies entering the global marketplace, I’m going to put my usual personal spin on it.

This is a post that should prove to be helpful for students of all disciplines because it will provide a perspective on how to approach the looming decisions of the uncertain future. To provide this perspective, here is an account of my recent years of decision-making:

I decided to attend Saint Michael’s College because it fit my criteria – small, New England, Catholic, liberal arts, business program, music program. I decided to be a business major because it fit my interests. After my first year, I decided to add a major in religious studies and a minor in classics because they both fit my evolving interests. These academic decisions were all based on what I was interested in at the time. And my interests evolved as I became involved in more and more subjects and extracurricular activities, and as I met new people.

One major point that I have is that all you have to act on are the interests that you have right now. I came into college as a business major, and now I am planning on studying theology in graduate school. I have always decided which markets to enter by acting on my interests at that time. I think that trying to speculate what you might be interested in is risky business. Why not go with what you are already interested in? It is also risky to be confident in your career path without having an experience in that field - act on your interest to see if you like it. Another major point, as illustrated by my personal experience, is that you should expect your interests to change – especially while in college. I have heard that up to 80% of college students will change their major (at least once). Therefore, if you haven't changed your major, ask yourself, "Why?" I'm not saying that you have to change your major, but it is interesting that four out of five students will.

So don’t always focus on the job market. Think about all of the markets that you have the option to enter in college. Act on the interests that you have right now. Focus on developing the product – you – before you decide to enter a certain job market. Make sure you can be comfortable adapting. When you decide which markets to enter (internships, summer programs, majors, colleges, graduate schools), act on your current interests. You will never know your future interests until you act on your current interests.

Enjoy the week,

Tim