The 3 P s of Marketing Yourself

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1 The 3 P s of Marketing Yourself Introduction and advice Historically speaking and depending upon which culture you are from, chances are that you have been conditioned to think that self-promotion is generally not encouraged. Work and business in the 21 st Century does not operate this way and it is now crucial that employees, contract workers, consultants, project-based workers and entrepreneurs learn how to promote themselves and know how to market their products, services and their expertise in a transparent and targeted manner. People must now demonstrate their expertise, suitability for a project, and promote their experience and professionalism which will win them the work or the new client. Everyone, no matter what your employment status needs to justify their existence and clearly demonstrate the value that you add to an organisation or business. You need to start thinking of yourself as a business (YOU INC) you need to invest time and money into your knowledge and skills. You need to take on the mindset that you can no longer rely on governments or employers for your existence. You need to start to take responsibility for your own career development and income. Increasingly, your personal and professional network, word of mouth referral and level of connection to others will be what determines if you are successful in the world of work and business. Non participation with social media platforms is no longer an option. Success in the 21 st century is all about being connected online and offline, working collaboratively and sharing expertise. By following the 3P s of Marketing Yourself you will be on the road to a modern successful career or business. The 3 P s are: Personal Branding, Professional Reputation, and Proposition. 1

2 Personal Branding: What do Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton and Lara Bingle all have in common? They are attractive young females but most people really don t know what they do! Are they famous just for being famous? One common element in all of their careers is that they know how to market themselves by creating a personal brand. This, they will tell you is what makes them successful. Nowadays, thanks to technology and globalisation everyone can be a global microbrand. Anyone can join Linked In and create a professional profile and start promoting their products, services or expertise. Anyone can operate a consulting business entirely on a Facebook page. Anyone can have a public persona and can very quickly become the go to person for expertise in a specific niche market. Personal Branding is your public image, reputation, what you stand for, what value you add to people s lives and the association of you with a product or service for which you become well-known. Whether you are working as an employee, self-employed as a consultant or contract worker you will be Googled and researched on Facebook or Linked In. Excellent personal branding and a professional image is now a vital element for career and business success. 2

3 We are constantly surrounded by examples of personal branding e.g. celebrities, entrepreneurs, famous sports and high profile people the list is endless. How do they create this brand? 10 tips for creating your own brand that you can do yourself: 1) Be the expert- be the perceived go to person for information and expertise in your niche. Self-promote using various methods such as social media platforms, public speaking, advertising, networking and constantly working on building your reputation. 2) Define Your Brand- the global marketplace demands that you be skilled at self-promotion: In Recruitment- become a networker On the Internet- become a marketer Within the Economy- become the expert 3) Leverage Yourself- inject personality into your work or business. Be personable and become well-known so that your name becomes associated with specific expertise, products or services 4) Be Authentic- put yourself out there in an imperfect, unique and fun waythis resonates with people 5) Buy into your own brand- Walk the talk. Become an ambassador of your offering and present ideas that people can easily understand. If you are promoting good health be a role model for good health! 6) Find a Memorable Visual Hook - find an image, logo, photo, tag line that people will easily remember 7) Simplify- be crystal clear with your message. Don t try to be too many things, find a specific niche and focus on developing it. 8) Look inside to grow outside- deal with people in a way that they feel encouraged to find solutions themselves with your support. 9) Engage customers to build confidence in your brand- interact directly with customers whenever possible. Always build respect and trust which will help you to grow your brand 10) Grow Smart- start thinking strategically and create strong alliances with joint venture partners. Work collaboratively and be everywhere as much as possible using a variety of media. 3

4 Professional Reputation We have all heard horror stories about people who have made mistakes with social media and fallen from grace for various reasons. Perhaps we have learnt lessons personally- these are opportunities to learn and to not repeat the mistakes again. In this age of information and technology be aware that you will be Googled, checked on Facebook or Linked In and discussed with previous employers, personal contacts and past or present colleagues. Having an excellent professional reputation is one of the best things you can create. Protect this closely, be careful about what you say or do publicly and at all times remain positive about people and organisations or businesses that you have had previous dealings with. The world and your local community is getting smaller and smaller we live in the information age and you cannot afford to be too open about what you really think. Being able to say what we really think in this politically correct world is a luxury few are afforded. Once you have built a good reputation for being knowledgeable, offer value to your employer or client and an expert in your profession or niche the work or business will come to you. This is the ideal place to be in. Reverse Marketing- learn how to package your skills and promote yourself to employers or clients. Don t just sit back and wait for job ads to be posted, when they are you will then be in competition with many others. Why go through this process? Find the job/contract/project opportunities before they are advertised! Marketing yourself and your services or products is an ongoing process and as market demands change so too will your strategies and methods for letting people know about your offering. 4

5 Proposition Your proposition is your offering. You need to be crystal clear about your message about your offering and develop various ways to let people know about your expertise, service or products. There are numerous ways to inform people or organisations about your offering. You may become involved in projects, secondments, joint ventures, business development, conferences, seminars, marketing and many more. The key to marketing yourself and your proposition is to analyse by asking yourself the following questions: What problems do I solve for my employer or clients? What value do I provide for my employer or clients? What do people want? What do businesses need? Who are my key partners? Who supports me? What are my key activities? How do I develop customer relationships? What communication channels do I use with my customers? What resources do I have, what more can I develop? People want more money, more time, more holidays, more happiness, entertainment, fun, adventure, a good education, more sleep, less pain, to be fit and healthy, less diseases, a nice house, great car, good quality food, etc etc Ask yourself- how am I solving some of these needs, wants desires? If you can offer something of value and contribute to the provision of some of these things your expertise, advice, service or product can be sold and you will be paid for the value you have created. If you are a contractor you will be like a business operating within a business. If you are an employer- the same, there is no such thing as job security anymore and you need to be investing in your professional development and knowledge and validating to your employer your worth to the company or organisation. 5

6 If you have your own business you need to clearly communicate your offering to your clients. The more people or businesses understand about your offering the more they will engage with you and buy from you or employ your services. The more you stand out from the crowd the more you will be in the minds of those needing your expertise, skills or services. Don t wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it! 6