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Blogging is for Dummies

August 26, 2013 by
Blogging is for Dummies

Blogging is for Dummies

I blog. And, I am a dummy.

And, because there are many things that I don’t know. All the more reason for me to learn about it.  I read blogs because I want to learn. I write a blog because I want to learn even more.

I became a professor because I have always had a passion for learning.  And, one of the things I learned about learning in my early years of teaching is that if you truly want to understand and learn something then you need to teach it to others.  You learn by doing, but you deep dive into learning by teaching.

 “Teaching is the highest form of understanding.” ~ Aristotle Click to Tweet

With this blog, I want to learn more about the application of marketing strategies to the job search, or what I and others have called self marketing.

The Job Search has Changed

Face it.  Once upon a long time ago, the job search was all about the resume and the job interview.

Not anymore.

The modern world of the job search is now much more about marketing, and personal branding, and social media marketing.

As a professor, I have taught marketing for more than 25 years. And, since the beginning of my academic career, I have always advocated the use of marketing strategies for the job search, skills development, and career advancement.  And, I have always tried to teach this specialized use of marketing to my marketing and business students.

A co-author and I even wrote and self-published a book in 1993 about it, called the Self Marketing Advantage.

The Old Way of Self Marketing Strategy

The basics begin with an objective and include the 6 Ps:

Objective – What job/career and geographic location is desired?

People (or target) – Which companies offer these job opportunities?

Positioning (or unique brand identity) – What is your unique selling point (USP)?

Product – What education, skills, and experiences do you have to offer?

Price – What salary and benefits are you expecting?

Place – What route or channel do you take to get to your objective/target (career services channel, direct to hiring decision maker channel, human resources channel, etc.)?

Promotion (or communication) – How will you use advertising (cover letter/resume), public relations (physical networking, references), and personal selling (job interview) to get noticed and hired?

The New Way of Self Marketing Strategy

And:

“Just as the new media has taken over the past strategies of traditional marketing, so it goes with the job search.”

Positioning now includes personal branding, social media tag lines and profiles, focused social sharing activity, and keyword/SEO optimization.

Product now involves a skills audit and skills development, personal SWOT, internships, e-portfolios, and expertise/knowledge social proof.

Place now includes the channels of social media networking and social recruitment.

Promotion now requires social media marketing (e.g., blogging, tweeting) and content marketing to build a personal brand identity (or correct an unacceptable personal brand image).  And, perhaps even a video elevator pitch.

You see, I do know a bit about these subjects.

I am learning as I go.

Admit it, with today’s new marketing, we are all learning as we go.

The Way of This Blog

Thus goes the reason for my blog.  I want to learn more about how the new media and these new marketing strategies can be used to improve the job search, skills development, and career advancement.

And, I hope that you do, too.

Though I am not a newbie with personal branding or social media, I am a newbie when it comes to writing a blog about it.

I started blogging and using Twitter in 2009 on the topics of creativity and creative thinking; and using LinkedIn and teaching courses in e-Marketing and Direct Marketing long before that.  And, more recently I developed and taught an undergraduate course in Social Media Marketing, requiring a project for Personal Branding.

Enough About Me

Let’s make this more about you and your self-marketing needs.

With this blog, Digital Self Marketing Advantage, I plan to write original content and share/curate the best of others’ content on the topics of job search, self marketing, social media marketing, personal branding, skills development, career advancement, and life-long learning.  If you are a student/recent graduate, professor/teacher, entrepreneur/business professional, career changer, or anyone seeking to increase their knowledge, understanding, and application on these subjects, then this blog is for you.

I Need Your Help

I cannot do it alone.

Subscribe to my blog feed or emails. Follow me on Twitter. Or, connect with me on LinkedIn. Help me to share what we are learning.

Ask me questions.

More importantly, give me feedback.

Tell me when you disagree. Social share my content when you like it. Experiment with my strategies and shout at me when they succeed and whisper gently when they do not.

Encourage me and I will write more. Remain silent, and I will return exclusively to my day job.

Welcome to my new blog and my efforts to no longer be a dummy on these subjects.

Are there any questions?

 

Image credit: adapted from photo by Lord Jim on Flickr

 

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Denny McCorkle @DennyMcCorkle

Professor of Marketing, Monfort College of Business at University of Northern Colorado
As a nationally recognized and award winning Marketing Professor in the Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado, I help students, professors, and professionals to gain a Digital Self Marketing Advantage through the use of social media marketing for personal branding, job search, skills development, career advancement, and life-long learning.
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