MKTG 3131 Summer 2019

Folio Assignment 1 (15 points)

Marketing Yourself – Planning Phase
Due – 1159 PM Sunday 6/30

Introduction
Chapter 2 of the book talks about Developing Successful Organization and Marketing
Strategies. The marketing strategy begins with the mission and vision of the corporate
entity and ends with the implementation of the 4 P’s. The strategic marketing process
discussed in the chapter can be applied to products, services, ideas, and even to
marketing yourself! You can utilize the process described in the book to market yourself
(product) to prospective employers (target market).

Use this assignment as an activity to think about yourself and your plan to achieve your
goals (whatever they may be).

Think about your long-term vision/mission and create a statement of your

vision/mission. Keep in mind that vision/mission statements are long-term.

Once you have established where you want to be many years down the line, the next
step is to conduct a situation analysis. A situation analysis for a company not only
looks at the current external environment that it operates in but also looks at future
trends that might impact the company. The situation analysis also looks at the internal
situation of the company that might positively or negatively impact the companies
journey towards its long-term vision or short term objectives. The internal factors that
affect the company - positively are its Strengths, negatively are its Weaknesses.
Similarly the external environmental factors that are favorable are Opportunities while
the factors that are unfavorable are Threats. Keep in mind that while the company has
control over its internal factors the company has not control over its external factors.

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4250952-apple-swot-analysis This link provides a good

example of a SWOT analysis for Apple. You might need to register to read the article
(registration should be free). https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05_1.htm
Another link to help you think about your personal SWOT analysis.

Once you have conducted a thorough situation analysis the next step is to create a
short-term goal (generally for one year). However, for the purpose of this assignment
think of your goal as what you want to do immediately after graduation.

The next step is to create a strategy on how you will achieve your goal by focusing on
how you (product) will be able to satisfy the needs and want of the target consumer
(employer). You will also have to think about your pricing, place, and promotional
strategy so that you are appealing to the consumer vis-à-vis your competitors (other
people looking for the same objective as you and focusing on the same target
consumer)
Marketing yourself is a critical skill that will help you not only in finding a job, but it will
assist you in all areas of life.

Follow the directions for each part of the assignment (ALL 3 parts) and fill in the
components of “THE DO-IT-MYSELF MARKETING PLAN WORKSHEET 1 and 2” .
This document will be turned in for a grade. Turn in the completed document via the
Dropbox labeled “Folio Activity/Assignment 1” by Sunday, June 30th at 11:59 PM.

Part 1: Vision/Mission Statement

Create a long-term vision/mission statement. Think about what you want to become in
life many years down the line and incorporate this with the definition of the mission
(from the book).

Part 2: Situation Analysis

For this assignment, conducting a situation analysis involves taking stock of where you
are now, and what are the factors that will impact where you want to be both in the short
term and long term. Look at both the external factors (that are out of your control) and
internal factors (that you can control) that might affect your long- or short-term goals (e.g.
employment prospects).

TO DO: Conduct a SWOT analysis to assess your personal strengths and weaknesses
as well as your opportunities for and threats (barriers) to your goals. Further elaborate on
your situation analysis by looking at the following areas and providing more information
as it relates to your situation. Complete the related parts of the grid with the information.

 Internal Assessment. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What can
you do to enhance your strengths and minimize your weaknesses? What points
of difference or competitive advantage do YOU have? If you don’t have one, can
you develop one?

 External Analysis. What are the trends in the environmental forces that could
impact your job search and career development? These consist of sociocultural,
economic, technological, competitive, and regulatory forces.

 Competitive Analysis. What type of background, experiences, strengths, and

weaknesses do your competitors have?

 Market Analysis. What market segments (job opportunities) have you identified
as having the best potential? How do you fit into these markets?

Part 3 – Goal Setting (Short term)

Setting goals for yourself helps you hold yourself accountable and provides direction to
your future. Be sure that your goals are S.M.A.R.T.: Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Relevant, and Timely.
TO DO: Ask yourself the following questions and fill them in the grid:

 What are your short-term goals, that will over time lead you to achieve your long
term vision (goal)? Make them specific and measurable!

 What is your target market (in terms of employer and position)? Examples might
be large public accounting firms, business-to-business sales, and marketing
research for a consulting firm in Chicago, etc.

Part 4 – Marketing Program

TO DO: Ask yourself the following questions and fill in the information in on the grid:

 Product. YOU. Know yourself well. Continually improve yourself. Understand

how you can meet the needs of your target market—prospective employers!
What type of “product” do you have to offer? What skill sets do you possess?

 Pricing. What salary and compensation package do you want? What are you
willing to settle for? What’s the average salary received by competitors in your
target market? What sort of “pricing” is appropriate? What salary and benefits do
you want?

 Promotion. Very important. Think about the buying process. How will you
create awareness for yourself? What can you do to “break through the clutter”
and get the opportunity for an interview? Your personal selling skills will be
important for telephone contacts and face-to-face interviews. Probe to find out
about the needs of the organization before that “sales call” and during the
interview. Have your questions prepared. What “promotion” will be used? How
will you inform prospective employers about yourself?

 Place (Distribution). What channels have you developed to access your target
market, such as associations, personal contacts, professors, etc.? Do some
careful research on these. Don’t assume that intensive distribution is necessarily
the way to go. Focus your efforts to those target markets that hold promise.
What type of “place” or channel will be used? These include intermediaries such
as on-campus career services, networking, employment agencies, and even the
Internet, with firms such as Monster or Career Builder providing valuable
services.
NAME: ____________________________ EAGLE ID: __________________

THE DO-IT-MYSELF MARKETING PLAN WORKSHEET (1)

STRATEGIC
MARKETING MY OWN MARKETING PLAN
PROCESS
Vision/Mission
Statement
Location of Kind of Factor
Factor Favorable Unfavorable
Internal: Me My Strengths: My Weaknesses:
 Core Values
 Formal
Education
Situatio  Job Experience
n  Motivation
Analysis  Other:
(SWOT)
External: Opportunities For Me: Threats Affecting Me:
P
 Economic
L
 Technical
A
N  Legal
N  Other:
I
N Personal Goals:
My Goals Upon
G Graduation
P Job Description:
My Desired
H
Position
A
S Industries:
E My Target
Focus Industries,
Organizations:
and Organizations,
Goal and
Setting Locations Geographical Areas:

Personality:

My Uniqueness
(Points of Education & Experience:
Difference)

Other:
My “Positioning” How You Compare to Other Job Applicants:
 THE DO-IT-MYSELF MARKETING PLAN WORKSHEET (2)

MARKETING
MY OWN MARKETING PLAN
PROGRAM
Formal Education/Courses:

P Job Experiences/Projects Completed:

L  Product Strategy
A (Actions to Improve
N My “Marketability”) Extra-Curricular/Volunteer Activities:
N
I
N
Obstacles To Overcome:
G

P
H  Price Strategy Compensation Sought:
A
S
E  Promotion Ways in which you will promote yourself:
Strategy
 Place Strategy Networking for Contacts and References: