Most of the time when the word “marketing” comes up, many professionals write the word off as something that only advertising agencies—or marketing departments within their own company—need to worry about. But in the 21st century, that can be a fatal assumption to make. Marketing isn’t just about convincing people to buy a product or a service. Marketing is about shaping the public perception to a promotional goal that you have, and no goal is more important than marketing yourself. Here are the reasons why it’s very important for any employee to think about marketing yourself.
The World Is Watching
Marketing is about perception, and perception is what people think when they encounter information relevant to their interests. This is especially true if you are on a job hunt, putting yourself out there for different companies to hire. It’s a safe bet that any social media savvy company that is hiring is going to look at how you present yourself on the Internet.
And you can’t argue that this is an invasion of privacy, because any tweets, Facebook posts, or other social media content you flagged as public is free for anyone—even people looking to hire you—to look at.
Control The Narrative
Marketing is about controlling the perception people have of you. That means making sure that if there’s something that people should know about you, like your qualifications or notable professional accomplishments, that information is front, center and easy to find. If there are things you don’t want people to know about you, or don’t need to know about you, such as your album of photos for a family trip to Disneyland, this is something that you need to take into account and control as well.
Spread The Word
If you want the right people to know the right things about you, you have to be in the right places, whether that is physically or on the Internet. There are many professional online communities, groups and types of social media where people can network and get their name out. Be in these places and make sure that people see what you want them to see.
If you treat yourself and your abilities like the valuable products they are, and ensure they are packaged and distributed to the right decision makers, marketing yourself becomes an essential tool in your professional career.
