What is Marketing Yourself and Why Do You Need to Get It?

What is Marketing Yourself and Why Do You Need to Get It?

We’re constantly bombarded by companies marketing and selling things to us. Whether it’s the new sneakers they make you believe you must have or the next iPhone about to release, brands are marketing to you every day. Believe it or not, you really have a crucial role in all the marketing happening out there. It’s to consciously and actively market yourself. 

No matter what your career goals may be, your ability to market yourself will be the biggest reason why you succeed or fail. That sounds heavy, but I promise you that in all my years in business and career coaching, it’s the golden ticket. You may have the right degree or look fantastic on paper, but nothing will be more critical to your career success than your ability to market yourself.

So, what does it mean to ‘market yourself?’ Well, the guy who beat you out for that internship or job you really wanted last year…he marketed himself better than everyone. The girl who got all the face time with the guest speaker at that networking event this summer...well, she nailed it. Marketing yourself is how you present yourself and how you communicate to make yourself stand out. I want you to be the one who wins in those situations. I promise you; you can do it. And I’m here to teach you the things you need to know to make it happen.

So where do you start with marketing yourself? It begins in your head. It’s time to start thinking about marketing differently. Specifically, how marketing can help you. The most important thing currently being marketed [or not!] is YOU. And the great news is there’s nothing you know more about than yourself. You might not be doing much to market yourself just yet but it starts today, and step 1 is simple. It’s tweaking how you think about yourself. Starting today, you are the empire. You are the company, and you are also the number one product. I encourage you to read that again – you are the company, and you are also the number one product. 

To get yourself started, you need to answer this question:

What adjectives do you want to describe you? I love words like ‘results-oriented’ and ‘team player.' After deciding on the words you want to be known for, you need to challenge yourself actually to live by those words. Ask yourself daily if you are putting that version of yourself forward and course correct if you need to. 

The next step will be going further into how you describe yourself and what sets you apart. I’ll talk about that in my next post but for now, start being keenly aware of how you are presenting yourself and communicating. Until next time…follow me on twitter at @MadeToHire.