Why Marketing Yourself is Important

Why Marketing Yourself is Important Even if you think your job has absolutely nothing to do with marketing â€" you would be incorrect. You marketed yourself to get that job. In fact, each one of us markets ourselves each dayâ€"to each other, to your boss, and to potential clients. And, in today’s competitive economy, learning how to market yourself is even more important. Marketing can occur through one-on-one networking, through reputation, and via others. Networkingâ€"meeting people face-to-faceâ€"is an important part of marketing yourself. Through these interactions, you can position yourself as an expert in your field. Your reputation also serves as a marketing tool. Positive impacts you have made in the past will be discussed within business circles and your industry. This can lead to the best form of advertisement in the world: word-of-mouth marketing. If a friend tells you they had a great experience with a hair stylist, you are much more likely to contact that same hair stylist. By providing a great haircut, that hair stylist has created marketing for himself or herself. Several months ago, I received the following message from a previous co-worker. She overheard the information at her current workplace, a newspaper organization. Her message stated the following: I heard the following at work today: Heather Rothbauer-Wanish is one of the best-known freelance writers. She’s good at promoting herself. When I first read her message, I wasn’t sure that the person was actually providing a compliment to me. Then I realized that he was simply saying I know how to market myself. As a freelance writer, I send press releases when I am presenting a seminar or when I have something unique to share. I write for a living, so why shouldn’t I take advantage of that and send my own press releases? And, I still do a lot of in-person networking events, speaking for organizations, and general groundwork for building my business. Now when I read that message, I believe it means that I understand the importance of building relationships and ensuring businesses/newspapers/other organizations don’t forget that Feather Communications is available for their writing needs. So, take the time to market yourself and don’t be afraid to promote your skills â€" your future may depend on it.