Sell Yourself…Sine die!!!

Few months back Barack Obama was everywhere on web starting from magazines, newspapers, media, blogs, websites, face book, twitter and what not. It was one of biggest publicity blitz ever. No one could have sold himself better than what Obama did.
It is not difficult to imagine how big he is or how big he has become. The crucial question is – How? That’s the power of Marketing.
Modern marketing concept caters mostly to the products and / or services. You can find books, blogs, websites dedicated for marketing on the same. But Self Marketing (SM)? How to do that?
SM is for people who want to make it big on their own. They want to enhance their visibility. They have something that can add value for the customer. This blog is not a guide, but just a perspective on how to go about SM.
The basics are simple. First, you need a person who has done something in life (no clichés please). Accomplishment should be good enough to showcase e.g. MBA from IIM or B.Tech from IIT, a rank in some national/international event, work ex with some big company etc. Secondly, create a self identity. This means writing about yourself (not the Arindam Choudhary does). Can you describe yourself with some key attributes and skills that befit the kind of role you are offering (It is really difficult – try and you will know)? Now use the power of advertising tools. If you want to market yourself locally – put an advert in the local magazine or newspaper. Do not describe what you do, but what you have achieved and what you can do for others so they can also achieve something tangible. Write a one liner that describes you. Marketing Guru? Consulting Expert? Vocabulary Master? Guitar Maestro? Thought Catalyst!!!(All these look cliché, don’t they?). If you have the money, go for a professional manager (all big stars have). Make sure to pursue something in your own line so that you can bolster the success story. Also, create an atmosphere of dependency. Make sure that whoever comes to you can’t go back (many big MNCs do this). For PM, these means two things – if you offer something that gets over in a limited time frame then ensure that word of mouth is generated (Do you know of Mr. X who gives GD/PI classes in South Delhi. He is brilliant!!!) And secondly if it is a long term relationship, create hard dependency. Don’t allow anyone to leave. (IBM does that)
Finally you can use the power of web for large scale marketing. Create your own site or a blog. Showcase yourself there. Or put adverts on the sites if you want. (Most stars have their own blog as you might know). Connect with people – create a charm that bewilders people – move ahead with authority.
This blog entry is not about marketing of the rich and the famous. They can always do other things (controversies are best tools!!!). If you are a small time teacher in a remote locality or a painting expert in a small city, use this as a perspective. At least you can have more and better …