FIT Marketing Tips & What it Takes for Grads to Succeed in Communications Today

I recently spoke at an FIT Marketing class on the rise of social media marketing.  I was honored that Dean Gamanos, the Professor and owner of an advertising agency in Greenwich, CT brought me in as a guest speaker.  Dean opened up the class by talking about the different forms of marketing and communication agencies: consultants, design firms, ad agencies, media buyers, public relations agencies and Internet Agencies.  I was stunned when he mentioned Internet Agencies as a new form of a marketing communication agency because it is the world I have grown up in.  We are living in a Marketing Renaissance where social media marketing is coalescing all of the different facets of communications and blurring the line between the divisions.  It makes me question the importance of majoring/specializing in one form of communication as I think it is critical today for any recent graduate to possess a diverse skill set which includes a “sampling” of every discipline within communications.

As a social media marketer, it is imperative to have an understanding of marketing, branding, journalism, public relations and broadcast journalism in order to do my job effectively.  You need to know how to interview someone effectively, how to pitch to secure great placement for a blog post, how to pitch articles for media placement, how to build a brand both virally and offline and how to create an effective ad that can be used in multiple mediums.  It is no longer sufficient to major in one discipline and think that covers it all- today’s graduates must possess a strong skill set in all of these disciplines to be effective in the communications industry.  While I agree that specialization is critical in this job market, I also believe that possessing knowledge of multiple mediums is what will make you most valuable in this marketplace.

I enjoyed being asked to speak at FIT as well as participating in Deans Marketing class. He shared some relevant content including marketing tips, mistakes and tools to position your brand.

 

8 Principles of Successful Marketing:

  1. Know your product or service
  2. Know your customers
  3. Your customers aren’t listening to you
  4. Know your competition
  5. Being good isn’t good enough
  6. Marketing should be the most creative part of your business
  7. Good planning and good implementation are as important as a good idea
  8. Everything in your business should involve marketing

10 Common Marketing Mistakes:

  1. Failing to listen/ failing to observe- not doing research, not checking the competition, not observing the marketplace
  2. Not positioning your product or service
  3. Doing too many things at once
  4. Not focusing your selling message
  5. Changing strategies and selling message too frequently
  6. Making advertising decisions based on low rates rather then cpm’s
  7. Not advertising with adequate frequency
  8. Emphasizing short term sales increases through price promotion rater than long term brand building
  9. Building on fads rather then trends
  10. Ignoring your brands image

12 Ways to Develop a Strong Positioning for your Product:

  1. Be the First (Harvard, Hertz, Time Magazine)
  2. Be the Latest (Windows)
  3. Own an Attribute (Heinz Ketchup- thickest, Ferrari- speed)
  4. Be #1 (Toyota Camry, Ford Explorer)
  5. Specialize (Victoria’s Secret- sexy lingerie)
  6. Have a heritage
  7. Be Preferred (more hospitals use Tylenol)
  8. Focus on Use (Nike-Racing)
  9. Stress Quality (Chanel #5, high quality, high price)
  10. Price (Walmart, lowest prices)
  11. User group (Apple- graphic designers)
  12. Competitive (7-Up, Avis)

Stay Tuned: In May & April, I will be covering an exciting celebrity branding master course with Kimora Lee Simmons and Joan Rivers.

NEW Celebrity Business: Close Up and Personal with Joan Rivers and Kimora Lee Simmons Spend a day with one or two of these glamorous and super smart women and find out what it really takes to launch and maintain a celebrity brand business. Get an inside look at two different business models- each with star wattage and market longevity. Find out how these businesses work and the role and responsibilities of the namesake. Hear about three different journeys that all lead to consumer product adoration and millions of dollars in sales:

•   Joan Rivers, entertainment industry “A” lister, comedic icon, media personality and brilliantly witty fashion critic talks about her highly successful jewelry business partnership with QVC.

•  Kimora Lee Simmons, former supermodel and “fabulicious” icon and author talks about her role as CEO, and Creative director of Phat Fashions, which she has transformed into a lifestyle brand owned by the apparel giant Kellwood.

Facilitator: Jennifer Bartok, producer, www.celebritycatwalk.com

I was also extremely inspired by the beautiful design work the students at FIT had created. I included photos of my favorites and wanted to honor their amazing branding work!