Using the Four P's to Market Yourself

The marketing mix consists of four activities that a firm can control to meet the needs of customers within its target market. Similarly you can you the marketing mix in order to market yourself to your 'target job'. The four activities or the four P's are product, place, promotion, and price.

Product- It is easy to think of yourself as a product. You have specific qualities that a 'buyer' or an employer may be looking for. Marketing yourself as a product would include selling yourself as a future high quality employee. Also as a product you may be able to offer an assortment of skills. Having an education, previous work experience, references that show you are a high quality product would all help in marketing yourself to a potential job.

Place- This could be the actual physical placement of yourself to the job location. If you are close to the job that would make it easier for you to get to work if inclement weather or any other circumstances. Also selling your 'place' could include reliable transportation you may have to get to the job.

Promotion-Promotion is used to inform buyers of what they are getting. Anytime you are applying to a job you are trying to sell or promote yourself to your potential future employer. You can promote yourself by a clean and professional appearance, being on time to the interview, having a good personality that will fit to the job you are applying to, and by making a good first impression.

Price- Employers compensate their workers. Therefore if you were to be hired at a job you would cost a price to that job. Placing emphasis that the employer will get a great value in hiring you and that you will be able to offer the job a great amount for their money would be the best way to use price to your advantage in getting a job.

Marketing, Advertising, and Propaganda

Before exploring the differences between marketing, advertising and propaganda, I had assumed that they were, for the most part, the same thing. I have found that marketing, advertising, and propaganda are related in some ways, yet they also differ. 

Marketing seems to be a more broad term, which could encompass both advertising and propaganda. Marketing controls different business activities which have to do with the selling of something. Not only is marketing a part of ‘getting the word out’ about a product, it also has to do with the pricing, selling, and distributing products/services and ideas. When talking about advertising and propaganda marketing would seem to encompass both of these.

Advertising is the message that is being sent in order to sell something such as a commercial or a billboard. To me it is the segment of marketing that actually gets the word out to people of what is being sold. I think of billboards or commercials when I think of advertisements. For example, the advertisement from McDonalds shown below.

 Propaganda is similar to advertising in that it is also trying to get the word out to sell a product or service. However, propaganda is given more of a negative connotation. Propaganda can also be used to make another product or service look bad. When I think of propaganda I think of its place in the political world. Propaganda is used in politics in order to make certain political candidates look bad, and ultimately selling other candidates.