Adventures in Marketing

I chose to promote Harry’s Pub & Grill by advertising that they have food. I added a beverage special with the purchase of an entrée so that people will try the food. I also added a Yelp rating and a QR code for people to scan the menu. I figured this flyer could be placed in  a welcome packet for hotel guests and handed out to local business owners. The objective of this ad is to get the word out to the town about Harry’s Old Kettle Pub & Grill now serving food. The flyers will be helpful for out of town guests at the hotel to know where they can grab a good burger and have a cold beer after their day on the town. I think this would also be a successful campaign to run on Instagram stories to get locals craving an after work drink and tasty burger.

1. What stood out to you during the Marketing Fundamentals mini-course?

I really liked the feature benefit ladder example in the mini-course. for analyzing products and features that the ultimate value delivers. I think it will help merchants to deliver products customers need and are more likely to buy. I also thought it was a great idea to compare it similarly to competitor’s products in order to out perform the competition.

2. What course(s) caught your attention in LinkedIn Learning that would fit into your Professional Development Plan and Career Goals? How could you fit this into your schedule? Will you?

I think the communications, personal effectiveness and diversity and inclusion are the most important additional courses that will fit into my Professional Development plan. These would also help with my career goals. I could take some of these courses during my lunch breaks or listen to them while I’m driving. I will set out to take at least one of these courses this week while I’m still within my free trial of the program.

3. Small Business Revolution: Wabash (S1E1)  Out of the six businesses to be featured in Season 1, which one would you be most interested in helping as a marketer? What did you think about, learn from, relate to in this first episode?

I would be interested in helping Harry’s Old Kettle Pub and Grill. My family has a background in the food and beverage industry and it is the one I know the most about. I like the old west days and the time of the saloon’s and old time pianos and I think a new twist on the best of the old west would be a great way for the town to relax and enjoy themselves. I have taken my RV across a lot of the country over the summer and I noticed a lot of Main Street businesses have all been boarded up in small towns. It’s really sad and speaks straight to my heart! People need jobs and have to leave their homes to go get them and old, elegant architecture is being boarded up and wasting away. There’s a charm that small towns have that can’t be found anywhere else. They feel safe and remind me of times when an entire community came together before the internet. I like the idea of revitalizing those areas to market to new customers and not trying to bring back the past, but save the buildings.

I attended the webinar From Surviving to Thriving: What Marketers Learned from the Pandemic that’s Changed their Marketing for Good. This was presented by Jonathan Beeston, a Product Marketing Director for EMEA. Ben Carter CMO Purplebricks and Russell Parsons Editor-in-Chief Marketing Week.

This webinar focused on the changes that were necessary to change business and marketing tactics during the pandemic and what’s changed because of it. The previous benchmarks are no longer relevant data. Collaboration challenges 69% say it’s harder for collaborations because working from home and separate from their teams. Most marketers said it changed an 78% said it was a catalyst for improvement. Also, there have been many changes and differences in opinions in the last 12-18 months. This is a great opportunity to remake yourself.

There are new priorities because: 

 Customers are more digital than ever.

Collaborations are happening in new and different ways.

Metrics and how they’re viewed is different from times prior to the pandemic. 

Working from anywhere has created a bit of a skills gap. Focus on getting team back together to collaborate. Spend meaningful time together as a team. Build social collaborations to help with the flow of ideas to serve customers together. Looking at new ways to sell things like homes by doing virtual viewings and tours instead of in person. Forced innovation has assisted in the necessary change. Marketers are working harder, but also reaping the benefits of hard work.

The group discussed how the needs of the customers have changed within the last 12-18 months. They also discussed how it was difficult to work and collaborate as a team to market to this evolved customer. They also discussed the importance of training employees and how to make sure everyone on the team has good digital proficiency skills.

I have not looked ahead to see whom I’d like to interview for this semester. Is this going to be something we do with others in the class or someone outside of the class? If it can be anyone, I’d like to interview the marketing team at Crumbl Cookies. Some questions I’d ask are:

What does the content calendar look like?

How large is your social media team?

Do you have a separate filming and editing team?

Who creates the new cookie recipes and where do they pull their inspiration from?

What enhancements are you planning for the loyalty crumbs rewards program?

1. What projects, internships, volunteer work or life experiences would help you develop and/or showcase skills for the jobs you shared last week?  What projects, internships, volunteer work have you done which already align with those employers’ needs?

When I first started out as a social media moderator, I also helped with posting content and moderating comments for a church I was attending at the time. It really helped me to learn more about the engagement side of the business and I was able to speak to that on a more familiar level during my presentations at work.

2. What classes/certifications do you think would help you grow in confidence? If you had an extra 30 minutes-1 hour each day, what would you love to study or practice to advance yourself/career?

I would like to take a creative writing workshop if I had an extra thirty minutes in a day. I think it would help to avoid writing ruts and overuse of the same phrasing. It would really help me to stay fresh and energetic about the way I write.

3. Who would be someone you would enjoy interviewing to learn more about their work, company, and story? Identify two people you would like to reach out to. #informationalinterview

I would like to learn from the marketing team at Crumbl Cookies and see what kind of planning goes into changing the menu each week. Also, I think it would be interesting to interview Simon Sinek and talk about the golden circle and how he came to finding his why.

Email etiquette is important because it really speaks to others about you and sets the tone of the first impression. It also helps others to feel more comfortable with you and can put others at ease. Clear and concise emails with proper etiquette will help you to stand out from the crowd and get your questions answered. Time is needed to make sure you have a clear understanding of what is being asked of you.

I joined a few different groups on LinkedIn this week and they were:

•Social Media In Travel

•Digital Marketing: Social Media, Search, Mobile & more

•Social Media Today

•Kansas City Online Community

Marketing job titles that stood out to me this week were:

Social Media Marketing Specialist

Social Media Coordinator

Marketing Manager

Each of these jobs seem pretty similar at the core. My strongest areas are experience, social voice & writing ability and relationship building. Areas to develop would be the strong need to finish my degree and continue my education to pursue a bachelor’s degree in either marketing or public relations. Relationship building with media, I don’t have any experience with that aspect. I also could use some additional work on my presentation skills.

I spent the week learning a lot about myself. I already knew a lot about myself since I have been me for thirty-something years. (You didn’t think I’d tell you my actual age did you?!)

My strengths finder assessment told me that my number one trait is restorative. I think I must have taken this quiz over a decade ago when I was a customer service manager at Best Buy. I had the same number one trait back then and I wasn’t surprised by that result then or now.  I know I have the ability to see past problems and road blocks to get the job done. Troubleshooting and helping people is what I have always done and it seems to come so naturally to me that I don’t recognize it as a talent. My second trait was achiever and I was not surprised at all by the results. When I started going back to school, I set out to get an A in my classes. As I’ve become more comfortable with school and balancing life, I find myself disappointed with anything less than a 95% in a class. I’m not just an achiever, I’m an overachiever and have tendencies towards perfectionism that I try hard to steer away from. My third trait was significance. This was a bit more of an eye opener for me because I don’t see myself working on projects that have a great deal of significance. I do however seem to suggest big ideas and put projects with big significance on people I see as very talented and skilled in an area. The next trait got me back on track with my perception of myself. It was individualization, and it was a very fair assessment because I do pick up on the unique talents of individuals on my team and try to elevate their strengths. Rounding out my top five traits was discipline. I do enjoy structure and organization and I think it helps to set the atmosphere to be productive.

I think all of these strengths describe me well. Which is a mixed bag of good and bad. I’m a really great employee and will work hard to see that the problem is resolved and I strive to be the best everyday. I tend to get great reviews from every job I’ve ever had all while having a huge case of imposter syndrome. I have a great drive and will to accomplish tasks and think outside the box, at work. I also have a tendency to spread myself a bit thin and pile up my plate with lots of things to do. All the work gets done and everything is organized, but I’m really not fun at parties. lol I’m great at organizing and planning parties though!

I think the combination of my top five traits and skills will help me to achieve future career goals. I do get somewhat discouraged when I see that the careers I would do well in are thigs like art director or actor. While those positions sound really fun, honestly there aren’t many of them out there waiting for me and I’m too much of a realist to believe in those type of dreams.

My personality max report showed that I am an INSJ personality type. It showed examiner and protector within the categories. My top five values were pleasure, job security, adventure, certainty, and excitement.

I am interested in adventures with my family and exploring new things. I am not ready to go out on my own yet and I don’t really know how to make that marketable and raise well rounded children at the same time. I am currently focusing on my current career and I’d like to see where a marketing degree will take me. If it takes me nowhere, I’m ok with that at this stage in my life. I have a really good job and I have a lot of vacation time. I have a good boss and I am content for the first time in a long time.

Hi, my name is Melissa. I’m a nontraditional student working full time as a social media moderator. I’ve been working on an associates degree in Marketing Management for a few years now. In my free time I am raising three boys and enjoy spending time with my husband.

We recently purchased a travel trailer and spent the summer on a long adventure to the East Coast and the Gulf Coast. I enjoy nature walks and photo documenting all of our travels.

I have worked with the marketing team off and on with projects in my current role with my employer. Beyond that, I have taken a social media marketing class and worked with the Cub Scouts to try and create more of an online presence. It was a short class, but I gained a lot of knowledge from it and plan to use it if I’m needed for any additional marketing projects at work. I’d like to learn what different types of marketing jobs are available today and what I can do to stand out from the crowd and elevate my resume.