Back To School; Give Your Career a Facelift
In Back to School, Thornton Melon played by Rodney Dangerfield, goes back to college to help his discouraged son. He gives his dorm room a facelift, throws parties, and even joins the diving team. This was a far departure from the day-to-day duties of being a millionaire businessman.
It’s fall, the time of year where things change, like the leaves on the trees. Change brings growth and can be re-invigorating. Some people confuse re-branding with a simple facelift. Unless you’re a pop-star like Madonna, constantly rebranding yourself is confusing for the people who want to hire you. Here are some ideas for you to give your marketing materials and job pursuits an energizing facelift:
1. Website Facelift: When was the last time you gave your website a new look? I don’t mean when was the last time you updated it with new content (I expect you to do that as often as possible). Like trends in the movie/tv business, there are trends in websites. If you are on the cutting edge of technology for your craft or skill, don’t you want it reflected in a cutting edge website? If yours is dated and you want to know what the current trends are for websites (like are you using transparencies, flat user interface, and parallax?) send an email to Kathy Hoffman (my go-to gal and the MOST reliable person I’ve ever worked with!) at kh@hoffmansites.com.
2. Marketing Facelift: How do you stay on your contacts radars without being a pest? That’s one of the questions I get asked a lot. So, let me ask you, do you do email campaigns? Do you send post cards? Do you have any consistent marketing plan for staying in touch? If not, you need a marketing facelift. An example I used recently for one of my Greenlight Mentor Elites while doing a spotlight coaching for her was, “Do you know the difference between a commercial and a commercial campaign?” She wasn’t sure what I was getting at so I asked her if she remembered the woman from the State Farm auto insurance commercial who appeared when a young guy sang a jingle. My Elite said she had no recollection of her. Then I asked if she knew who the Progressive auto insurance woman was. Of course she knew Flo! One is in a commercial, one is in a campaign and you remember the woman in the campaign. Time to plan yours!
3. Social Media Facelift: If you are still unsure about the necessity for using social media in your career pursuit, go to GreenlightHollywood.com and listen to my free teleseminar replays. You should have at least a Facebook page, then a Twitter Account, then LinkedIn, then YouTube, and if you have images or products that you sell, Pinterest. Instagram is picking up credibility, as is Google+. And this all adds together in your Klout score. What????? Yes, it’s a lot, but you only need to use what’s working for you. Whatever you have, the key to a good facelift is continuity. Whatever cover photo you’re using on Facebook should tie into your other social media sites. People seeking you out on social media should know it’s you, without a doubt, because of your visual brand recognition.
And Action!
1. Decide what needs a facelift
2. Make a plan that determines what steps you need to implement the components of your facelift.
You don’t have to go back to school for a degree in marketing to have great marketing materials. You just need to stay current and competitive.
