Marketing is life

Ask these following questions to yourself:

  • Why do I choose to purchase the items or brands that I do? What creates this preference?
  • What drives the decision making in my life?
  • How do people perceive me and what do they base these views on?
  • Am I being controlled by the organizations that surround me?
  • What do employers base their decisions on? How can I position myself accordingly?

The decisions that you contrive and the life you live is all affected by marketing, in its entirety and cannot be escaped, unless you shut yourself off from the world that surrounds you. You are judged based on perception and that perception is regulated by how well your “market” yourself to others or convince them that you “fit the part” or are deserving of their time. The media drives its content and targets it directly at you throughout your life in many different fashions. They utilize media outlets, such as television, magazines, the internet, billboards, subways and promotional material such as coupons, in order to entice your purchasing habits and control your way of life. Some might believe this invades our privacy or feel that is a negative habit that constantly affects our lives. Numerous people think that commercials are a plain waste of time. I will not argue any of these conversations, BUT I do believe we can use marketing in order to promote ourselves and be successful in our own lives.

Think of yourself as a brand and marketing as a tool you can use in order to generate influence and success. If you view yourself as one of these companies that try and convince and entice others to “invest” in them, you will do quite well. Your goal should be to have others “invest” in you, in terms of money, time, and opportunities that may arise.

Picture of Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel

Dan Schawbel is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm. He is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Promote Yourself: The New Rules For Career Success (St. Martin’s Press) and the #1 international bestselling book, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future (Kaplan Publishing), which combined have been translated into 15 languages.

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

Psychology says people who carry physical grace into their 70s aren’t the ones who started the most disciplined routines — they’re often the ones who stayed curious long enough that their body kept following their attention somewhere interesting

Psychology says people who carry physical grace into their 70s aren’t the ones who started the most disciplined routines — they’re often the ones who stayed curious long enough that their body kept following their attention somewhere interesting

The Vessel

People who do their best work in the early morning aren’t more disciplined — for some, it’s simply the one hour before the day has had a chance to talk them out of anything

People who do their best work in the early morning aren’t more disciplined — for some, it’s simply the one hour before the day has had a chance to talk them out of anything

Global English Editing

Studies on helicopter parenting link the behavior to parents’ own fear of danger and discomfort with separation, complicating the popular idea that constant helping is simply an extension of love

Studies on helicopter parenting link the behavior to parents’ own fear of danger and discomfort with separation, complicating the popular idea that constant helping is simply an extension of love

Global English Editing

Washing synthetic clothes releases microplastics into waterways — these laundry filters are designed to stop that from happening

Washing synthetic clothes releases microplastics into waterways — these laundry filters are designed to stop that from happening

The Vessel

A vocabulary that keeps quietly expanding well past someone’s twenties isn’t just a love of words — it’s the one measure of intelligence psychologists have trusted for a century because it tracks so closely with how a person actually thinks

A vocabulary that keeps quietly expanding well past someone’s twenties isn’t just a love of words — it’s the one measure of intelligence psychologists have trusted for a century because it tracks so closely with how a person actually thinks

Global English Editing

An Adobe survey found 69% of workers say emoji use makes a coworker seem more likable — and the reason has more to do with replacing missing body language than making a message friendlier

An Adobe survey found 69% of workers say emoji use makes a coworker seem more likable — and the reason has more to do with replacing missing body language than making a message friendlier

Global English Editing