Originally posted on AMA Baltimore‘s blog, Checked In Lately? Learn a Lil’ More About Geo-Location Based Platforms

How many of you remember Carmen Sandiego? If not, I’m sure the classic theme song will help refresh your memory. Currently, with today’s geo-location based platforms, there’s a different theme song playing, for you and your friends. Where in the world is ________?

The digital space is changing for businesses, as it’s necessary to be up to date with the latest/greatest marketing trends to attract new customers and maintain existing relationships. We now have to be search engine optimized, social media optimized, and now with the growing trend of geo-location marketing, geographically optimized.

As technology continues to evolve, our lives tend to speed up. We’re always on the go, keeping busy and moving from activity to activity during our rat-race life. With the increasing use of mobile devices, specifically smartphones, individuals are spending more time commenting, sharing reviews, uploading photos, and posting statuses to social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

It’s likely that you’ve heard a friend or co-worker recently mention that they checked in. Did this confuse you? And are you wondering what all the hype is about foursquare, Facebook Places, and Gowalla as well as the terms mayorship, badges, and pins?

Let’s learn a little more about geo-location based platforms. Location-based (or geolocation) social media is a way for posting recommendations, discovering what friends are doing, sharing photos, as well as receiving special treatment from favorite venues. Geosocial networking utilizes GPS coordinates to associate a user’s position with their activities. Users are able to connect their location (and/or events), which match their interests to enrich their social networking experience.

Foursquare and Gowalla, well known geo-location based platforms, were both founded in the United States within the last five years. Users can check in at venues through a mobile website, sending a text message, or using a device-specific application by selecting venues. By checking in users will be awarded points, badges or pins, depending on the platform. Foursquare is a popular geo-location based platform and maintains a large following with over 15 million users, rapidly growing since their launch in March 2009. This past December, Facebook purchased Gowalla, absorbing the management team behind the social guide to the world’s places and cities. The plans are for the service to be incorporated into Facebook’s recent release of their new Timeline, but Facebook is not acquiring the users’ data as this will be available for download prior to the Gowalla service winding down, as noted on Gowalla’s blog.

Why in the heck would you want a badge? Checking in and earning badges, provides that individual with a digital stamp that they’ve “unlocked” something special at that location and can now tout within their own circles. Think of it like bragging rights (since we’re all competitive to an extent), except with a digital trace back to that activity.

In April 2010, a new social campaign and partnership between VaynerMedia, led by Gary Vaynerchuk and the New Jersey Nets accomplished their market place objectives while delivering unexpected results. The campaign was early proof that geo-location marketing will succeed. VaynerMedia’s campaign included the three following tactical and strategic objectives:

1. Proving what geo-location platforms can deliver in the event marketing space; demonstrating that with the right brand and incentive, proven results will be displayed.
2. Confirming that geo-location is a viable marketing program option for the Nets’ rapid strategic marketing commitment to the utilization of social media platforms. And, as a result this would make the Nets the first sports team to embrace geo location within their marketing initiatives.
3. Introduction of a new consumer target demographic to Nets basketball, while providing a superb experience for Gowalla users; using these two brands (the Nets and Gowalla) to partner and improve brand loyalty and brand equity at a low cost.

Find out more about the campaign, by reading the initial news article released by the Nets or by viewing the slide presentation posted by VaynerMedia.

What are your thoughts on geo-location based platforms, both from the user and business perspectives? Do you see them playing an integral role in your business? As a consumer, do you see yourself checking in and posting recommendations, discovering what your friends are up to, sharing photos, as well as receiving special treatment from your favorite venues?

Originally posted on AMA Baltimore‘s blog, The Big Three: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter – Are These for My Company?

If you haven’t dipped your toes into the social media waters, it can be overwhelming at first. Confusing or frightening, to say the least. You shouldn’t create a Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter presence just because “everyone else is doing it.” That’s not going to cut it nor is it going to be of value.

Before you dive into the deep end and worry about drowning in social media, do yourself a favor (yes, you can thank me later) and answer the following questions:

1. What are we trying to achieve through our social media activity?
2. How do we measure our goals?
3. Who is our audience?
4. Have we started listening yet?

If you can’t answer these questions, that’s fine but don’t start devoting a great deal of your time to social media activities until you can clearly articulate a response to these four questions. Between Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, there are hundreds of millions of users that spend time each day on these social networks. Therefore you may think this is the best way to reach your audience. But, do you really understand who your audience is? It’s going to take more than just an afternoon to research who your customers are yet it will be well worth your time.

Have you clearly thought through your social media strategy? R2integrated, a local digital marketing and technology firm showcases “how not to social network” in a cartoon video that they created. With social media, it’s important to take a step back before you can move forward. You still need to apply basic marketing principles when participating in social media. It’s not just about a shotgun approach – well, I need to have lots of followers and people should download my app to buy my products. That’s not the way it works.

Each platform has their benefits and serves a purpose but most importantly, do those align with your company values? Facebook has the largest customer base and is ideal for interaction and sharing media. But, are your customer’s spending time on Facebook? If not, then you’re not using an appropriate vehicle to reach your audience. Twitter is great for sharing updates and links but does your audience know what a hashtag is? And, LinkedIn enables professionals all across the world to connect with one another but are your customers 12-15 year old teenage girls? Your messaging can be dead on but your target will never hear it if you’re not playing in the right arena.

You might think I’m beating a dead horse but it’s so important to consider these ideas before delving into social media. Once you figure out whether or not social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (or the hundreds of other social media sites that exist) are appropriate for your purpose, make sure you approach social media like you would a cocktail party. For more insights, read Tracy Gold‘s post, 10 Steps to Pick-Up a Social Media Audience where she outlines similarities to picking up your social media audience and interacting at the bar. Secondly, remember that you need to be yourself and show a genuine interest in the folks who you’re talking to. If you don’t believe me, check out Dan Zarella‘s blog post, 5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Get More Followers.

If you walk away from this article, at the bare minimum make sure you don’t forget the following point. Have a purpose. Would you go to the grocery store just for the sake of going? Chances are you’d probably be shopping for tomorrow’s big dinner, Uncle Tommy’s birthday celebration, or food for your cat, Spots. The same applies to the world of social media. There has to be a purpose.

With today’s new media tools don’t get too wrapped up in your number of followers. It’s far more important to have 250 genuine followers, who are actual customers than 2,500 non-genuine followers. Be patient and realize that building relationships take time, as noted in YFS Magazine‘s post about Fake Followers.

Last but not least, don’t make these 4.5 social media mistakes highlighted by 3SixtyInteractive.

Hope this post made you think a little bit more about the reasons specific to YOU for participating in social media – cheers to being genuine and providing value to your audience!

Originally posted on AMA Baltimore‘s blog, Forming and Maintaing Connections – Success Lies Ahead (Relationship Building Tips)

To be completely honest, the key to successful relationships is at your fingertips. Literally. Take a moment and think about the three following actions:

1. Shaking hands with an acquaintance
2. Sending a followup email days after you recently connected with someone
3. Dialing a phone number and calling a person who you haven’t spoken with in a while

While these three actions seem extremely basic, they’re often the hardest steps in building a successful relationship. I get it, we’re all busy. But it’s necessary to follow these three actions similar to those that we perform on a daily basis (I hope!). I’m referring to the directions on the back of a shampoo bottle: rinse, lather, and repeat. We can all agree that those are relatively simple directions, correct? And we all follow them, right?

Well, particular to the Baltimore Chapter of the American Marketing Association, it’s critical to shake hands with fellow acquaintances, send followup emails, and call those who you haven’t spoken to in a while. Attend some of our upcoming events and make sure that you implement these three actions in your daily routine. Believe me, you’ll be happy you did.

According to Merriam-Webster, networking is defined as:

“The exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.”

How many people do you regularly interact on a daily basis and exchange information with?

• Cashier at the grocery store
• Server at the local restaurant
• Teller at the bank
• Bartender at the bar
• Attendant at the gas station
• Barista at the coffee shop
• Stylist at the salon

These are all examples of individuals that you’re constantly interacting and sharing information with. As time passes, you become closer with these acquaintances and soon they become your friends. You share your personal experiences – a recent promotion at your job, family news, upcoming vacations, etc.

With advances to today’s technology, it’s that much simpler to stay in touch with our connections and build meaningful relationships.

As the title of this post suggests, Success Lies Ahead (Relationship Building Tips). So, are you going to carve time out of your day and exchange stories with your friends, family, and colleagues? If so, congrats! You’ve achieved part of the success. But, are you willing to drive down the two-way street? Are you going to reciprocate and listen to the stories which your friends, family, and colleagues have to share? Pat yourself on the back, you’re getting closer to achieving a greater success. Now it’s time to throw in the kicker. Be genuine. Take a vested interest in others. Believe it or not, the Bronx actress, Jennifer Lopez, sheds light on this matter:

“You get what you give. What you put into things is what you get out of them.”

This is the epitome of relationship building.

Are you interested in building meaningful relationships with local marketers as well as learning about the latest and greatest trends in marketing? Go ahead, contact me:

• Email,
• LinkedIn,
• Twitter,
• Facebook,
• Or any other medium you can come up with

I’d love to hear more about your relationship building success stories and get to know you on a personal level. And when we do connect, I’ll expand on how fortunate I’ve been with landing my current job, expanding my network, and the educational experiences over the last few years – many which can be attributed to AMA Baltimore.

Happy marketing and enjoy the rest of your week!

Originally posted on AMA Baltimore‘s blog, Is Social (Media) For Me? Guidelines and Tips to Follow

In the last seven years, one of the hottest topics in marketing has been social media. With individuals and companies hosting conferences, presentations, and webinars, in addition to providing white papers there certainly has been plenty of buzz created on this topic. Within the social media arena, thought leaders have evolved such as Gary Vaynerchuk, founder of Winelibrary.com and author of The Thank You Economy as well as Crush It! Another thought leader who is well known is Pete Cashmore, the founder and CEO of Mashable, one of the most sought out social media, digital, and technology news sites on the web.

Facebook, which was launched by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, currently has over 600 million users and is one of the most commonly used social media platforms out there with anyone from companies representing their brands to your grandmother having a profile page so she can view pictures of her grandkids and stay in touch with friends that she may have lost touch with over the years (yes, it is a bit weird to think that grandma may be checking out your profile page, isn’t it?). Users are able to create and update a profile, exchange messages, join interest groups, organize events, among many other features on this highly visited social media platform.

Twitter, which was founded and launched in 2006 by Jack Dorsey is a social networking and microblogging service with currently over 200 million users. This is a great way for individuals, young or old, to search queries, share information, and promote events in the fast-paced lifestyle which we currently live in.

LinkedIn, which was officially launched in 2003 is mainly used for professional networking and is known as a business-related social networking site with over 100 million users. LinkedIn enables users to connect with current and former co-workers, power your career by discovering connections, as well as a platform to share and answer questions with others within your network. This past May, after filing an initial public offering in January 2011, the IPO occurred. On the first day of trading, shares rose over 170% making this one of the largest first gainers since the dot-com bubble. Similarly to Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is rapidly growing at a constant rate.

Now, back to the topic of this post, Is Social (Media) For Me? Last week, a college friend of mine called me up to discuss marketing strategies for a few of his peers who have recently ventured off with their own start-up companies. Of course, the topic of social media came up in our discussion. They’re interested in spreading the word about their companies and brands, but prior to having a conversation about this I referenced a few points from Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Win Friends & Influence People. Since I read this book a couple of years ago, a handful of Carnegie’s insights steered me down a more successful path in my life. In part one of this book, Carnegie outlines secrets of success, Fundamental Techniques in Handling People. The three primary points which he describes in greater detail are:

1. Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
3. Acquire in the other person an eager want.

All three of these are similar tips that you should follow in your everyday life when interacting with family, friends, and colleagues. These are all components which are extremely critical when diving into social media. By following these guidelines, in my honest opinion, you’ll become likeable and trustworthy both online and offline. My friend found this advice helpful, which he passed along to his peers. Isn’t it ironic how by lending my advice, I was able to effectively follow all three of Carnegie’s points?

Now, my question to you, Is Social (Media) For YOU? Ask yourself what your purpose is when engaging in social media? Are you looking to show appreciation, share events and news, acquire in others’ interests all while following Carnegie’s first point of not criticizing, condemning, or complaining? If you can’t answer these questions, social (media) may not be right for you at this time.

With any application in life, think about the benefits that you’ll gain from these experiences? Will social media enhance and provide you with a richer life? Are you comfortable with expressing gratitude for your family members on their birthday? Will viewing pictures of your grandkids make for a better day? Does promoting the latest product resonate with your customers?

These are all questions to consider – hopefully this post helped provide some answers to the initial question, Is Social (Media) For Me? Do you act the same way in your social settings as you do online? These platforms allow for transparency and once you post something online, chances are others will view it almost instantaneously. Are you at ease with this? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions on this matter as well.

Originally posted on AMA Baltimore‘s blog, Graduation Is Approaching – Tips to Land a Job

Within the next few weeks, many college students who have spent the last four years (or in some cases, there are those who completed an “extra lap” or two) will enter the job market. During this time, the majority of these bright individuals will be gearing up to enter the workforce.

However, there are plenty of other job seekers out there looking for employment in addition to the graduating class of 2011. A year ago, I faced a similar challenge: how to overcome the increasing unemployment rate and add myself as an employed professional. Throughout the last few years, I’ve come up with a number of tips and tricks that I have used for every company that I’ve interviewed with to date.  Below, I’ve outlined these with some notes next to each one.

As a starting point, prior to interviewing make sure you that you set the right tone for yourself. Research the company, act confident, and have the mindset that you will begin working for that company the very next morning. There’s a fine line between being cocky and confident, but if you yourself don’t think that you should be working for that company, then why on earth should they hire you? Be outgoing, personable, and make sure to communicate how YOU will be an asset to the company differentiating yourself from competition.

Here are some of the tips that I’ve used which you may find helpful:

Last week, on Thursday, February 10th, I was fortunate enough to attend Hubspot‘s the Science of Email Marketing Webinar hosted by Social Media Scientist, Dan Zarrella. I have come to the conclusion, that as a marketer, it is necessary to educate oneself on the latest marketing trends. As someone who incorporates email marketing into my company’s marketing efforts while seeking continuous improvement, attendance for this webinar was a must. Other marketers felt the same way as indicated by the attendance of over 20,000 registrants for this webinar. Through engagement during the presentation, this became a trending topic on Twitter.

There were some very interesting discoveries from this presentation, which I would have initially thought the opposite of. One of the first points which Dan made, was that from a survey which HubSpot conducted, 88% of the respondents stated that they do not use a separate work and personal email inbox. This alone is a sign that our business and personal lives are becoming intertwined with one another. This proves that businesses are consumers. The entire presentation was filled with key takeaways, which I am about to outline within this post.

Some of the supporting data from Dan’s presentation was from MailChimp, an email service provider based on 9,536,510,424 email sends. In addition, HubSpot conducted a number of focus groups to use qualitative data based on of the quantitative data. Lastly, HubSpot used a survey to round out the quantitative and qualitative data for this presentation.

Dan touched on timing, content, sending, multiple inboxes, and metrics related to email marketing throughout his presentation. I’ve listed his 12 key takeaways below and in italics next to the takeaways, I’ve provided additional thoughts and comments on these points.

1. Try sending email on the weekends. Click through rates are higher on Saturdays and Sundays, so try experimenting and send emails on the weekends. Since business and personal inboxes are becoming one in the same, we may be more likely to read emails on the weekend when our lives are less hectic. While Thursday has the lowest unsubscribe rate, Friday and Saturday are the next lowest unsubscribe rate days.
2. Send very early in the morning. Between 6:00 and 7:00 AM, the click through rates are the highest, at approximately 10.5%. The lowest click through rates are at 4:00 PM, with just under 4%. The earlier you send your email, the more of a chance there is that your readers will read it as it will be there waiting for them when they check their email each day.
3. Optimize your emails for mobile. 80.8% of individuals surveyed stated that they read emails on their mobile devices. Smart phones are becoming more popular and will eventually outsell featured phones. Therefore, most users have changed the way that they communicate as they are constantly connected to their email all day long.
4. Use lots of links in your emails. The higher the number of links that are included in an email attribute to a higher click through rate, as you have more chances to persuade your reader that you’re providing them with more valuable content. Subsequently, the more links that are included within an email attribute to a lower unsubscribe rate.
5. Include reference information in your emails. You need to ask yourself how to make your email archive worthy. The more referential information which you include, such as data, charts, and numbers, the more valuable your readers will consider your email.
6. Serialize and label your emails. In this day and age, we’re all inundated with emails. The better job you do at labeling your subject lines, your reader will be able to better identify what your email is about. For example, if you include the words weekly, digest, or updates, they’ll become aware of the frequency of your emails.
7. Give your subscribers special access. Reminding your subscribers that there’s a sense of exclusivity will make them feel special. Make sure to explain to them what they’re receiving and inform them of why it’s valuable. Hopefully they subscribe and will remain a reader.
8. Send emails from someone they’ve heard of. The sender name is very important and if the recipient identifies who this is, they’ll probably open it. Make sure you use a sender name that they’ll recognize. This may be the company name, a key staff member in your company, or a celebrity sender.
9. Don’t be afraid to send too much email. Sending 3, 4, or 5 emails a month has roughly the same unsubscribe rate as 30. Being that they’ve subscribed to your emails, assuming you send out on a weekly basis or more, chances are that they’ll want to receive this. Unsubscribe rates are the highest when you only send once or twice a month. The more you send, as long as it’s good email you’ll probably get more clicks and activity.
10. Your newest subscribers are your best. The effect of recency on unsubscribe rate shows that the older your subscribers become the lower the click through rates will be. The best performing clickers are the newest subscribers.
11. Make them want to get your emails. 58% of those surveyed have another junk email inbox, but this isn’t a separate work or personal inbox. They’ll use a separate junk email inbox, so you need to make sure that your email is making it to their real email inbox.
12. Ask people to follow you, not share your emails. There is a very low number of individuals who are forwarding emails, so it’s better to have “following” links rather than sharing links.

As his closing point, Dan stated that you need to make sure that you’re measuring dollars based off of email marketing campaigns. Email marketing can be extremely effective, but you need to measure your results to determine which campaigns are more effective and to make continuous improvements. You can track and see where your customers are coming from and how you’re generating leads by linking to landing pages; as a result, you’ll be able to increase and grow your business.

Were you able to attend Dan’s presentation? If not, go ahead and follow this link to view a live recording and the slides for the Science of Email Marketing Webinar. Thanks and happy email marketing!

Over the past couple of years, I have formed a pretty strong opinion about the importance of student organizations. As a recent graduate from the College of Business and Economics at Towson University, my participation in various student organizations helped pave my current career path. Quite frankly, I never would have thought that I would have ended my college career the way I did. By the time I graduated, I was a recipient of five scholarships, had completed four internships, was named to the dean’s list three times, honored for a Vice President of Student Affairs Award and College of Business and Economics Outstanding Graduate. In addition, I placed as a finalist in the College of Business and Economics‘ The Associate competition.

I still recall the day when I toured Stephens Hall (the business school at Towson University). The Director of Student Academic Services mentioned that she thought I would become involved in student organizations and make a name for myself by the time I graduated. I did not think this would be the case. However, all of this changed halfway through my college career. As I was entering the spring semester in my sophomore year, I met with the Director of Professional Experience within the College of Business and Economics. She suggested I start participating in student organizations within my concentration. At the time, I was planning on pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a major in Marketing. I joined the American Marketing Association and the e-Business Association and eventually declared a combined major with e-Business.

This same semester, as I was a member of both the American Marketing Association and the e-Business Association, I also assumed the role of Treasurer for the Towson University Tree Club. Over the next few semesters, I became actively involved in the student organizations within the College of Business and Economics. By the time I graduated had served as President, Web Master, Treasurer, VP of Membership, VP of Programs, VP of Finance, and Student Liaison for a total of five different organizations. The participation in these organizations helped prepare me for the business environment that I currently work in and taught me how to improve my time management skills.

Towson University, the largest comprehensive university in the Baltimore area, with a total enrollment of 21,840 as of Fall 2010, has 237 different student organizations to become involved in. If you do the math, that means that there’s a 92:1 ratio of students to student organizations. I don’t think that all of these students are participating in these clubs, but my question is why not?

Having a leadership role in these organizations allowed me to interact with the student body, tour local companies, develop new skill sets, and graduate having made a name for myself within the university. If I had to retrace my steps, I certainly would have been just as involved, if not more. When interviewing for internships and full time positions, I was able to explain how my experiences formed transferable skills which I would be able to use for the jobs I was applying for.

From speaking with current employers, faculty members, and alumni one characteristic that we all look for in new hires is experience outside the classroom. There are definitely enough student organizations to participate in, so why would a student not become involved?

It boggles my mind because the experience from these five different organizations introduced me to dozens of local business professionals and expanded my network. I’ve formed valuable relationships which I still have to this day. I’ve learned far more from these interactions than I could have by just reading a textbook. How has your experience been with student organizations and do you agree with me? If not, please explain to me how active participation in student organizations is not beneficial, because I’m willing to take a stand for my case.

WOW! We’re approaching 2011 and as marketers it’s that time of the year to look into our crystal ball and predict trends for the future. Throughout the course of 2010 I have attended many networking events and presentations to help with my predictions for the upcoming year.

There are certainly going to be doubters who think these have been revealed already in 2010 or even past years, but I personally think there is a lot of potential within the trends listed below. If you follow these, surprisingly they will drive your business, brand, and the interaction your company has with clients (existing, new, and potential).

• Content Is King. You probably have heard this phrase before, but nowadays it really is true. As we come towards the new year, companies need to start acting as a publishers in a more aggressive manner if they haven’t already. It is important to make sure that exceptional content is delivered to your target audience in a timely fashion. But, you may ask yourself, what does my consumer perceive of value? While this changes for each individual, providing consistent, relevant, non-salesy content is what they are looking for. Consider your consumer and think about what they are seeking from you (it’s not always about the sale, rather about the long-term relationship). Placing yourself in their shoes will allow you to develop content which can be repurposed through some of the different channels listed below:
  • Whitepapers
  • Email marketing newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • Presentations
  • Applications
  • Videos

Determine who your target audience is and which mediums work for their needs. Create a content strategy and make sure you adhere to it. Knowing that I’m going to receive an informative monthly newsletter the first week of each month is nice assuming it’s not filled with junk. Get the point? Stick with it.

• Engage Like You’re About To Get Married. Marriage is a turning point in one’s life, as they move on to the next stage with that special someone. Consumers are changing the way brands engage and are driving the dialogue. Companies need to think alike and consider each consumer as their “special someone.” Whatever channel is most appropriate, companies must take time and LISTEN to their consumers. Mashable recently listed the five most engaged brands in social media as Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Oreo, Skittles, and Red Bull. Social media is ideal for companies that participate in the B2C markets as almost everyone is on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn these days. Platforms are constantly changing with more features enabling consumers to engage with their favorite (or less favorite) brands. Consumers can express how they feel about certain products and services through online methods including company pages, product reviews, and share with your network features. As stated by Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics, “social companies in social media act more like Dale Carnegie and less like [advertising guru] David Ogilvy.” This is true, companies need to review Carnegie’s core principles and implement these into their routine activities. Although his book was originally published in 1936, the rules of the game haven’t changed.
• Be An Expert. There is a reason you are involved in your line of business. Do your customers rave about your services and feel that you are an expert? Well, they should. You need to have confidence that you’re the ‘go-to person’ within your specific field. Remember to not inject sales and marketing aspects into all of your communications. Use your experience and knowledge to share industry insights with consumers. Position yourself as an expert and thought leader as you’ve learned important trends from your customer data. You know how your products and services can be applied. Share these new uses, best practices, and other key insights which have been discovered during the customer lifecycle stages. We used to hold back on sharing information, but times are changing. We can’t wait for the customers to arrive at our doorstep anymore. Relating back to the content is king reference, make sure you are producing relevant information which they would like to hear.
• Mobile Marketing Is On The Rise. In December 1992, with the first text message of “Merry Christmas,” we were able to instantly communicate with one another via a handheld device. Mediums have changed dramatically over the last few decades to include walkie talkies, fax machines, and beepers. Today, the number of individuals with cell phones is growing at an exponential rate. The International Telecommunication Union estimates that by the end of 2010, there will be over 5.3 billion mobile subscribers. The number of mobile applications is increasing in the hundreds of millions by the day and developers are constantly releasing new features. For example, while watching the most recent Ravens – Steelers game, I checked a play using the ESPN SportsCenter application on my iPhone. Not only was I able to view the current score and specific details, but I could view information on ticket pricing and availability for their upcoming games. This app is just one example of how mobile marketing is interwoven into our everyday activities. In the past we would go down to the box office to purchase tickets for an upcoming game. Now, with a couple of thumb movements we can select our seats in between downs. Pretty sweet, no? Text message alerts, geolocation applications, and mobile sites are making purchasing decisions easier for the consumer and more information is at our fingertips.

Do you agree or disagree with my 2011 predications? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. As we approach December 2011 contact me to see if I was on target. To be honest, I think these trends have some overlap. Whether it is creating valuable content, engaging with customers, serving as a thought leader, or by implementing mobile marketing efforts for the same company, you must think about how your company is unique within the marketplace. Decide what your differentiator is and see how these predications can help you win friends and influence people.

After speaking with fellow graduates and business professionals, I realized that we share some common thoughts about today’s college students entering the workforce. With the unemployment rate reaching a high point of 10.1% in October 2009 during the recession, it is surprising that more students are not taking advantage of the opportunities in front of them to improve their chances of landing a job. Thus, they could build a foundation for their network. Recently, the unemployment rate was 9.6% in September 2010 on a national level. This number increased at an even higher 14.8% for for the population aged between 20 – 24. It would seem that with fewer jobs available and hiring freezes taking place students would make more of an effort to set themselves apart in this competitive job market. Could it be that they are unaware of success tips?

To begin with, I believe all students need to spend some time getting to know themselves, attending networking events, and following up with the folks they meet at such events. Additional information on these three areas are listed below:

• Know yourself. Before you can attend a networking event or start marketing yourself as the next best candidate to a potential employer you must identify who you are as an individual. What motivates you? What are you passionate about? By outlining some of your goals you will be able to hold a conversation with others informing them about your qualities that you possess.
• Get yourself to an event. If you are not currently associated with student or professional organizations, seek ones that are closely related to your major. For example, if you are pursuing a concentration in Marketing, you could look into the American Marketing Association. If you are studying Human Resources, the Society for Human Resource Management may pique your interest. While there are many national organizations, local chapters as well as student chapters exist. Check out their events and become involved by attending an upcoming one.
• Follow up. When you come to an event make sure that you introduce yourself to others. The people in attendance have similar interests within your concentration. These are industry professionals who have established themselves while becoming experienced within this specific field. Take the time to send an email or follow up with a phone call to inform them that you enjoyed meeting them at this event.

You might question whether or not attending events will pay off dividends, but for a real life example, please read my post “The Power of Networking”. I explain how my involvements allowed me to land my job out of college.

Some other success tips for today’s college students in the competitive job environment are listed below:

• College Career Centers. Most college campuses have career centers. With certified career counselors and a staff of professionals available to answer questions pertaining to careers, interviews, and resumes there’s no reason why students should think twice about taking advantage of these resources.
• Student and Professional Organizations. As previously mentioned student and professional organizations are a great way to find out about local events related to a specific topic of interest. Becoming actively involved allows individuals to join a team and develop leadership skills which can be helpful during one’s career.
• Internship. Try to intern early on in your collegiate career. Don’t wait until it’s too late as internships present the opportunity to test drive different fields and work within various industries. Working at a number of internships will expand your personal network and create contacts who can endorse you for future employment opportunities.
• Professors. From my experiences, almost all of my professors worked in their related field prior to starting their career as a teacher. Make sure to develop a relationship with your professors. They have established industry contacts which can be used as a resource for future employment opportunities. Also, your professors can serve as recommendations if you plan on attending graduate school down the road.
• Professionals. Reaching out to professionals and conducting a personal interview is one thing that not many people do not invest the time in. It relives the pressure off of yourself as you are not being questioned about your skill sets, rather you are asking the questions. Discuss with these folks how they got to where they are today as you might want to be like them one day. Understanding how they have paved a successful path will provide information which typically would take years of experience to develop.
• Network, Network, Network. While this is listed last, don’t undermine the power of networking. There’s a reason why it was listed three times. Understand why it was listed last. If there’s only one lesson which you learn from these tips, please do yourself a favor and network. It is invaluable these day and can lay down the foundation at an early age for their network.

Hopefully these tips will provide some guidance for today’s college students and allow them to impress potential employers, local business professionals, and fellow peers. Don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance with answering questions related to the job market or anything else which a soon to be or recent graduate would like an answer to.

After supporting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure cause since 2008, I was able to attend the annual event this past Sunday in Hunt Valley, MD. Experiencing the race was breathtaking. Seeing over 29,000 individuals join together early on a Sunday morning in support of breast cancer awareness was moving. I attended with Towson University’s College of Business and Economics’ Biz Wiz team which had a total of over 40 participants.

I think it is terrific that over the past few years the awareness level of the Race for the Cure has increased tremendously. I credit this to the emergence of technologies and various platforms on the internet. With the click of a button in a couple of minutes, one is able to craft personal messages describing their efforts to reach a personal donation goal and request support from friends, family members, co-workers, and other individuals that they know. Thanks to sharing capabilities which are currently available, one is able to spread the word of their fundraising activities with minimal effort.

While I haven’t directly been affected with breast cancer through immediate family members, I understand the support which these individuals deserve and commend their family, friends, and others for staying strong through these difficult times. The Komen MD vision is quite simple, a world without breast cancer. Their promise is also straightforward, to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and enabling science to find the cures.

The Race for the Cure originally started in 1993 as a 5K in the state of Maryland with 2,200 participants and has developed into the capacity which it is today by over a 1000% growth rate since its inception. Currently, there are over 100 races with over one million participants each year.

I AM THE CURE® is a program which teaches individuals about breast health and demonstrates actionable activities which can be performed in the comfort of one’s home for early detection. At the 2010 Komen MD 5K various chants took place for the I AM THE CURE® campaign. Keychains and other gear were provided to participants to increase the awareness of this effort.

I enjoyed supporting such a meaningful cause with fellow students, faculty, alumni of Towson University’s College of Business and Economics in addition to friends, family, survivors, and other participants also striving for a world without breast cancer.

View photos below of Towson University’s College of Business and Economics’ Biz Wiz team as well as other photos from the main event.

Komen MD Race for the Cure 5K Start Line

Fellow Komen MD Race for the Cure Runners – Baltimore Hons

Towson University’s College of Business and Economics’ Biz Wiz Team

Komen MD Race for the Cure 5K Finish Line