Graduation!

It seems like graduation is being marketed to students who have reached enough credits to be given a degree in something. I can't even tell you the number of emails and signs I have read around campus that are targeted at graduating seniors. Most of the ads are reminders to get you cap and gown, make sure you are signed up to walk, all the programs to go to for seniors, and a lot of surveys about the experience you had at MSU.

As the door are closing on my experience at MSU, I can say that I have enjoyed my last 4 years. I have meet a lot of amazing people and faculty, and it's kind of bitter sweet knowing I will not be returning next year.
I wish all the graduating seniors good luck with there futures and hope that we all never forget what we have been taught at this institution.

Marketing A Difficult Product

I guess it should have not been surprise that when my group and I picked Plan B to be the product that we would market, it was going to be a challenge. (It even said so in the assignment details page) When we first began brainstorming on how we were going to go about the assignment, we kept hitting barriers. There was so much controversy surrounding the product, that we had to be carful on the way we were going to do it. Its not a product like Pepsi where your goal is to get everyone to use it. It's more of a product you don't really want people to use, unless it's absolutely necessary.

I came up with the Ask The Clouds interactive website one night while driving home from a long day on campus. (I really get my best thinking done while driving) Plan B was more then just a pill that is taken to prevent pregnancy, but how were we going to convey this in a way that really hit the problem. As we pulled the layers back on the problem, we started to see that it all needed to start by educating the youth. This is where my group and I started by researching the problem from the bottom up.

After a lot of had work I can say that we are all proud of how the project and presentation turn out in the end. I hope the class enjoyed our idea and I can say it was an amazing project to be apart of. I learned a lot from it and was a great ending project for my last semester at MSU.

Making A Website!

So a lot of people have come up to me after my presentation in my marketing capstone class and asked how I created my Website. I have created a few websites now both for school projects and for businesses.

For all of those wondering how, i'm going to tell you a few was to do it. Now I don't know how to code, so I have primarily use two diffrent ways of creating a webpage.

The first is www.wix.com. This is a free tool to be able to create a website and its very simple to do. This is my go-to website builder for school projects because it free to use. You don't have to pay anything until want to publish the site.

The second way is to use WordPress, which to use you have to purchase a domain name. This is the tool I have used to create my personal site, Magic Diesel Dust Marketing. It's not as simple as Wix and to be honest its quite confusing. This website builder takes a lot of just siting down and playing around with the diffrent tools. The reason I like WordPress is because a lot of business use it. If you have experience with WordPress, it will set you apart from the competition when looking for a job.

The last tool I have used to create a website is actually having a website building company do all the coding on the backend. Then the site is set up using an admin sign in, so I can edit and change content and layout of the pages.

I hope this help everyone that it wondering and I encourage everyone to make a site of their own!

Job applicants for World's Toughest Job

I am currently in the market for a job, so it was ironic to ran across this video on a FOX News website.

2.7 million people saw this fake job posting by a Boston agency for a 'director of operations' position, only 24 applied. This was probably due to the burial job requirements, and all for a job that would pay nothing.

Check it out for some real entertainment!!
Job applicants for World's Toughest Job get a big shock

Guerrilla Marketing

Guerrilla Marketing is a fun, creative and an interactive way to tell people about you company.

Key Components that make-up a good                                                                                          Guerrilla Marketing action 

What is considered Guerrilla Marketing? If I had to explain it, I would consider it anything untraditional, creative and really thinking out side of the box. A great example I saw a few years ago right here on MSU's campus was from Red Bull. They put stickers of wings on a lot on the cross walk signs and then fixed a full can to the sign as well. I believe they also stuck cans to the bottom of chairs in some of the big lecture halls. How Genius! It's definitely something that sticks out in my mind today and says something about the company. They took the time and effort to be diffrent, and I think that is another part of a good Guerrilla Marketing Campaign.

This type of marketing is especially useful for start-ups. Its a way for them to market themselves without having that huge marketing budget to back it. With the use of the internet it is even easier for start-ups to use websites, blogs and social media to get buzz going about the company.  

Here are some other awesome example of good Guerrilla Marketing, some are simple and other took a lot of time and energy to complete.

The Power Of An Interview

As it gets closer to graduation, the pressure is on to get that "big girl job". Really I'm just thinking I need a good paying job to pay back those ridicules student loans that have built up over the past few year! As it gets closer to graduation, I have applied to a few places but haven't had that job offering that jumps out at me and says "this is the job for you!" I want to work in marketing, not sales. A lot of jobs that are listed in the area under marketing are really just a sales job under a fancy title. Sales is just not for me! I currently work for my boyfriend Kenny's company where I am kinda the jack of all trades. I love working for him, but its time for me to spread my wings and do something diffrent.

As I prep for graduation, I have been helping him kinda restructure the way he runs things. (I'm a business major, so I should be of sum assistance…) We are hiring for a service writer that will kinda take over what I do and be more involved in each vehicles work progress as well as hiring another mechanic.

I set up some ads on craigslist and have gotten quite a few applicants. Now I find myself on the other end of the job search spectrum. I am now on the hiring side of things instead of the one trying to land the job. As I look over cover letters and resume, I find myself being kinda harsh on what people are sending me. I believe I have learned a lot here at MSU on how to write a good resume, cover letter and how to be prepared to go into an interview.

I'm kinda excited to be on the other side of the table and start this interview process. You can bet that when the interview is almost over and I ask "Do you have any questions for me?" and the replay I get is "No". That application will be going to the bottom of the stack!

My Print Ad Future

Todays class on Advertising Analysis was Awesome!

I kinda joke with my engineer, pre-vet and science major friends about how I'm in marketing because I like colors! In a lot of ways, this is true, I love being creative, using colors and designing things.

When we discussed what makes a good print ad work, it really made me think about why I got into marketing in the first place and what I want to do with it in the future.

I would definitely like to work for a company where I can be creative and maybe even create print ads!

I currently create all the Ads for the advertising of small business here is bozeman. The print Ad template about the gaze pattern, the path and the focal point is something I will use when creating my next Ad. I also saw that in the ads that i created I was concentrated on having them be more about getting the logo big and noticeable. I should be making it with a problem solving headline, then the call to action and ending with how to fulfill the call to action.

Amazing class discussion and can't what to put this new knowledge to use!

Blogging, As a Marketing Tool?

So… I have a hard time, finding time to blog.

I was doing some reading for my digital marketing class, and the subject of blogs came up. The reading I was indulging in was about websites, and how to utilize them to their full extent for the business. It was also saying how adding a blog to a website its a great idea and helps visitors stay informed, up to date and helps boost interaction on the site.

I currently run a website for the business I work for. We don't sell anything on the site, but I do try to give it a makeover every 6 months or so. I also try and keep photos and information as current as possible. With us using this website as more of an information tool for prospective customers, its hard to remember we even have one sometimes. It just kinda gets poked at even few months.

As I was reading in Digital Marketing class, It stressed that every good website has a blog….. Well, why doesn't my site have a blog!

I think its partly due to the fact that I've never looked at blogging as "fun". Ive always been required to blog, but have never done it for fun or about a subject I'm passionate about (diesel trucks).

I'm glad I've had the experience in school to practice writing a blog, what their all about, and how to set one up. Now I'm super excited to take that experience and apply it to the "real world", and will be adding a blog to my companies website!

Blog On Fellow Bloggers!

Taking the Joy of Flying to the Next Level!

Most people don't enjoy flying, but it sure beats driving in most cases. After the long conversation about commerical airline companies the other day, it got me thinking about all the reasons I hate flying commercial. But is there a better solution? 

I have a long history of working in the aviation industry, from working for an aviation fuel company, fueling commercial jet and my favorite, working in the private aviation industry. Most think that private aviation is for the very rich and famous, and it is. The cost for a large private plane such as a Challenger or Gulfstream to opperate is around $7,000.00 or more an hour. That sure would add up quickly! I have been lucky enough to fly on private jets a few time due to woking in the industry, and it is an amazing experience. Just like most people though, I can't afford my own private jet, so I fly commercial on all my personal flights. 

Challenger 

But just like SouthWest and Ryan Air have changed the commercial aviation industry, there is a new company in the private aviation industry that is doing the same. The name of this company is Jetsuite, which fly only two times of planes. The first is a Citation CJ3 and the other is an Embreare Phenom 100. What makes these planes so unique is there small but spacious size with amazing fuel economy. The Phenom can fly higher than commercial planes at 47,000 feet and 480 miles per hour making a more smother and faster flight for the customer. The other advantage this company has with only operating these two times of planes is the lowered cost associated with maintenance and pilots. Pilots hired with the company are certified on both aircraft as well as the maintenance crews that work on them. 

Jetsuite is making it possible to fly private at the at the price of commercial. You can book flights to most any destination with just a simple phone call. If you are a spontaneous person this company also offer what they call the "Suite Deals" that offer one-way flight on a private jet on selected empty leg trips. These deals can run from $500-$1075 depending on the length of the trip. 

So next time you plan a trip and dread the headache of the commercial airport, all the hidden fees and the forever changing rules and regulation. Maybe check out what Jetsuite has to offer, and enjoy a relaxing, care-fee trip to your destination! 

The Power of Perfection

Well after just spending a few days out of the cold and down in the sun of mexico, it's back to reality. I must say that I was super impressed with the resort we stayed at. From a marketing perspective this company did not miss a beat. Every thing was done to perfection right down to the last detail. Im not sure what company owns the resort but the resort name and/or logo was on everything, right down to all the glass doors. (Secrets of Maroma, and there logo is this cute little sea shell)

I have worked before in the guest ranch industry, so I do have a bit of insight in the time and effort it takes to make a place like this run smoothly. This resort made you fell that you were the only ones there, everything was so personable, everyone was so helpful and always happy.

When I look at there Marketing side, and kind of how they run as a business, you can tell they strive for perfecton in every little detail and want to give their customers the experience of a life time. Some examples would be the way the clean your room twice a day, even if you haven't been in the room all day. They made sure that at night the room was ready and during the day they did the same. I was most impressed with the cheek in and out experience. They was no front counter like a regular hotel, they had 6 desks set up, 3 on each side of the grand entrance. They had two chairs at each, like you were at a personal meeting and it was only you that matter and was going to be taken care of.

This resort knew who there target audience was, and had an amazing solution to giving them a vacation that I know I will never forget.