Feel the Steel

Feel the Steel in Chapel Hill:

When Carolina claimed the ACC regular season championship last weekend, with their 81-67 win over Duke, one of the many 'highlights' for UNC fans was the first few minutes of the game. The tradition in Chapel Hill, is the seniors always start on 'Senior Night' and typically play until the first dead ball. In this case, those seniors included several members of the now famous 'Blue Steel'.

"What began as nickname for the six walk-ons in practice has morphed into a cult following, as the players are called Blue Steel by the Smith Center announcer, hear Blue Steel chanted by the student section, have over 4,500 followers on Twitter and are now selling Blue Steel t-shirts for charity." (The Herald Sun)

Check out Blue Steel on Twitter to get the full scoop. A great example of  unintended consequences in marketing and illustrates how strong of a brand that is 'Carolina Basketball' when the end of the bench guys can create an identity that sells t-shirts to help a charity.

They also took it to the Dukies. Final score: Blue Steel 3 - Blue Devils 0! And it could have easily been 7-zip. churnOn Heels!

Look for work, not a job

Inspired by John Fees:

A paradigm shift that works, when looking for work!

That is my friend John Fees, a talented entrepreneur and strategic marketing executive in the fields of affinity, collegiate and partnership marketing. If you have a business in the education market, or any early stage media company, and you need wise council, you should seek out John Fees.

John wrote a blog post a few months ago that stuck with me when I reentered the 'opportunity' market in early January. The title was, Look for Work, Not a Job. In the post John outlines four suggestions  he believes one should consider when entering the job market, especially in this economy. (I refuse to call it the 'job' market, and prefer to say 'opportunity' market.)

1. Name your work, buy a URL and use it for your email. I was surprised at how easy this was to do through GoDaddy.com.
2. Create a website that describes your skills, interests, and ability to contribute to an organization.
3. Order business cards from VistaPrint that will give you an identity when attending meetings or trade shows. John points out that this simple (and free) step may be more valuable than a resume, and I tend to agree.
4. Update your LinkedIn profile and use it actively by joining groups and building your network. I would add the importance of having 10-15 relevant recommendations. I am working towards that goal now.

I took John's advice to heart. In fact, some might say I drank all the Kool-Aid and I mean that in the positive. I have been extremely pleased with the results of this strategy, as my website and blog are helping me open doors throughout the Austin business community and beyond at the highest levels. Additionally, my desire to better understand and utilize social media tools is helping better prepare me for the next phase of my career. Thanks John Fees for the inspiration!

I want to add a couple of additional thoughts to the points that John makes. One, don't wait until you are out of work to begin this process. And two, purchase a book on 'self-branding' and start planning your strategy for both a personal website (where you can 'name' your work) and social media activation. I recommend Katherine Kaputa's book YOU are a Brand! 

Any thoughts from my fellow churners?