Amy Myrda -- Marketing Blog

According to Guerrilla Marketing , start and commit with a plan and a real-life personalized story that is captivating to your customers. This story will lead people to be more invested and intrigued with your company's purpose, mission, and solution to the problem at hand. I recently saw an ad on social media that told a short story about two dads who both encountered the same problem -- they wanted to create a safer bonfire. They worked together to create a new product for a mini, reusable bonfire that has now spread nationally. In their promotional video they explain how the idea came about, how they created it, and why they created their product in a short clip. They tell their story and personalize it in a sense of creating a safer environment while having fun with their children outdoors. This is one of many small business guerrilla marketing strategies involving a story.  The more markets you target, the more profits will be earned. There are four newer markets that have mor...

 When pursuing a dream or goal, be prepared. Be prepared to go alone for part of the journey, while other times have a team or people you can trust, understand the basics, and always have a backup plan. In Ascend Your Start-Up , she climbs the last portion of the mountain by herself and forged ahead to completes the mission for her grandma. When creating a startup, it is important to be prepared with the right team once you have your product: sales leader, marketing, HR, onboard customers, tech support, accounting, and legal as part of the team. Bringing the product to market is when most people feel fear, similar to climbing to the top of the mountain alone and having to make it back down to complete the journey. With the new team, it is important to focus on distribution and your customers. The go-to-market strategy is the step-by-step roadmap to launching the product. The product-market fit is when a product can satisfy a good market. Basically, when there is a need in a market,...

 Adapting is the first step towards responding to artificial intelligence (AI), as stated in Surfing the Tsunami . It involves learning more, being aware of changes, and prioritizing attention. Building a habit takes time, and sometimes a calendar can help keep on task with reminders. Keeping an eye on news outlets and reading books can also help increase knowledge about AI. I used to read more prior to graduate school for pure enjoyment, but now I pretty much spend my free time outside of work and school outdoors and away from technology. I hope once school is finished to resume some of my other hobbies, reading for enjoyment (there is a long list that I have been meaning to get to), and learn other things. Coursera was one of the education websites or apps I tried prior to starting graduate school. I have picked up a Wired magazine or two laying around my parents’ house from time to time, but it almost always seems too far-fetched or sci-fi. I agree that robots are helpful, and a...

 In Guerrilla Marketing , the 16 secrets to guerrilla marketing end in ' ent ':  Commitment Investment Consistent Confident Patient Assortment Subsequent Convenient Amazement Measurement Involvement Dependent Armament Consent Content Augment Commitment and patience stuck out to me the most. In particular, the Marlboro Man example of how it did not provide instant results for over a year. Yet, they remained committed to the marketing plan and eventually succeeded and it is considered one of the best examples of marketing -- moving from 31st ranking to number 1 brand of cigarettes for both men and women. It takes patience to wait for the impact of marketing. However, that also means as a small business start-up it is important to consider how large of a budget is sufficient to spend on marketing. Without quick results, the business could possibly close up shop before the impact of marketing occurs. In order to quantify the impact of marketing, there must be measurements and dete...

Ascend Your Start-Up mentions 4 types of leaders for a minimum viable team: the thought leader, challenger, collaborator, and operator. The thought leader has a vision for something that does not exist yet. The challenger determines whether the new idea has value for stakeholders. I picture this a bit like a devil’s advocate. Looking at all sides to determine if any modifications may be needed to improve the idea and widen the scope of the audience. The collaborator brings different people together to work on a common goal. Lastly, the operator carries out the plan and provides results. It is important to note that not everyone who starts the journey of the startup will remain on your team. Further, others may join later for certain points of the journey to work through the tough spots. Lastly, it is crucial to look past your friends and family to build your team with different types of successful leaders. Everybody at the table has a respective role and brings forth different knowled...

 Surfing the Tsunami's Three Perspectives: Optimist, Pessimist, and Realist I generally consider myself a realist and will look at all sides before making a decision. I find that life is not black and white, but gray, and artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be the same. As an optimist, there will be great achievements and advancements in technology with the use of AI. As a pessimist, the number and type of jobs will most likely change and with that will come major adjustments. Most people do not enjoy change, but it is necessary to grow and learn. It is also concerning the way human interactions and attention spans have seemed to change with more and more technology and internet usage. As a realist, I think it is important to keep mental and physical health at the forefront of these AI advancements. The advance in technology may be interesting and beneficial in some ways. However, if we are not happy and able to stay focused to achieve more great things as human beings, what i...

 First and foremost, it is crucial to have a quality product or service to market. Otherwise, any marketing technique will reveal to customers that the product is not actually worth purchasing again. With a guerrilla marketing focus, it is important to focus on the smaller details that are actually more important to the customer with a core idea. Breaking down the complex idea into a simple, straightforward message to the customer is important. It saves time and eliminates any confusion about what you are trying to sell. When deciding on how much money to spend on marketing, entrepreneurs should be savvy and keep an eye on the bottom line.  Each decade since the 80's has had a new focus on marketing: quality, flexibility, and innovation. As a guerrilla marketing focus, it is better to focus on quality and flexibility prior to innovation. To market, it can be as simple, inexpensive, and effective. There is no set structure or set of rules to follow and how much or little you de...

 Turning an idea into product camp means asking yourself two questions: What is your minimal viable product (MVP), and how will you pilot your product. According to Helen Yu, it is important to listen to others, carry the bare essentials, and remove any distractions that take away from the MVP ( Ascend Your Start-Up , 2021). To transition your idea to a real product, it is important to align your brand, customer, team, and resources. You might have to figure out who will want the product and if there is anyone else that has a similar problem that could benefit from the MVP. Also, if somebody else is trying to solve the same problem, it might be worthwhile to build a partnership to achieve the same goal together. Lastly, your team needs to have the same vision and compose of people with various talents that can help you succeed together so the MVP becomes a reality.  Doing a pilot of your product is important to ensure an effective solution and that customers are interested in ...

 Self-driving cars, Google Maps, Google Street View, drones, and Siri or Alexa are some examples of artificial intelligence (AI) in Surfing the Tsunami . As more things are created and are becoming more complex, it opens the doors to even newer technology and advancements. I appreciated the analogy of the map (decision-making of a computer), a treasure hunt (math), a key (statistics), a compass (algebra), and a telescope (probability). It was an interesting perspective of older ways of navigating with new AI technology and how the advancements are made with various pieces of the puzzle.  I especially enjoy the comparison of learning that new data analysis techniques involve machine learning being related to brain neurons. I think it is a great comparison, especially as self-driving cars are now a reality (although I still do not trust them that much as I prefer to be the one driving -- and enjoy driving.) by using cameras and sensors at all angles, much like people looking aro...

 In Guerrilla Marketing , it focuses more on what small businesses can do to promote their product or service that is minimal cost and can have a real impact on overall profits. Guerrilla marketing focuses on the psychology of human behavior and decision making. As a general rule, it is important to focus on the customer and what you can help them achieve with your help, rather than talking about the company or business directly. It will capture the customer's attention when you focus on them and their needs. In addition, it is important to remember that marketing is full circle. It begins with your idea to bring in revenue, but it turns into a circle with repeat customers and referrals through those customers.  Some of the ideas I appreciated were the simple, yet effective methods of nontraditional marketing. Following up with customers, handing out flyers (or stapling them on bulletin boards, putting ads in the local paper, and participating in fusion marketing are some exam...

In Ascend Your Start-Up by Helen Yu, there are 5 decisions to make at base camp, prior to any big moves to climb upwards.  Decision #1: Why are you on this journey? Consider your dreams when starting the journey and ask yourself why you want to achieve a certain goal. Many people focus on the bottom-line and making money, but at the end of the day, you will be remembered for how you made somebody feel based on experiences. I am currently pursuing an MSN/MBA to try and link the business world with healthcare better. With the pandemic, many of the issues that were under the surface started to show their true colors. Hopefully, there will be teams of people to work with and help find solutions to some of the problems.  Decision #2: What problems are you solving? It is important to identify a problem and not necessarily the solution. The problem will have multiple solutions if you look at the various options presented. However, if you are focused on one solution you are limited y...

In Surfing the Tsunami , it goes into why artificial intelligence (AI) should be on our radar. It will change future business and rapid advances are being made especially with robotics and software leading to more automation. With technology advancements, there will be changes in jobs. Some jobs will no longer be needed (repetitive jobs, like those on an assembly line), while other areas may need more jobs to continue with the pace of advancements (such as troubleshooting software issues, creating more improved technology, or needing more customer support services). There are already robots that are able to do repetitive tasks and are highly automated, and some are even fully automated. There is also software automation such as being able to analyze data and complete complex calculations, including entire processes. One area of AI that I find impactful and interesting are the new robotic prostheses, or 'exoskeletons' for arms and legs that are much more advanced and have comp...

 Hello! Welcome to my first blog post ever. My name is Amy and I live in Chicago. I am a rehabilitation nurse, working with a wide variety of patients who can benefit from physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Also, I am currently in the MSN/MBA dual degree program.  Sunset in Outer Banks This marketing class is going to be a bit of a learning curve for me, as I am not one for using social media and posting things about me. However, I am looking forward to learning something completely new, and share with you as we progress through the class.  DuPont Triple Falls in Asheville, NC When I have free time, I enjoy jogging or biking along the lakefront, boat days in the summer, and going to the Cubs games at Wrigley Field. I play piano occasionally as well, but just for fun. In the winter, I always try to take a vacation to someplace warm and sunny. Working night shift, the winters are long, cold, and dark. Traveling is when I feel the most free and relaxed, and I enjoy ...