Match.com and Marketing 101

My posts of late poke fun and can seem mean-spirited but it's targeting the collective stupidity of those of us who are searching for love in the digital age, not the individuals themselves. My aim is to show that an alarming amount of men (from the female perspective of course), do not understand how to use the tools available to them, especially the internet, to find love.

Let's be honest. Marketing yourself is best utilized by those who are confident in themselves and savvy enough to understand how others will perceive their "collateral". Taking pride in how you present yourself on match.com is as important as how you present yourself on Linked In. As a job seeker and young professional with a marketing background, I find these two things surprisingly linked.

I am a self-proclaimed "people watcher". Perhaps that's why I had all the courses I needed for a double Major in Cultural Anthropology in college and didn't realize it!(Yes, I did end up with 2 majors) I loved my Anthro classes and found them incredibly insightful to human behavior and perceptions. Due to my experiences thus far with match, my background in marketing and love of anthropology I have made a TOP 5 TIPS for presenting yourself in public: online or in person, on dating sites or job searches and networking media.

CC's TOP 5 TIPS FOR MARKETING YOURSELF

(for any occasion)

1. Put your best foot forward. Be positive, be honest and be on your best behavior. Clean up, dress up and be ready to impress.
2. Represent yourself in print as you would in person. Clean. Concise. Intelligent. Spell check. Proof read. Edit. Repeat. That goes double for pictures Guys. Keep your shirt on, smile and use a relevant, flattering, recent photo. Not having a photo makes us suspicious.
3. Slang, cursing, and telling negative stories about previous dates/bosses/jobs is not acceptable. Leave your baggage at home! On a date: go easy on the drinks, 2 maximum!
4. Do your homework. Read about your potential date/job/company. Have conversation ideas and questions in mind to become engaged. Be Prepared.
5. Know your product and know your audience! Picture your ideal date/job. If you expect the best, you should also assume THEY expect the best. How do you measure up to your standards of others? Are your expectations realistic?

In my opinion, #5 is the cornerstone of personal growth and is a difficult question for everyone to answer honestly to themselves. The key is knowing your strengths and weaknesses and being honest about both. Love, job hunting and networking require risk taking. It's gonna get messy. Love is a battlefield my friends, and sometimes I feel like Attila the Hun.