RISE was a really cool experience and also a first-hand look at what we are capable of if we have a good product and we experiment with different marketing strategies. Plus, it is something that is happening on our own campus!

RISE relayed everything we have learned so far. Here was a group of students that got involved in something and they used it to develop of business. It was helpful to learn the steps they took from developing their product to selling it and now growing the product and marketing the product. It was also reassuring to hear that didn’t have a business background, start-ups truly are a learn-as-you-go process and you don’t have to know everything before getting started.

The INC article pretty much just reiterated the importance of social media for marketing purposes. The best thing about social media is that it is free and when creating a business nowadays it is essential and is your best bet in growing an audience, especially if you are marketing a product towards millennials. It is also important to cater your social media towards your audience and your brand. The social media use needs to be the ones your target audience uses, also make sure your content reflects your brand the way you want it to.

I like that the Fortune article was able to give marketing tips for companies who have a limited budget. This article also made me think that you have to look at your market strategy like its own separate business in a sense. You need goals and a clear plan for your marketing and make sure it is done in a way that will reach your target audience. So while you are determining your plan and audience for your product you also have to look at it from a marketing perspective.

The Funnel article was really interesting because I had never heard of a marketing funnel before, and had never thought about the process like a funnel. The biggest takeaway from this article is obviously the easier you can make your product to use the more people are likely to use it, also making your product appealing to more than one market. It is also an efficient way to see who is looking at your product and how many people are actually buying it or using it.

The Entrepreneur article really summarizes everything by saying “your brand is your promise to your customer.” You have to take a journey to define your brand and you have to market the same way, so your customers know what they are getting. Your logo and your overall look has to represent what you want you your customers to get from your brand.

The art of choosing was an interesting concept. It was interesting to hear how little choices other countries have compared to us. It is also important to remember when designing a product, we don’t want to give our customers too many choices for fear it will overwhelm them.