Marketing Strategy and Analytics - D178

Marketing analytics: what I did to pass the capstone

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• set up an intro phone call with your course instructor (I always do this and it helps a lot)
• meanwhile, watch the welcome video and the getting started video
• briefly scan through the course material (just the headlines, only about 2 minutes of scanning), task 1 instructions and rubric, the marketing mix and strategy scenario, and the marketing strategy presentation template (i like to have an overview of everything before i jump into that I know what seems to be better to focus on and what to not waste my time on)
• i printed out the scenario and read it more thoroughly, and highlighted the info i thought would be important to come back to (i'm old school and need things printed out sometimes)
• i worked on my PowerPoint presentation first before reading the text, then went back and skimmed through the text for helpful tidbits i could include in the presentation.
• for the powerpoint presentation, i used the template to start with a very basic outline of my selections for the industry fact, market share, swot analysis, etc. for each slide, i inserted just 1 sentence about what my answer/recommendation was. after doing all the slides, i went back to thoroughly explain them
• after doing that for each slide, i went back and wrote in the presentation notes a more detailed explanation of my choices and recommendation. my explanations were pulled from the scenario and prior knowledge from previous classes. i also rewatched the getting started in D178 video and paused it to follow the video as i went along with each slide. i tried to make my notes a paragraph explanation.
• lastly, i went through the text and looked for anything that looked helpful to add to my slide notes to make them longer. for example, there was a section in the text that referred to the three C's, so i added a sentence about that to make one of my slides longer. (but only if it makes sense to add in. and make sure the explanations are clear to the evaluator of why you chose each recommendation)
• i also changed the photos and layout of the slides to make the PowerPoint my own. i used non-copyrighted photos from pixabay. Do NOT do this. Do not go the extra mile and create your own powerpoint because i got a revision for not using the template provided.
• i was slightly confused about the presenter notes at first. i did not want to make all of them word-for-word on what i was going to say for fear of getting a revision. i wrote out what i wanted to say word-for-word on a document (only for the intro and conclusion), printed it, and glanced at it during my presentation. for the presenter notes on each slide, i would either add a simple note like "Introduce myself and the position. Explain why we are holding the meeting." or i would add a paragraph explanation when needed for my recommendations as if i were writing an essay. then, when presenting, i would base my speech on the presenter notes without saying them word for word.
• once i felt like my powerpoint presentation was complete, i double-checked it against the rubric and made any necessary adjustments. i then practiced reading it with a timer to ensure length. my course instructor said we can get away with it being 10 or 15 minutes instead of 20. mine ended up being around 12 minutes long.
• make sure you upload the powerpoint first before you start recording your presentation so you can check the similarity score and revise it as needed before presenting.
• then i practiced presenting it a few times before i dressed up and presented (professional clothing, hair, makeup, etc. neat background, good lighting if possible, sit up straight, speak confidently and enunciate, look into the camera lens often)

i only had the one revision for not using the powerpoint template. i submitted it and they evaluated it about 2-3 hours later for both submissions. hope this helps!