Pretty Little Coder: A Case Study in Brand Building and Marketing
I am all about learning and growing. As a young professional in today's job market, it is vital to learn new skills to keep up with the rapid changes in society. It was for this reason that I decided to learn how to code. However, being the only member of my family and immediate friends to go into tech, I had no one to turn to as I began to embark on this new journey. Twitter, Google, and Youtube became my best resources. Fast forward a few months later, and I was finally on my way to reaching my end goal of becoming a developer. Along the way, I became a member of several communities meant to help new developers find their way. Without these communities, I may not be where I am today in my developer journey. This journey has helped me recognize the importance of community. It also made me more aware of a significant problem in the technology field. Though there have been tremendous strides in diversifying the STEM field, there is still progress to be made. Thus, the idea for "Pretty Little Coder" was born.
Pretty Little Coder was born due to a visible lacking of African-American women in technology-related fields. I discovered this as I began embarking on my journey to become a web developer. Though I eventually found a community, in the beginning, I didn't know who to reach out to. Furthermore, there didn't seem to be many spaces where black women who were starting in tech could network and engage with their peers to discuss all things related to not only being a woman but a black woman in a space that has primarily been occupied by males. That's where "Pretty Little Coder" comes in. It is all about community. Building a community of people who look like you, who have experienced the things you have experienced and overcoming all of that together through sharing advice, commiserating together, and networking. I didn't see many spaces available to do this, so I decided to create one. That's where my project begins.
Pretty Little Coder is a community for black women in technology careers to be able to network, discuss their experiences and bond over technology, pop culture and everything in between. My primary objective with this project is to leverage marketing tactics to grow this community and ultimately encourage more African- American women to get into careers in technology. As I am building this from scratch, it is an ongoing project with Phase 1 already in progress. Though this project is about creating "Pretty Litte Coder," it will also be an exercise in branding, marketing and building an audience. I hope to apply the skills I have already learned in my previous work experiences, as well as new skills that I gain while executing this project. Skills I hope to gain and further develop while completing this project include graphic design, social media specific branding strategies and establishing a newsletter. This blog will continuously be updated as the project progresses. You may also click the links below to view the proposal, plan and real-time updates about "Pretty Little Coder” via social media.
Pretty Little Coder- Instagram
Pretty Little Coder- Blacklight Women In Tech Mailchimp Landing Page