EPISODE 3 OF THE REPUTATION REVOLUTION PODCAST
In this episode of the Reputation Revolution podcast, we talk about a really important aspect you need to be across if you’re going to build your profile as an authority in your industry, profession, discipline or niche.
If you want to become a thought leader, you are going to need … a PLATFORM!
If you want to build personal brand recognition and influence beyond just your immediate network of friends, family, colleagues and peers, you need a robust platform from which to get noticed, amplify your message, spread your ideas, express your opinions and ulitmately, to create media interest, attract business opportunities and generate revenue, if that is your goal.
You’re not Michael Jordan, or Oprah Winfrey or Madonna or (thankfully) Kim Kardashian.
You haven’t got a blue-chip global brand like Nike or a TV network or record company bankrolling your personal brand and providing you with a major media platform from which to communicate with the world and build an audience.
But you do know your stuff; you’re a subject matter expert, you’re passionate about what it is you want to get out into the marketplace, to share your thoughts and ideas and experiences; to drive discussion around an issue … to get people thinking and talking!
But you need a platform from which to tell your story, build your audience and grow your visibility and influence. And today, with social media, that’s eminently doable.
I mean, great if you can get a regular spot on a popular radio show, or a column in your industry’s trade publication or better still, weekly coverage on a national TV program. These things are possible – and still effective in today’s social media-soaked world – but I wouldn’t be counting on it. Remember, each of these mediums have gatekeepers who could, and possibly will, stand in your way!
But all is not lost, not by a long shot. As marketing provocateur Seth Godin likes to say: Pick yourself!
For me and what I’m all about, Godin’s philosophy means in the first instance developing and building your own platform using social media and online publishing technologies.
Then, as you build your profile and authority in your chosen niche, who knows? The traditional media might then come calling upon you! Why? Because you’ve established your bona fides; you’ve demonstrated what’s known as ‘social proof’; you have a growing base of fans, followers, enthusiasts, supporters and advocates who like what it is you say and stand for. This makes you ‘ripe for the picking’ from a media perspective.
But let us not get ahead of ourselves. Think strategically about building your platform – your ‘home base’ (i.e. blog), your content ‘sub-hubs’ (e.g. SlideShare or SoundCloud or YouTube) and social ’embassies’ (e.g. Twitter, LinkedIn); try and get some guest posting opportunities with other established blogs or online publications that reach the audience you’re after (for example, I write regularly for Firebrand Talent’s Ideas Ignition blog).
Think of these individual elements as ‘planks’ of your platform, and your platform as your combined and integrated presence across the web.
Your blog, along with your followings across various social networks – plus any regular offline exposure (i.e. you might speak at conferences and business events) – represents an established audience: people who share your passion and your ideas. This is your platform. Think about it strategically. Respect it (and everything it represents). Grow and nurture it, and the benefits from becoming a well-regarded authority in your space will materialise over time.
I hope you enjoy this episode of Reputation Revolution. Subscribe on iTunes and not miss an episode! And if you enjoy what you hear, I’d really love it if you could leave a review on iTunes. Thanks!
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