Build a Marketing Platform Like a Celebrity

(page 2 of 2)

Tim Ferriss' book, The 4-Hour Workweek, remained on the The New York Times best-seller list for more than two years. He leveraged the success of his book to create demand for his blog, which then promoted his Twitter feed, and so on, creating a powerful brand name in the process. He considers his blog the engine that keeps his book on top of best-seller lists several years after publication. Tim believes that anyone can have an online presence in multiple forms and that people should be cautious as to what they put online.

"You should go into the digital jungle with a clear idea about what you want to accomplish and what success would look like at the end," says Tim. He has over 54,000 followers on Twitter, which may seem insignificant in comparison to other celebrities, but he values quality over quantity. "I would rather have fewer, higher quality, more influential readers or followers," Tim says. He feels that if you game the system, you might be able to fool some publishers or partners into working with you because they don't understand the subtleties of social media, but you won't be able to get on the best-seller list because the value of each follower is next to nothing. In other words, if people opt-in to follow your Twitter feed, they are much more likely to hire you, purchase your products, or support you in some way. Tim recommends that you understand what your desired outcome is before you build a marketing platform.

Gary Vaynerchuk, a brand name that exudes both excitement and passion, grew his marketing platform, starting with his Wine Library TV video blog, and then with Twitter and Facebook. You bet all of his hard work and branding efforts will pay off when his first business book, Crush It! Turn Your Passion into Profits in a Digital World, hits stores in October. Gary preaches about being a jack of all trades by working hard, listening, caring, and putting out quality content online.

"There are no shortcuts," Gary says. "You have to do it all." He is an advocate for people focusing on what they are passionate about. Since there aren't costs associated with talking about what you love online, the ability to position yourself so that you can monetize your passion is a reality. Gary says that all followers and fans aren't created equal, and that you should pay attention to your passionate ones."Even if you have six fans, you shouldn't take that for granted," explains Gary.

Should you build your own marketing platform? You already are, without even knowing it. Every time you share your status with your Facebook network or send out a tweet to your following, you're marketing to them. What you need to do is ask yourself what you're career or business goals are before you invest the countless hours required to make an impact. Then you need to connect with passionate people who share your interests and consistently give them value based on your expertise. As long as you're authentic and have meaningful conversations online, you too can build a marketing platform like a celebrity and "crush it,"as Gary says.

Don't avoid the evolution in media: Embrace it and leverage it for your own needs. There is a multitude of people out there that you can connect with, market to, and build your business and career with. All you have to do is take the first step today and become part of the conversation!

Dan Schawbel, personal branding expert for Gen-Y, is the best-selling author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 2009), as well as the publisher of both the award-winning Personal Branding Blog and Personal Branding Magazine. Schawbel is a social media specialist for EMC Corp., has a syndicated column for Metro US, and writes for Mashable, Lifehack, and Mediapost. He has been featured in over 100 media outlets such as BusinessWeek, The New York Times, NPR, and The Wall Street Journal. .

Business Exchange

Track and share business topics across the Web.