Your platform is your connection or reach in the marketplace. It represents the relative sales potential of your products and services based on people who are already familiar with you or your work.
Your platform is your established audience. It might be through a large database, social influence, syndicated radio show, national television show, magazine column —in other words, name recognition on a grand scale. The higher your platform, the easier it is to attract new clients and customers. Further, you have a way of influencing people to work with you because they already listen to you.
Improving your platform should start before you promote new products or services. When an entrepreneur or small business owner wants to increase his or her potential reach, there are six blocks to a higher platform that should be considered.
1. Social Influence. What is your “authority ranking?” Are you present in all the places your potential clients and customers are hanging out online? You may think you need to be on every social network out there, but nothing could be further from the truth. Survey your current clients and customers to find out which networking sites they frequent the most. Find out which blogs they read and start reading them too. Share articles from those blogs with your friends and followers. Reach out to the blog editor to see if they accept outside articles and find out if you can publish articles or get involved in some way. Be consistent with posting relevant content daily to your social networks.
2. Media Opportunities and Contacts. What media (broadcast or print) have you had (interviews, recommendations, mentions, etc.) over the past two or more years, and what do you have booked into the upcoming year? Create a list of each media appearance, where and when it happened, the size of the audience and your contact there. If you have few or none, brainstorm how you can get your name out in the media (writing articles, getting interviewed by radio shows and podcasts, etc.).
3. Speaking Engagements. What speaking engagements – seminars, workshops, keynotes, etc. – have you had on your topic or generally related products over the past two years and what do you have booked into the upcoming year? If you have few or none, find some local opportunities to speak for free and/or give tele-classes or participate in other events where you can get up in front of people and demonstrate your expertise.
4. Memberships. What organizations, industry associations, clubs, etc. do you belong to where there is a regular opportunity to communicate with your target audience? If you have held a leadership position (on the board, chaired an event committee, etc.) that demonstrates a greater ability to get your message out through the organization. Consider joining trade associations or other organizations if you currently do not belong to any.
5. Your Database. How many individual names and emails do you have that represents prospects or clients for your work or for the issues that are the subject of your book? These represent targeted potential book buyers. People who already know you and respect your work are much more likely to buy from you than the public at large. If the size of your database is less than 2,000, consider offering free special reports, holding contests or partnering with others who can help you increase the size of your database.
Want to learn more about building your platform? CLICK HERE to register for a free web training on Thursday, April 4, 2013.