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Tag: building your platform

You’re beginning to understand how necessary an author platform is, and after last month’s post, you realize it doesn’t have to be overwhelming to build one. But what now?
At this week’s Wordsowers meeting (that’s tomorrow night, September 11), I will present Foundations for a Great Author Platform. We will explore 5 tools you need to get started. In the meantime, here are 7 things to keep in mind as you get to work:
Start. Don’t put it off or you may find yourself in a pinch.
Simple action plan. The more complex it is, the more overwhelming it can be.
Salient message. Don’t muddy your message with a bunch of peripherals.
Stick to it. Keep accounts active. Keep going, don’t lose momentum.
Synergy. Connect and cross-promote with others. 
Savory. Make your message “tasty” and attractive.
Satiate. You cannot give out of an empty cup. Take care of the asset (that’s you).
And if you missed it, here is a short summary from my August post.
          Start early and work slowly to make it happen.
          Learn from the experts, then make your own way.
Formula for Building Your Platform:
Audience (know who they are and where they are) + message(content) + style (voice) + social media platforms (and there are tons!!!) + technique = Platform
 
Give more than you take from your readers.
Before you flag down people cruising the internet highway and redirect them to your website, Facebook page or some other social media, make sure you do have something to give your readers once they get there. And make sure it is worth their time.
In his new book Platform, Get Noticed in a Noisy World,Michael Hyatt emphasizes the importance of the wow factor.
You get one chance to make a first impression. You want to make that impression memorable. You want them to go out and tell all their friends to come.
Have you taken the time to develop the product (whether it’s a book, blog or something else) you are offering or are you settling for “good enough”?
It’s better and less costly in the long run to make it the best now rather than to go back and try and recapture those people who passed by and said it wasn’t valuable enough for them to stay. At the same time, don’t use this as an excuse to not start.
My lesson this week:
My main product is my book, but on my website, Facebook, and other social media I need more to offer  than my book to attract an audience(especially since this is a debut novel). 
 
While at times I may feel anxious about building my platform, I can’t rush to a place I’m not ready to be. I’ll be making some noise to wave down more traffic soon enough.
I highly recommend Michael Hyatt’s book. He has the proof that he knows what he’s doing. His audience is huge and it’s loyal. Me? I can only share what I am learning and point you to those who have gone before me.