5 Steps to Grow Your Platform
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Emiley_Jones]Emiley Jones
If the thought of "building your fan base" or "growing your audience" overwhelms you, you're certainly not alone. Creating an online platform isn't a one click task, but there are ways to maneuver the often confusing road to successfully building your online reach.
The 5 major stages of the journey to grow your platform (according to Michael Hyatt) are as follows: Definition, Activation, Attraction, Monetization, and Optimization. If you're tired of feeling like you're writing to nobody and posting for no one to see but yourself, keep reading. I've adapted his 5 stages and action steps in order to best serve partner-published and self-published authors.
1. Definition - Gain clarity
As you work on finding your voice and creating a brand for yourself, you are considering the unique, God-given message you have to share. How will it impact the people that receive it? Determine exactly what your message is going to be.
Action steps:
Survey your readers
Write a core value proposition
Create a brand slogan
Develop your brand components (logo, photos, etc.)
2. Activation - Create content
Whether it's a blog, vlog, podcast, or website, you're launching your home base that will be the source of your main content. You're beginning to work on gaining your first followers and learning how to serve them through great content in a consistent fashion.
Action steps:
Establish your home base
Select your primary content categories
Determine your voice
Commit to a publication schedule
3. Attraction - Attract customers
Your content is being created and published, but now you want to share it with as many people as you can. This is done by developing your social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.), building an email list, and trying to increase your home base traffic.
Action steps:
Install an email collection form
Create a compelling email incentive
Choose a primary social media channel
Develop a social media strategy
4. Monetization - Generate cash
Once you have a solidified subscriber list and following, you want to serve them even better by increasing your income through online revenue. It's time to explore affiliate links, selling ads, and creating original products (think eBooks, webinars, workbooks, conferences, etc.).
Action steps:
Understand your relationship to money
Consider advertising income
Maximize affiliate opportunities
Develop your own products
5. Optimization - Build a company
Finally freed from the demands of a day job, you can work on maximizing your impact and optimizing your results. By building infrastructure, developing workflows, and hiring a team, you can learn to empower others to spread the message that started this whole process.
Action steps:
Learn how to delegate
Establish a hiring process
Identify and define key workflows
Pay attention to the numbers
So don't be overwhelmed! Follow these 5 steps at your own pace and reap the rewards!
Emiley Jones works in the marketing & writing departments for Certa Publishing, your Publishing Partner, known for unmatched personal customer service, professionalism and reliability. We provide exclusive attention to detail in all components of turning your manuscript into a professional, well-written and marketable book. -- Don't settle for being just another author. If you are looking for a more exclusive and personalized way of publishing, contact us today! -- http://www.certapublishing.com/
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