| |
I’m absolutely thrilled to be blogging today as part of Bemis Promotions’ Soft Launch week. There will be a Grand Launch coming up in the next few weeks, but we wanted the chance to bring all of Liz’s new sites, services and opportunities to you right away. Going forward, this will be the place to be to find out all the latest tips, tricks, techniques and possibilities for presenting yourself and your business effectively – online, offline, and every time, as Liz likes to say!
Today I’ve been thinking a lot of the process of the “self-launch”. I’ve had the amazing experience to be going through two separate leadership development programs over the past several days—one tied to goal achievement, one tied to personal success—and over and over again I’m reminded that while our dreams are critical, we can never forget that what we’re really launching is not our business, our plans, our marketing campaign or even our new line of products… we are launching ourselves.
The most successful companies and individuals put THEMSELVES out there on the line every day, presenting themselves authentically in their customer and peer group interactions, promoting themselves consistently online, and following up with any level of contact—whether it’s a phone call, a tweet, an email or a passing conversation. If you’re going to be in the game of self promotion at any level, you’ve got to be truly IN IT.
I know that sounds kind of daunting, but that’s the power of having a Brand that truly reflects who you are. You shouldn’t try to be what you’re not—either in your personal life or your professional life. If you can identify WHO YOU ARE and simply BE that, then sharing that entity suddenly becomes second nature. And due to the extremely fluid nature of online marketing, you can make a splash of a self launch (or relaunch) whenever you’re ready to commit to the process.
So how can you “launch” or “relaunch” successfully, whether you’re truly at the beginning of a new venture, a mid-level marketer, or an established Brand? Here are three tips to get you started.
1. Remember that you’re not launching your business, you’re launching yourself
In today’s highly interactive, personal world, the line between you and your business is becoming almost shockingly thin. So as you consider your launch strategy, strive to be intensely authentic to who you are as an individual. When people go to blogs or forums or even websites, they don’t want to hear what “nameless corporate monolith” wants to say, they want to hear what a PERSON or PERSONALITY has to say who represents that company or Brand. So ask yourself WHO YOU ARE, and then launch that person. If you do nothing else but talk about something you KNOW and are PASSIONATE about… people will listen.
2. Commit to Excellence… and Focus
If you want to be successful in building a community, you have to commit to the process and the focus you’ll need to achieve your goals. Plan on working every day to build the connections you need and sustain the connections you’ve developed. Consider limiting the number of “you’s” that there are—blog all under one name or one entity, or promote your multiple ventures heavily in EVERY communication, listing your sites/pages in your signature line and committing to be present on each of those sites on a regular basis. Feel free to re-use your content over your multiple sites if that’s what it takes to stay updated—but to whatever extent that you can, STREAMLINE your online presence so that you can remain extremely FOCUSED.
3. Act Now. Right Now. Today.
The universe rewards action. Nothing kills your momentum than not taking advantage of the opportunities that will come your way as soon as you launch yourself online. It’s daunting—even a little frightening—when all of those possibilities come out of the woodwork, so make sure you have your communications strategy clearly set BEFORE you launch. But as long as the connection opportunities you’ll find are appropriate for your business, in line with your goals, and can give you the chance to help others with your product, service or information—CONNECT. Reach out today, respond today, and move forward… today.
Launching (or relaunching) yourself and your Brand is as simple as identifying who you are and committing to sharing that “self” online in a consistent, passionate, and authentic way. I look forward to sharing future tips and techniques on Branding yourself effectively in your personal interactions, industry experiences and online presence every week on Wednesday, as part of the Bemis Promotions blog team!
Welcome to the adventure!
Jenn
Jenn Stark serves as Strategic Brand Consultant for Bemis Promotions, and helps authors, entrepreneurs and organizations maximize their Brands at www.knowyourbrand.com.
|
