Five Ways to Become Famous
When you run your own business, you need to become famous. Why? Because if people don’t know who you are, what you do and why you’re so good at what you do, then they will never buy from you. When you become famous, it means that prospective clients have heard of you and know what you do. When you’re famous, you have a good reputation and people are much more likely to come and buy from you.
Here are five simple marketing tactics that can help you to become famous.
- Write a Book
When you write a book about your subject, people will automatically see you as an expert in that subject. When you fill a book with your knowledge and expertise, people who read it will be able to see that you really know your stuff. Even people who don’t read your book – but who know that you’ve written one – will believe that you’re the person to go to on that subject. Just make sure that your book is really well written and full of useful advice. Many people think that they can write a book in a few weeks (or pay someone else to do it for them quickly). Writing a good book takes time. It also takes money to have it typeset and printed (unless you can find a publisher to do all this for you.) But it’s worth it, as you need a finished product that looks great and really helps the people who read it. A poorly written and produced book will do your reputation more harm than good.
What could you write a book about, to show off and share your expertise?
- Stand Up and Speak
Another way of sharing your knowledge and expertise, and thus becoming famous, is to speak to an audience full of people who you can help. Give a talk at a networking event or conference, run a workshop or deliver a webinar. You can either invite your own audience and put on your own event, or speak to a ready-made audience, by working with a networking group or association. I’ve been delivering webinars for a number of groups of coaches and consultants – they are promoted by each association and I get to speak to lots of their lovely members.
Who could you speak to and what could you talk to them about?
- Word of Mouth
Having other people say nice things about you is a great way to become famous. When someone else something great about you, other people are more likely to believe them than if you try to tell people how good you are. Ask your clients to write recommendations for you on LinkedIn (and give someone else a recommendation every time you do). Invite your clients to talk about why they love working with you on a short video testimonial (and have your camera to hand when you’re giving a talk or running a workshop.)
When did you last ask a client for a recommendation?
- Do Something Different
Stand out from the crowd by doing something different, daring or daft. Raise money for a charity by running a marathon or going on a sponsored horse ride to raise money for horses in the Third Word. Give your time and expertise to a charity that needs your help. When you tell the world about what you’re doing you not only give the charity plenty of exposure, but you also give people a way to remember you too. (Yes, I am still supporting horses in the Third World!)
What could you do that is really different, to help you become famous?
- Win an Award
At Appletree we focus on looking after our clients. Rather than chasing after new business we spend more time delivering a service that our clients want and making sure that they’re happy. It’s paying off because we have lots of happy clients who regularly send us referrals. In addition in February we were nominated for an award in Customer Service, through the Venus Women in Business awards, for companies in the Thames Valley. (We still don’t know who nominated us and would love to know, so if it was you, please tell me!) From over 100 entries we made it through to the semi-finals, along with four other businesses. In April we found out that we were one of three finalists, so we’re going to the black tie dinner next month so hear the final results. We’re delighted to have made it this far and we’ve been talking about our achievement in our marketing.
What do you want to become famous for? Look for an award that you can win, to show how good you are.
How will you become famous? If you’ve not yet tried any of the above suggestions, then pick one and work on it, just to get you started. You don’t have to use all five tactics, but the more you do, the more famous you’ll become and the more successful your business will be.
