Building your platform through credibility

Why do you read this blog?

Some of you may have just found me for the first time.

Others of you have met me in person at one of my public speaking event.

The rest likely have heard about me or my blog, checked me out and liked the information provided.

But only one thing will keep you coming back [and telling others to come] and that is if I establish credibility with you. You need to believe what I'm talking about. You must see results when you apply my principles to your business [notice I said APPLY and not simply READ. smile.]

The same is true with you. Sometimes individuals get so focused on how THEY will benefit from increasing their marketing that they forget that the only way to really build a strong platform [read: sphere of influence] is to give them what they need.

I couple of years ago my husband read about this in a book [I wish I could remember the name]. It is called the W.I.I.F.M principle. What's in it for me.

Whenever I write a blog I ALWAYS ask myself "What am I providing to my blog reader." I try to NEVER offer fluff to fill a day on my blog calendar. There are days that I don't have much to say but that is when I know I need to spend more time reading up on the industry. If I have nothing to say-I am not learning.

So, as you're marketing this week-whether with articles, blogs, speaking or anything else-keep your focus on what you're providing your audience. When you make your focus how to benefit others rather than ways to help yourself you will see that both are accomplished.

Take time to gain credibility, don't throw out fluff and cliches, and show people that it is worth their time to hear [or read] what you have to say.

We are rolling in to the final week of January. Is that platform you're building solid so you can start implementing your goals on Feb. 1st? If not, what do you need to do next week to get there?

Tiffany Colter is a writer, speaker and writing career coach who works with beginner to published writers. She can be reached through her website at www.WritingCareerCoach.com
Learn more about Tiffany's Marketing techniques on her main blog.
Read Tiffany's award winning manuscript "A Face in the Shadow" on her fiction blog.
She writes a blog for the Christian writer Tuesdays at Writer's Rest.