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When it comes to marketing your business, nothing is sweeter than free publicity. Whether it’s getting invited to comment in a magazine, participate in an event, or being bragged about by others,free publicity generates more business for you and increases your visibility.
Once you start getting known, a new problem presents itself: How do you stand out from others who are talking about the same things you are?
If you’re already considered an expert, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. One day you’re on top of the world because you’re now super visible, then the next day you’re quaking in your boots after reading about your now highly visible competition.
Is it Petty jealousy? Deep seated insecurity? Irrational behavior?
Not always… in fact your fears may be reminding you of an essential truth in today’s world of marketing and publicity: the importance of standing out in the crowd.
You’re about to get a crash course in “Sizzibility” the fine art of adding Sizzle to your Visibility.
Let’s remember something really important about standing out: it doesn’t mean you’re the loudest voice in the room or the guy in the loud plaid suit. It’s about being interesting, intriguing, and dare I say “slightly seductive”, so people take notice and want to follow you.
I’m frequently asked by people how an entrepreneur/expert can add sizzle to her/his visibility. There is no single formula to follow, just as there is no pat formula for being cool. However, here are 3 tips you can start using today to add more sizzle to your visibility.
1. Make it a point to be interesting as a person.
If you’re a solopreneur or the CEO of your business, now more than ever is the time to build a following around you! With social networking taking over marketing, the blur between marketing and personal communication gets fuzzier each day. Twitter is a great example of this. Use sites like Twitter to share about your expertise, but add in some tidbits that set you apart from others: books you’re reading, websites you find interesting, what food you’re eating, and anecdotal comments about your day. The personal touch will make a huge difference in the way people remember you. You can even build a whole new following simply based on a hobby or pastime completely unrelated to your business.
2. Make it a point to be interesting as a business.
What makes a person interesting and memorable is the ability to leave a lasting impression on others. In business this can be done in many ways: through your brand, customer service, product quality, slogans and taglines, and the “voice” in your marketing, to name a few. Look over your business and identify where it’s interesting, even intriguing. Keep it authentic and play up your natural strengths.
3. Create buzz
When other people know how amazing you are, they’ll gladly bring you up in conversation or refer you to others. That is part of standing out! Maybe you posted a thought provoking blog and suddenly people you don’t even know are passing it around the blogosphere. Or perhaps you sent out a link on Twitter that everyone is talking about. These are all ways of building buzz, that subtle form of marketing where you “hear” about something from a third party. It’s a brilliant marketing strategy and well suited for the world of Web 2.0 (blogs, social networking, video, etc.) One good way to do this is to consistently promote other people’s high quality work. One good turn deserves another and in the world of buzz marketing, it’s all about relationships.
With so many online tools at our fingertips, this is a perfect time to get in the spotlight by being the one people remember. Your expertise is important and the world needs to hear it… but if you blend in with the woodwork, no one will be able to get that valuable expertise of yours.
Build the buzz and add sizzle to your visibility with these strategies and watch the results for yourself.
Your comments are always welcome- if you have some buzz strategies to share, please drop a comment.
About Nancy Marmolejo
