GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE: BRAND YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS

The literal definition of platform is a raised level surface on which people or things can stand. In the business world it means you popup on the google search engine on the first page and people are looking for you.

Having a platform is necessary for any big business endeavor. Whether you are opening a family restaurant or trying to make it in the acting world, you have to get your name out there. You have to have a platform.

Why do you have to have a platform: Because you could have just wrote the most fantastic piece of literature that would put Hemingway to shame, and publishers and agents still won’t touch you because you are nobody to them?

They might literally respond, though we think your book is articulated brilliantly, we cannot currently undertake your novel because you are an unknown. Once you build your reputation as a writer, we would love if you  to publish with us. (this happened to me. It's why i'm blogging now. I guess i should have been blogging.)

The tricky part about becoming famous, is you have to be famous. It’s the irony of life. How do you go from nobody to somebody is the philosophical question of the 21t century.

Publishing companies want to know if they sink thousands of dollars into marketing you, that they are going to make a return on their investment and publishing an unknown is risky business. It’s understandable that people who write the fat checks want proof that you are successful.

A platform is proof that you take your creative and business endeavors seriously.

It doesn’t matter how delicious your food is, if you can’t bring customers in to eat it. A part of your restaurants platform is having customers and websites. Customers and websites makeup the bulk of your reputation. How you get new customers is through advertisement. We live in the era of technology and it’s not going to die out anytime soon.

What that means is if you’re an old timer, you better get your grandson to make you a website and a Facebook page. The average person will google restaurants in their area when they are hungry, if they don’t automatically head for an already famous fast-food restaurant like McDonalds.

Who are you? This is a serious question. You may be a lot of things, a wife, a mother, a creative genius, a writer and a bleeding humanitarian with a heart of gold, but all that is very vague and doesn’t make me want to buy your book or eat in your restaurant.

You have to learn to brand yourselfand your business. Tons of famous people changed their names. Eminem’s name is Marshall Bruce Matters. Eminem is a rap legend for those of you out of the loop. Do you think Snoop Dog would have been successful in hip-hop if he stayed Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. You have to pick a name that will define you and your business.

Famous names include: Apple, Sony, Playstation, Wendy’s, Oprah, Katie Perry, Fox, Amazon, Starbucks, Angelina Jolie, Bill Gates, Facebook, Twitter, Biggie Smalls, and Beyoncé. Businesses sell products and services. Celebrities sell themselves, which falls into the category of services offered.

In order to brand yourself, you need a clear idea of what you are trying to do and who you represent. You need to be specific. Don’t identify with a million things, narrow your focus. If you are trying to make money as a singer, you don’t need to mention you’re also a waitress at Denny’s.

If you are trying to market your restaurant, you need to pick a niche. Do you specialize in Italian food, are you a burger joint. If you make the best damn meat loaf in the world, that’s how you need to market yourself. Don’t say you are a mom and pop restaurant that is so generic.

The problem is the market is saturated. There is no such thing as a noncompetitive market. Generic descriptions don’t work anymore. You have to tell the public why they should choose you over an infinite amount of choices and you have to do it fast.

So who are you? Why are you unique? Describing yourself and your business is a task that I dreaded. It seems so tiny, yet it is the most important thing you will do. Writing a profile for yourself or your business, is the first representation of your business.

In this section you should highlight your strengths and never your weaknesses. You should try to come off a a bit humble and humorous. Humans are attracted to good times and fun. They are not drawn to arrogance or seriousness.

A good way to put it, is if you are selling death you got to find a way to make caskets appealing.
Lyon Brave