How You Can Be Famous (At Least in Your Local Market) and Earn More Money, More Easily.
Why Be Famous?
That’s easy.
Speaking to huge crowds, appearing on TV, being quote in news papers is exciting! Getting into the inner-circle of experts opens up doors – a lot of them. When you are a famous expert, people will knock down your doors to hire you – rather than you having to chase them.
If you are famous you will have more fun and earn more money.
How to Be Famous
Step #1. Look like an Expert.
Create a Website that makes you look like an Expert. Experts have Books, Articles, Press Releases, and Videos of themselves speaking to audiences. They have coaching and training programs – virtual and in-person. Experts charge a lot for speeches and appearances. You should have all of these on your PERSONAL BRANDING website, whether you fully do them all or not.
The website can be very simple but needs to be structured correctly with well written content.
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Simple. Created on WordPress for SEO and usability purposes. You can buy a StudioPress, Solopress, or ThemeForest theme for less than $100 and have it customized for under $100 more.
MENU: These can be organized depending on what you have the most of. Creating content for these pages, or at least headlines of content is pretty easy. Attaching high prices to your appearances, and outlining a training calendar with No Seats Available will give you a lot of credibility.
Blog | About _____? | Speaking | Television | Press | Articles | Training | Consulting
ARTICLES/WRITTEN: Four to ten 250-700 word Articles/Posts/Pages of text are usually enough. No one will read all of them anyway. If you are not a great writer, pick an article written by expert or a chapter in a best- selling book and have ghostwriter re-write it.
BOOK COVERS: You need to look like an Author whether or not you are yet. Get professional photos done (high resolution digital full body and half body shots). Make one per Article Topic. These will be used in everything you do.
WEBINAR SCREEN-RECORDINGS: Many experts do webinars. You can too. Just create power-point presentations based on your Articles and then record a webinar with Camtasia or other screen-capture equipment.
VIDEOS: The key is to create videos of you “presenting” – what? – you guessed it, the same content from the articles. Upload to YouTube and place into Website. If you want to get clever, laugh tracks and wild applause or jazzy music can be added.
Step #2. BE an Expert.
This can be hard work and take time. But, since you are already promoting yourself as an expert, you’ll become one faster. If you say you are an Expert in X industry. You better back up what you say! You can do this through the appearance of, and content on, your BUSINESS website. Explanations/videos of why you are better, statistics that prove it, testimonials of raving clients. Yes, all these can be produced for more or less cost whether you have collected them or not.
Your BUSINESS website can be very simple but needs to be done well.
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Simple. Created on WordPress for SEO and usability purposes. Again, StudioPress or ThemeForest themes do just fine.
MENU: These topics are all you really need to cover to sell better than your competition, but you can add pages for specific products and services.
Blog | What We Do | Why It Works | Compare Us | What People Say | Contact/Buy Now
- Blog: Introduces you as expert and is a great place to put your book covers and videos.
- What We Do: Describe the specific benefits you provide to clients.
- Why It Works: Create some credibility by describing the features of your product or service.
- Compare Us: A simple chart or photos comparing you to competition is all that is needed.
- What People Say: a KEY! Always, always, carry a Flip HD video camera and record video if possible. Recording audio testimonials is next best. Writing testimonials for people or transcribing their Thank you cards, and getting casual photos of them is very effective.
- Contact Now: That’s easy. Try having a Live Chat box or Streaming Audio/Video via www.tokbox.com
ARTICLES/WRITTEN: 4 – 10 250 word Articles/Posts/Pages of text focused on Consumers’ Needs are usually enough. People ARE going to read these. Don’t write generic stuff. Be helpful but in a very specific way that uses specific statistics and stories. Give ‘em the inside dirt if possible. If you are not a great writer, just babble into a microphone and have a ghostwriter put your thoughts together.
BOOK COVERS: You need to look like an Author whether or not you are yet. Get professional photos done (high resolution digital full body and half body shots). Make one Cover per Article/Topic. These will be used in books, flyers, manual covers, CDs, webgraphics, etc…
WEBINAR SCREEN-RECORDINGS: Many experts do webinars. You can too. Just convert the articles to PowerPoints. Record power-point presentations using screen capture software. Pretend there are 200 potential customers on the webinar. Now that’s impressive!
VIDEOS: The key is to create videos of you “presenting” – what? – you guessed it, the same content from the articles/powerpoints. Film as if at a LIVE training for Clients. Look, you are an Expert that is invited to to educate the masses. Upload to YouTube and place into Website. Again, wild applause can be added.
ALTERNATIVE or 3rd Website: Be an Expert who is Liked and Trusted!
Use this website type if you have parts of your personal life that other people will connect with. The menu on my personal website looks like this:
Blog | Who is _____? | My Story | Helping Families | q2 Consulting | Down Syndrome | Adoption | Speaking
I write about my Helping Families through my career in non-profit work, Down syndrome (since my son has it), Adoption (because we adopted our daughter), and my very funny/interesting/psychotic family history. A lot of people and I have a lot of things in common, and boy is it a lot easier doing business with them. By the time they get done reading my website they already feel a pretty close personal connection with me – or they run away. Either way, I save myself a lot of time and hassle.
Now, if you are a lousy writer, have a boring life, or are just not a very nice or attractive person this may not work for you.
Step #3. Get Found by People looking for Experts
Search Engine Optimization and Reputation Management: We are going to blast out your information in video, article, photo, and podcast pieces all over the internet. If anyone searches for your name or Business name, they will only find your own content. (This is also a good way to keep anyone who wants to talk trash about you (as you get famous) OFF the front page of Google.) If you are looking for more clients (which is important to actually being an Expert, we SEO your sites/accounts on specific keywords that people type in to Google.)
Pay Per Click Advertising. Same strategy except we advertise on Google with a goal of dominating the Sponsored Link areas and the advertising slots on other websites that are on the front page of Google but that allow advertising.
Targeted Promotional Strategy. You can do this first but when the reporters or people check out out, you really want to have already dominated the Internet Geography related to your business and personal name. This involves packaging all your great book covers, articles, etc… and sending it to journalists, columnists, etc… They always need good story ideas and will want to talk to you.
Contacting Radio and TV Producers. Your goal should be to be interviewed 1 time per day on a radio or TV show. They always need guests, and you are the author of books so why not you? Advertising in magazines created for this purpose is probably the best way to do this. There are special PR firms that do this, if the above SEO and PPC and targeted campaigns are not enough.
See how easy that was?
Do you want to become famous so you can earn more money more easy?
Let me know if I can help.
Sam, Who are you? I know Fred Glick and never heard of you. Have you bothered to check him out before you gave your “expert opinion” of his character on in your blog? Doesn’t this make you guilty of the same behavior you accuse him and others of ? I dare you to put this comment on your blog!
Hi Greg! Well…who are you?
I don’t know Fred though I had seen him on TV before.
If you read closely, you’ll notice that I didn’t give an expert opinion of his character at all.
I simply pointed out that by appearing on TV he is more likely to be recognized as an expert and thus likely generates more business.
Yup. This post has some serious points but it’s also meant to be a little funny and get people thinking about what is possible.
If you’d like to discuss the serious application of this concept i.e. becoming an expert and then presenting yourself as one, I may be able to help or certainly refer you to someone who can.
Good luck!