Platform - How to Be Visible on the Internet Walkthrough

A step-by-step guide for anyone who has something to say or sell


Today, in order to reach your customers, it is not enough to have a good product, you need a platform for its promotion.
This book - walkthrough to create it. It has never been easier, cheaper and more real than it is now.
Michael Hyatt, former CEO and current chairman of the board of one of the largest US publishers Th omas Nelson, invites readers to new world social media and tells how to achieve success with their help. The author teaches readers not only to expand their online presence, but also to receive a stable income thanks to this.

Introduction
The whole world is a theater
Part I Surprise Your Customer Chapter 1 Create an Attractive Product
Chapter 2 Product Must Delight
Chapter 3 Give the market more than it expects of you
Chapter 4 Don't Forget the Limitations
Chapter 5 Don't Be Content Less Than Greatness
Chapter 6 Give Your Product a Memorable Name
Chapter 7 Remember What You Meet by Clothing
Part II Prepare for Market Entry
Chapter 8 Take Responsibility
Chapter 9 Think Bigger ... No, Bigger!
Chapter 10 Define Your Platform's Goals
Chapter 11 Prepare a Blitz Presentation
Chapter 12 Customize Your Branding Tools
Chapter 13 Manage Your Crew of Mechanics
Chapter 14 Provide the Best Recommendations
Chapter 15 Pick a Good Photo
Chapter 16 Build Your Online Multimedia Kit

Description:


What is this book about
This book is a step-by-step guide to attracting and retaining true fans.

The author teaches readers not only to expand their representation on the Web, but also to receive a stable income thanks to this. How to achieve this? Creating a platform. It has never been easier, cheaper and more real than it is now.

Who is this book for?
This book is for those who want to expand their sphere of influence, make their brand, product, service or business more visible.

Why we decided to publish this book
We also build our business, adhering to the main idea of \u200b\u200bthe author of this book? To succeed in the market, you need to have two strategic assets: an attractive product and the right platform for its promotion.

Book chip
The book has long been ranked first in three sections of the Amazon online store. Has a record number of excellent ratings from readers.

From the author
More than four centuries ago, the great William Shakespeare wrote his famous phrase: The whole world? theater, and today it is even more relevant than before. If you have something to say to the world - in a blog, at a seminar, in a book, song, script, sermon or play - then you are also on stage. Just like when you have something to sell to people, offering it in the course of personal communication, immediately to a huge audience or via the Internet.

Everything is very simple: a platform is such a thing that you have to get into to be heard. This is your scene. But unlike theatrical stages, the modern platform is not built of wood or concrete and is not located on a green lawn. A modern platform is made up of people. From contacts. Interconnections. Followers and like-minded people.

The structure of the book makes reading a very simple and enjoyable process. You may want to read it from cover to cover, or maybe you decide to choose a topic that interests you more than the rest and immerse yourself in it. Each chapter discusses different and essentially independent issues. (By the way, I have little doubt that many of you will first read the last chapter of Monetize your blog.)

annotation
Today, in order to reach your customers, it is not enough to have a good product, you need a platform for its promotion. This book is a step-by-step guide to creating it. It has never been easier, cheaper and more real than it is now. Michael Hyatt, former CEO and current chairman of the board of one of the largest publishers in the United States, Thomas Nelson, invites readers to the new world of social media and talks about how to achieve success with their help. The author teaches readers not only to expand their online presence, but also to receive a stable income thanks to this.

Book Review:
"Platform. How to become visible on the Internet."
See video:

This book is a step-by-step guide to attracting and retaining true fans.

Michael Hyatt, a former CEO and current chairman of the board of Thomas Nelson Publishers, demonstrates exactly what the best-selling authors, speakers, entrepreneurs, musicians and other creative professions do differently to attract customers in a crowded market.

The author teaches readers not only to expand their representation on the Web, but also to receive a stable income thanks to this. How to achieve this? Creating a platform. It has never been easier, cheaper and more real than it is now.

Who is this book for?

This book is for those who want to expand their sphere of influence, make their brand, product, service or business more visible.

Why we decided to publish this book

We also build our business, adhering to the main idea of \u200b\u200bthe author of this book - for success in the market you need to have two strategic assets: an attractive product and the right platform for its promotion.

Book chip

The book has long been ranked first in three sections of the Amazon online store. Has a record number of excellent ratings from readers.

More than four centuries ago, the great William Shakespeare wrote his famous phrase: “The whole world is a theater”, and today it is even more relevant than before. If you have something to say to the world - in a blog, at a seminar, in a book, song, script, sermon or play - then you are also on stage. Just like when you have something to sell to people, offering it in the course of personal communication, immediately to a huge audience or via the Internet.

Everything is very simple: a platform is such a thing that you have to get into to be heard. This is your scene. But unlike theatrical stages, the modern platform is not built of wood or concrete and is not located on a green lawn. A modern platform is made up of people. From contacts. Interconnections. Followers and like-minded people.

The structure of the book makes reading a very simple and enjoyable process. You may want to read it from cover to cover, or maybe you decide to choose a topic that interests you more than the rest and immerse yourself in it. Each chapter discusses different and essentially independent issues. (By the way, I have little doubt that many of you will first read the last chapter of Monetize Your Blog.)

Current page: 1 (total of the book is 19 pages)

Michael Hyatt
Platform: how to become visible on the Internet
A step-by-step guide for anyone who has something to say or sell

This book is written in American style. So I call books that contain step-by-step instructions on what to do. Sometimes this format may seem primitive, but it’s the simple and functional things from America that we love - iPhone, McDonalds, Google ... It’s the simple steps that will help you in life.

Andrey Albitov, Vice President for Leta Group International Projects

“To stand, I have to keep my roots,” Boris Grebenshchikov sings. To succeed in your business, you need to rely on like-minded people, followers, simply admired by your ideas of people, says Michael Hyatt, author of the book that you now hold in your hands. If you agree with both, feel free to read the Platform. Recommend. There are answers to many questions.

Evgeny Khramov, Marketing Director of the international digital agency ARTOX media

Introduction
The whole world is a theater

More than four centuries ago, the great William Shakespeare wrote his famous phrase: “The whole world is a theater”, and today it is even more relevant than before. If you have something to say to the world - in a blog, at a seminar, in a book, song, script, sermon or play - then you are also on stage. As well as when you have something to sell to people, offering it in the course of personal communication, to a huge audience right away, via the Internet.

But these days, there are a lot of crowds on stage more peoplethan in earlier times, and just standing here doesn’t mean anything if the spotlights aren’t shining on you, and there isn’t a single spectator in the hall who has come to watch your game.

This book describes how to attract the attention of an audience, light up the brightest lamps and evoke in people true love and fidelity, so that they wait for each of your remarks, see every scene, every act. I am not talking about egocentrism or the desire to remain in the spotlight by any means. It is about offering people something of real value to them and finding the most effective ways to deliver this message to everyone who can really benefit from your product.

If you are a goal-oriented (or already successful) author, actor, musician, lecturer, sales agent, candidate for a government position - that is, a person who has something to say or sell, - I want to offer you help so that you not only enter a new stage, but they also attracted such attention of the audience, which they could not even dream of before.

New scene

If you do not work in the publishing business and do not read my blog, it is likely that until this book fell into your hands, you have never heard of me. Yes, and why, because I'm not a celebrity. I am not the host of a talk show or other television show; my name was never mentioned in the charts, and I never ran for a high state post and, therefore, did not hold it (and thank God!).

But, despite this, I already have something that you need - something that everyone dreams of, who wants to achieve success in their field of activity. And this is something called platform.

Everything is very simple: a platform is such a thing that you have to get into to be heard. This is your scene. But unlike theatrical stages, the modern platform is not built of wood or concrete and is not located on a green lawn. A modern platform is made up of people. From contacts. Interconnections. Followers and like-minded people.

Such a platform is a tool with which you build communication with your current and potential supporters. It may include your company’s website, blog, Facebook and Twitter account, online video show or podcast. It may also include your public speaking as a lecturer, musician or actor. The platform can even include traditional media, such as, for example, a thematic column in a newspaper, magazine articles, or radio shows. As a rule, there is a bit of everything in it.

Component who

As in the old days, today success does not primarily depend on what you know, but from whom you know. Out of these people your platform is formed. It is possible you already have important and significant what (at least you think so). But you need to make your voice heard in an unstable chorus of thousands of other voices; you need to find an effective way to present your amazing, useful what to other people. And I will help you find the component who given equation and connect with this component.

Perhaps now you thought: “Why should I even listen to his reasoning on this topic?”. I will answer. My blog, MichaelHyatt.com, is visited by over 400,000 users every month. In addition, more than 50,000 subscribed to my daily blog posts. In essence, this book is largely based on my posts on social networks. Many people asked and even demanded that I finally collect all my statements on this subject as a whole, and in the end I sat down and did it (with very significant additions). I also have more than 100 thousand followers on Twitter and 15 thousand friends on Facebook.

And all this I have achieved over the past six years.

Being a man connected with many who, I can confidently say that creating your own platform is no longer accompanied by the unpleasant feeling that you experience when you are screened by an intermediary, investing thousands of dollars in consultants, or thoroughly studying complex and complicated technologies.

Five years ago, all this took place. But not today. Social media technology has dramatically changed the situation. Today, for the first time in history, the most ordinary people - Not celebrities, but ordinary people like you and me - can quite easily become noticeable in this too noisy and fussy world.

The equation

A few days ago, I received a letter from one very ambitious author, struggling to stand out against the backdrop of a multimillion (literally) crowd of competitors. I must say, book publishing is generally a very specific business. And this lady is a perfect example of a person who is convinced that her book (that is, a component what) - all that is needed for success. Her message was typical; I, as chairman of the board of directors of Thomas Nelson Publishers, have to read and hear this almost every week. Here is what this lady wrote:

Two respected agents told me that they liked my application and the book very much, and expressed a desire to submit it. But only after I have at least several thousand followers on my social network. I admit, it unpleasantly surprised me: but what, really good book doesn't stand out among the rest by itself? Are modern writers doomed to spend precious time luring as many bloggers into their networks?

Her first question I will immediately answer in the negative. No, these days a good product alone does not stand out among others. High quality is a necessary but insufficient requirement. But the answer to the second question is yes. To create a part of the equation who it is necessary to act actively and decisively. To succeed in today's business environment, you need two components: an attractive product and serious platform.

It's not enough just to make a great thing, write beautiful music or an exciting novel, compose an interesting message or offer a promising project. Why? For two reasons.

1. Competition is stronger today than ever before. Have you ever bought something online? I recently looked for a flat-screen TV in Amazon. To my request fell 19,069 answers! Of course, this is an incredible amount, but just such a reality is faced by any person, deciding to convey to the outside world the news that he wants to sell.

2. Attention modern man scattered and dispersed. The point is not only that much more products are available to us today than before. We also have incomparably more means at our disposal mass media. More movies. Television channels. Computer programs, radio stations, podcasts, video games, news sites and blogs ... One cannot but mention Facebook and Twitter. And human attention is limited resource; in other words, in order to attract even a small fraction of this attention, one has to compete with all other media.

Obviously, from your point of view, all this does not sound very encouraging, as in the opinion of the aforementioned lady who sent me a letter, but I prefer to see positive in this situation. Never before have we had so many ways to (if done right) quickly and efficiently connect with a huge number of people. This is where the task of creating our own platform comes to the fore.

I can name at least three indisputable advantages that you get as a result of its construction and further support.

1. The platform provides visibility. As you have, of course, understood platform Is a metaphor. That is, this is the very scene I spoke about above; rising to the stage, you rise above the crowd. If you find yourself on stage, everyone sees you. This is extremely important in our crazy world, where more and more people and companies are fighting for the attention of customers.

2. The platform strengthens your voice many times. Thanks to her, he begins to stand out in the general disordered chorus of the crowd. Long before the advent of modern sound equipment, preachers and politicians climbed to the pulpits, stands, podiums, and other elevations to be heard. Our audio systems repeatedly amplify the sound of a human voice, so tens of thousands of people hear us. And the most modern media - especially social - allow you to reach the widest possible audience.

3. The platform provides two-way communication. Traditional media platforms provide us with a kind of one-way communication. You seem to “personally know” the talk show host, artist, and speaker at the conference. Social media has made these relationships fundamentally new. Thanks to them, it became possible. bilateral communication is mutual interest. As a result, today everyone can establish a closer relationship with their fans, customers and supporters.

* * *

Now that you understand the basic concept of the platform, I will briefly describe how I am going to guide you through the entire process of building it for you and your product or idea.

From Part I of the book “Surprise Your Customer” you will learn how to create, name and “package” an attractive product (component of the equation what) If you do not do it right, everything else will no longer matter. Having achieved the desired result, we can proceed to the second component - who.

Part II, “Get Ready to Market,” describes the entire preparatory process, from setting up branding tools to providing hot support and product approval and creating your own online multimedia suite.

Then we will move on to the parts “Create your own base” (it discusses the details of building a powerful base for your own platform) and “Expand your influence”, in which we will talk about communication on the blog, Twitter and Facebook. And the description ends with Part V “Drive Your Tribe”, which contains valuable information on how to track the success of your brand and maintain the interest of the audience.

The structure of the book makes reading a very simple and enjoyable process. You may want to read it from cover to cover, or maybe you decide to choose a topic that interests you more than the rest and immerse yourself in it. Each chapter discusses different and essentially independent issues. (By the way, I have little doubt that many of you will first read the last chapter of Monetize Your Blog.)

Part I
Surprise your customer

Chapter 1
Create an attractive product

So, now you know the two most important components of the success equation: an attractive product (what) and a reliable platform (who). In this book you will find a ton useful information about the second component, but if first you do not fully prepare the first - that is, an attractive product - you can’t count on success.

There is not the slightest sense of wasting valuable time and resources on advertising mediocre goods or services. One of my most respected marketing gurus, David Ogilvy, once wrote: “Great marketing only speeds up the failure of a bad product.” How true!

For many years I have not been tired of repeating: "Guys, the most important thing is the product." The secret to the success of any business is to offer customers superior, attractive product. By it I mean everything that you can say or sell to people. Even yourself - if, for example, you are a lecturer or actor. Or a unique service that you offer for money or for free. Or, say, some new project or idea that you would like to implement and convey to the rest of the world. And of course, a traditional product, such as a book. But, whatever the product may be, if it is weak, poor, and poorly functional, no marketing talent, no sales skills, or the highest professionalism will help you.

The purpose of marketing is to stimulate consumer interest in the product. But if people do not want to use it and, more importantly, do not feel the slightest desire to recommend it to their friends, consider that you have already lost. No money, knowledge or experience can compensate for the lack of marketing using a living word, commonly known as word of mouth. Under all these conditions, they simply do not work.

In this regard, at one time it was very interesting for me to observe how Apple introduced the iPhone to the market. Like millions of other fans of Mac computers, I read all the articles in the periodicals and thoroughly studied everything that I could find about the new product on a nice interactive company website. And thought: “Yes, it's high class. I’ll definitely buy it. ” But I also had the following thought: “However, we must wait until the second generation of the device appears on the market. Let its creators first eliminate all the flaws. ”

Soon after, I saw the main presentation of the iPhone, which Steve Jobs himself held at the 2007 MacWorld Worldwide Exhibition and Conference. (If your business is in any way connected with the creation of new products, be sure to watch this video.)

In the end, I immediately visited the insight.

1. You need to create a product that you yourself would use. Listening to Steve's presentation, you immediately realize that he simply adores his product. And he knows him thoroughly because he actively and with pleasure uses it. The speaker calls him "smart" and is not afraid of the word. All his speech is generously flavored with epithets: amazing, incredible and even magic. Steve looks happy and enthusiastic, like a five year old child on Christmas morning. And the audience believes him unconditionally. He does not try to sell anything at all. He just shares his impressions with you.

What about your product? If you, for example, give lectures or conduct business seminars, are you one hundred percent sure that your ideas can really change the life of your listeners for the better? Do you use the product you sell yourself? Would you recommend it to a friend or relative? Do you really love him and sincerely consider him good or just doing some work or striving to make a profit?

2. You need to create a product, problem solving people in an unexpected way. It was also very curious to watch the campaign organized by the mobile phone manufacturers in the media a week before the official announcement of the iPhone entering the market. Their statements, in essence, boiled down to the following: “We have saturated this market. Nothing more interesting will appear here. Investors should get used to the idea that profit growth will slow down and margin will decline. From now on, forever competition in this market will be truly fierce. ”

And here Steve announces the emergence of a new device that dramatically changes the entire product line. The value of Apple shares, of course, is increasing sharply. Hard times are coming for Motorola, Nokia and Samsung.

Apple's goal was not to create another phone with a number of additional options and features. The company took a completely new approach to product development, rethinking everything. Apple engineers put themselves in the user's place and refused to take into account the requirements and limitations that the industry has followed in the past. They did not start with technology. They started with a dream and, pushing off from it, proceeded to search for new technological solutions. This was a fundamentally new approach to business.

What about you? We often think limited. We allow the past to put us in a tight framework. We are not trying to get into the shoes of the client and think about what is needed for the product to be really good. What will be needed to bring it to a fundamentally new level? What could it be if we were not restrained by the limitations of current technology? It is time to break out of this cage and learn to dream again.

3. It is necessary to create a product that exceeds consumer expectations. Reviewing the presentation of Steve Jobs, I could not help but pay attention to the audience. People listened to the speaker with such attention and interest, as if it were a famous magician or sorcerer. Each time Steve showed off a new option or device feature, the audience literally exploded with applause. To my surprise, at some point I discovered that I myself was sitting as bewitched. I felt like I was back in childhood. And more than anything, I wanted to become the owner of one of the great new Apple phones!

Part of the charm of Apple products lies in the company's ability to embody their vision in them with amazing simplicity and elegance. The icons on the phone screen are concise but beautiful. Functions and options are easy to use but complex from a technical point of view. In other words, everything in the device is not just good, as you initially expect from Apple, but as good as boldly the company can draw product in their wildest dreams1
You can read more about the process of developing new products, the features of making crucial decisions at Apple in the books: Elliot J., Simon W. Steve Jobs. Leadership lessons. - M .: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2012; Young J., Simon W. iCon. Steve Jobs. - M .: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2012. Note red.

What about your products? How often did you have to bring them to the market with sighs and excuses like: “Okay, that’s it. Not a masterpiece, of course, but overall not bad? ”

Unfortunately, we often embark on new developments without a clear and truly bold vision as to what end result we want to get. I am afraid that too often we are content with dullness and mediocrity, we are not setting great goals, but we achieve even less.

If you want to create a solid platform, you first need to truly love your product. Strive to make it so good that the opportunity to offer it to other people would delight you - yes, sincere delight! Otherwise, all attempts to build a reliable platform are doomed to failure.

Conversely, if your product, service or idea is truly outstanding, the rest of the task is greatly simplified. Apple, for example, spends a fortune on developing new devices, but relatively little on marketing. And still, during the launch of the iPhone, the press wrote more about the brainchild of Apple than about the entire International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, held at the same time. In a word, the experience of Apple unequivocally confirms that I am absolutely right when I say: “Guys, the most important thing is the product.”

So let's learn this lesson from Apple and to begin with, we’ll thoroughly deal with the first part of the success equation: first of all, create a product that can delight people.

Chapter 2
The product should be a delight

I want to talk about Blake Maykoski, who provokes exclamations of admiration, albeit in a way different from the great Steve Jobs who recently left us, but no less magical and surprising.

In 2006, Maikoski, traveling around Argentina, noticed that many local kids walk barefoot. Returning to America, Blake founded a company called TOMS Shoes 2
Read more about the company in the book of Maykoski B. Leave your mark. - M .: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2012. Note. ed.

For each pair of shoes sold, a second pair was put aside for needy children from poor families. The following year, a philanthropic entrepreneur again went to Argentina, taking with him ten thousand pairs of children's shoes. By September 2010, TOMS and its partners, including Feed the Children, a non-profit charity, were distributing to children from low-income families. different countries there are more than a million pairs of shoes, sandals and shoes.

Of course, you have the right to object that a pair of children's shoes can hardly be called a product that can cause delight, but for many of the kids that TOMS helped, these sandals became the first pair of shoes in life. But a barefoot child cannot go to school, not to mention the fact that barefoot children run the risk of contracting various diseases caused by bacteria living in the soil. One boy from Kenya, for example, said: "I'm just happy, because before waking up in the morning, I did not know if I would ever have sandals." And one of the teachers, after distributing the shoes, assured: “I can say for sure that children who have received shoes and shoes will not be able to fall asleep today. They will talk about it all night! ” . So the delight and admiration, as they say, is evident.

If you, like Steve Jobs and Blake Maykoski, have a product that you can sell, or an idea that is worth proposing to the world, then I have important news for you. The world does not need more the number of ideas, goods and services; the world needs the best of them. Or, more precisely, he needs products that can cause an exclamation of admiration. This is the “attractive product” component of the above success equation. But how to create such a miracle? How to achieve that our plan evoked so desired enthusiastic emotions in people?

The first step is to learn to recognize such moments in your own life. Most of us have experienced this experience. We simply did not consider it necessary to think carefully and analyze the situation.

A few years ago I took my wife and youngest daughter to Scotland. This was our first trip to this wonderful country. We rented a car and drove around the west of Scottish Highland for a week. Starting from Edinburgh, we first moved north to Inverness. Then we drove along the western shore of Loch Ness to Fort Augustus and headed across the entire highlands to the west, to the Isle of Skye. We had enough time, and we enjoyed every moment of the trip.

Approaching the city of Portree, the capital of Skye, for the first time in our life, we saw the Raasai Strait and simply could not restrain the collective sigh of admiration. It was a great sight! Tears welled up in my eyes. The moment was truly transcendental - something that none of us even expected.

I must say that during this trip we experienced several such moments: in Edinburgh Castle, in Eilean-Donan Castle, on the Caledonian Canal, on Kilt Rock, in the Church of St. Mary and St. Finnan in Glenfinnan and in the endless Scottish lupine fields.

Some time after the trip to Scotland, the leaders of our company held a planning meeting; this event usually lasts with us all day. During the afternoon meeting, I asked my colleagues to recall the most striking events of their lives. One spoke about the birth of a child. Another shared his first impression of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. The third told how he first kissed his future wife ... Remembering all this, people spoke surprisingly with inspiration; we saw their eyes light up and their faces brighten. The game was attended by almost all those present.

And then I asked the group to try to determine what all these moments had in common. We have compiled a list. The analysis showed that each such experience in human life necessarily includes the following ten elements.

1. The surprise. We only experience moments of true delight when reality exceeds our expectations. It is precisely such a situation that causes joy, admiration, amazement, and sometimes even awe and awe in a person. Once, at Christmas, I was presented with an illustrated edition of David McCuloch’s 1776. Honestly, I was just speechless. I have never seen such a beautiful book. The advertising brochure said: “The publication includes exact copies of letters, maps, and portraits; this augmented version of David McCulloughh’s 2005 bestseller is an unedited first-hand account of America’s first steps toward state sovereignty. ” It is absolutely obvious that this product can cause a sincere delight of the client.

2. Anticipation. The anticipation of an amazing experience is almost the same pleasant feeling as that which you experience at the most significant moment. Thinking of something especially good, as if you start to experience it in advance. For example, Gail and I are currently planning a trip to the ocean. And we discuss the upcoming adventure literally every day. I have compiled in my mind a list of tasks that I want to do on vacation. I almost catch a fresh ocean breeze on my cheeks ... And every day a wonderful feeling of anticipation of something very pleasant grows and grows stronger.

3. Resonance. Moments of true admiration affect our hearts. They resonate with this feeling at the deepest level. Sometimes goosebumps begin to run through the body, and some people can cry. I remember once observing my two granddaughters, who, for the first time in their lives, came to the ocean. They fled from the waves, and the waves from them; girls were a living embodiment of delight and happiness. I then thought: “O youth, youth!”.

4. Transcendence. At the moment of true delight, a person seems to be connected to the source of transcendental knowledge. He feels a sense of clear purpose, meaningfulness of being, and even connection with God. Many years ago, when I was still working as an entrepreneur, one of my clients sat down at the piano to play some of my new songs with my business partner. As soon as she sang, the music captured me completely. I realized that talent was sent to her from above. The beauty of her songs shocked me to the core.

5. Clarity. When a person sincerely admires something, he sees things more clearly and clearly than before. It is as if in a new way "comprehends" their essence. Not so long ago, I read the book Chasing Daylight (Chasing the Eclipse of Light) by Eugene O’Kelly. I was simply not able to tear myself away from reading. This happened during one of the long flights to the West Coast. So, for those few hours on the plane, I understood more about life than all the time before.

6. Timelessness. Experiencing a moment of true delight, a person forgets about time. He does not remember the past. Doesn't think about the future. And completely immersed in the present, in what is happening to him here and now. Here is a perfect example from my life: one evening I enjoyed chatting with daughter Mary and her husband Chris, we sat on the veranda for a bottle of wine and had a pleasant conversation - and flew by for a few hours like one minute. Time seemed to stop.

7. Versatility. The feeling of true delight is, in fact, almost universal. Almost any person at this moment experiences the same sensations and emotions. That's why the Grand Canyon of Colorado and the French Circus of the Sun are so popular all over the world. They are interesting and attract people regardless of their age and ethnicity.

9. Durability. The enthusiasm from the amazing experience has not waned. You are ready to experience this feeling again and again. It is truly eternal. In 1973, I attended a concert by the amazing folk rock band Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, which was held at the Texas Stadium in Dallas. I then stood right on the field, very close to the stage. The impression was simply unbelievable. And in 2000, Gail gave me birthday tickets for a CSN & Y concert in Nashville. And this time, twenty-seven years later, I experienced exactly the same strong emotions.

10. A sense of privilege. The emotions experienced at the moment of true delight give rise to a feeling of noble pride in a person. You are happy because you have become part of the beautiful. You feel chosen, a kind of representative of a certain elite - and at the same time full of humility and boundless gratitude to fate for the opportunity to experience such emotions. One lady named Sandra experienced such feelings after an operation to implant an ear “snail”. By the time of the surgery, the woman was practically deaf. And on the day of implant activation, I first heard the words of my granddaughter: “Granny, can you hear me?” A few months later, the hearing recovered. According to the woman, it was real magic. “For the first time in my life I heard the voices of my grandchildren, again I heard the voices of children, relatives and friends, and they sounded just like I remembered them. How can a person survive something more beautiful? ” . It is obvious that Sandra feels both chosen and infinitely grateful fate at the same time.

So, in order to succeed, you first need to become an expert in recognizing moments of delight in your life. And, more importantly, you need to learn to recognize their absence - and force yourself to achieve what you want, strive for wonderful emotions and feelings. In no case do not be content with less, because as a result you deprive not only yourself, but also your customers of the wonderful impressions that they expect from you and which, no doubt, deserve. This is the basis for creating a reliable platform.

All Internet Theater

A platform is such a thing that you have to get into to be heard. This is your scene. But unlike theatrical stage, the modern platform is not built of wood or concrete and is not located on a green lawn. It is made up of people. From contacts. Interconnections. Followers and like-minded people. Such a platform is a tool with which you build communication with your current and potential supporters. It may include your company’s website, blog, account on Facebook and Twitter, an online video show or podcast. As a rule, there is a bit of everything in it. As in the old days, today success depends primarily not on what you know, but on who you know.

Being good is not enough

Nowadays, the product itself does not stand out among others. High quality is a necessary but insufficient requirement. For two reasons. Firstly, competition today is stronger than ever before. Have you ever bought something online?

I searched Amazon for a flat screen TV. 19,069 answers fell out!

Of course, this is an incredible amount, but just such a reality is faced by any person, deciding to convey to the outside world the news that he wants to sell. Secondly, the attention of modern man is scattered and dispersed. Human attention is a limited resource; in other words, in order to attract at least a small fraction of this attention, one has to enter into a competitive struggle with all other sources of information.

Don't give in to the flow

You have a dream about a great product. You tell your colleagues about it at a meeting. Everyone is imbued with an idea, a sort of creative cork is twisted. But then the time comes for a second meeting. Several employees report on the completion of assigned tasks. Perhaps show sketches, applications, slides. Everything seems to be good, in fact, even good. But for some reason it does not meet expectations. Somewhere deep down you realize that your dream has been hit. No, of course she did not die. But as if she had given what is called “reverse” - she sank to a banal level of discussion of timelines, budgets, and resources that were always missing. What to do to nevertheless translate the original plan into reality?

Stand for greatness.

Always check your original vision. The wise king Solomon said: “If there is no vision, the people spoil.” The same applies to impressions or a product that can cause delight. Until they materialize, this is just an idea. The only place they exist is your head. And sometimes you just have to close your eyes and tune in again to what you want to create. Remind yourself of what is at stake. I personally found that the best way to do this is to ask myself from time to time why this is so important. Starting to work on my first book, I made a list of seven reasons why I definitely need to write it. And looked through it every morning.

How to come up with a name

All great titles and names are created using the PINC strategy. This means that they all fulfill at least one of four tasks: promise, intrigue, define need, or simply describe the content. I will give examples.

1. Name containing the promise: The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman

2. Intriguing Name: Steve Jobs: One Last Thing

3. Name that defines the need: Mommy, I "m Here (as manufacturers called a wireless GPS bracelet for children)

4. Content Description Title: Autobiography of Mark Twain

Packaging in context

Remember: you will not have a second chance to make a good first impression. Creating a package, make its design simple and elegant. From my point of view, it should be like a drum part in good music. If the instrument sounds, you don’t think about it, but if there are no sounds, you immediately notice it. It can be formulated in another way: design should not compete for the attention of the audience with the message and idea, on the contrary, it should strengthen them.

Evaluate packaging in context. Having chosen a design, be sure to rate it in different conditionsin which you plan to implement the product. Will it stand out on a shelf among other similar products? Is the font readable on the packaging from a distance of one and a half meters? And three? Do not forget about the online context. How will the product look on the website of a retail online store with an image size of 260 pixels in height? Do not accept the work of a designer until you test the product wherever you plan to sell it.

Make yourself a tribal leader

Today we are dealing with a new type of marketing, which boils down to creating our own tribe. Today's marketing has nothing to do with barkers yelling at the crush of the market; Nowadays, it involves participation in a dialogue with those who are with you along the way. To create a community around your blog, you need to fulfill only two requirements: readers must have common interests and the ability to communicate freely with each other. Designate yourself a leader.

This is extremely important. There is no tribe without a leader. Without a leader, it’s just a crowd. In essence, the art of marketing is to get the people who are ready to follow you in the right direction. They just need someone who will lead them to where they themselves do not mind going.

How to write blog posts

I follow a standard plan when writing posts. I will not say that I follow it exactly, but I always start with it.

1. Introductory paragraph. This is the foundation of the basics. If you accelerate too long, readers will run away.

2. Illustration. For example, I take 90% of the photos from the site iStockPhoto.com. Sometimes I also use screenshots, videos or slides.

3. A story from life. The more honest and sincere you write, the better. Why? Because people associate themselves with your stories. In fact, most of my most popular posts are based on memories of my past failures and failures.

4. The main text. To structure it, for example, I use bulleted or numbered lists, and sometimes both. This makes the content clearer and more readable for blog visitors.

5. Question for discussion. Over the past few years, I have been ending every blog post with a question. I don’t want my posts to be a monologue at all. I need a dialogue, a conversation. And thanks to the questions, I have the opportunity to evaluate how interesting what I am writing about is the number of answers and comments.

Simplicity and minimalism

Posts should be short. Limit your blog posts to five hundred words. Use short paragraphs from three to four sentences. If there are more, the text seems too dense. People do not like this and switch to something else. Use short sentences. If possible, avoid complex sentences. The point itself makes the reader pause, and the meaning enters the mind in batches, one, so to speak, after another. Short sentences facilitate reading the text. Insert internal links. You can’t say everything you want in one post, so include links to other publications in which this or that thought is covered in more detail. This will provide you with other advantages: increase the number of views of your pages and the time spent by users on them. In addition, in my opinion, it is just convenient for readers.

Creative crisis

You need to write often, but sometimes there are not enough ideas for posts. In such cases, there are several topics that can warm up your imagination. You can tell a story from life or describe a historical event. Comment on your quote, news, or new movie that impressed you.

We often take what we know for granted.

But other people are willing to pay a lot for access to the invaluable information that you own. Offer them a phased description of the solution to a problem. If you tell how to do something in four steps, or describe five strategies to achieve something, people tend to read and listen to you with great interest. For the worst, offer a list of interesting resources. This is a great way to repay the good of your industry or your community.

Resource Lists - Extremely effective method creating and increasing traffic. Answer the readers' questions. My readers often ask amazing questions. I usually proceed from the rule that if a topic interests one person, then it interests many others. In addition, in answering your readers, you demonstrate that you are really listening to them and their opinion is not indifferent to you.

How to learn to write fast

Start writing the night before. A study at the University of California Medical School in San Diego showed that fast eye movement sleep (one of the stages of dreams) contributes more to the creative thought process than any other state of sleep or wakefulness. Take advantage of this - consider the ideas of future publications in a dream. For example, when I go to bed, I try to clearly articulate what I will write about the next day. This allows me to tune my brain to the right topic. In fact, this is the same as putting the ingredients for the roast in a “slow cooker” and letting it cook until morning.

Write offline. Always get offline when you sit down to write.

Of course, I do not mean completely, but do not check your email at this time, do not go to Twitter and Facebook. Take advantage of Anti-Social for Mac, which lets you turn off email and social networks. By launching it, you simply cannot log into them without restarting the computer. And for Windows users, a similar program is called Cold Turkey.

Before you start writing a publication, set a timer for, say, seventy minutes. This will create a sense of urgency, urgency. For example, I am in a state of constant struggle with myself and, setting a timer, I immediately feel a surge of strength and enthusiasm and begin to work much more efficiently in time to meet the target date.

Write without editing. Do not try to write and edit at the same time, this can make you crazy. Yes, and much progress with this approach can not be achieved. The fact is that the written statement of thoughts is mainly a function of the right hemisphere of the brain, and the left is responsible for editing. And constant switching back and forth seriously slows down the process. So you do not tune in the desired wave.