The Desert of Arizona
Partly Cloudy 57 Degrees
On Tuesday, I wrapped up work with a Platform Lab client who is an investment advisor “across the pond.” He wanted to show-up different in his market and that’s what a media platform is about.
I have to say, the work we do in the Platform Lab is a bit devious. And I take full responsibility for it, as I’ll explain. On first hearing, you might think that creating a media platform like a newsletter is as simple as just doing it. You decide to do it and you do it. Simple. Done. That’s certainly what the average service provider thinks. (We’ll let them think that for as long as we can!)
From where I sit though, the path to creating a media platform you can use to differentiate yourself in the marketplace AND attract clients is based on a good bit of deep, strategic thinking.
This is thinking most service providers haven’t done, aren’t willing to do, maybe aren’t even equipped to do.
To me, that’s an opportunity. Whenever you come across something most people aren’t willing to do, it pays to investigate what opportunities might be hidden in there for you.
Understand this: a media platform isn’t just a megaphone with which you blab about yourself. A media platform is a vehicle that delivers the EXPERIENCE of you to many more people than you could ever work with. And it adds value to the lives of those individuals as well.
This “vehicle” that is your media platform contains a carefully crafted message. One that is strategically delivered, over time, WITHOUT you having to say it.
A silly, but clear example: If YOU show up telling people how great you are, you’ll look like a jerk.
If YOU show up in a way that makes THEM tell you how great you are, that’s a totally different story. Then you look like a genius. It’s the SAME YOU in both instances with two different strategies.
The smart way to build a media platform is to sharpen your clarity about what you do, for whom you do it and why you are a superior option for your clients.
That’s why I call the Platform Lab “devious.” It forces you to do the thinking that most will never do. We do it in steps, so there’s not too much pain 🙂 The “medicine” (aka real work) goes down with a spoonful of sugar. And then, once you’re done, that clarity pays off over and over again.
I just opened enrollment on another round of the Platform Lab. Limit is 15 people going through this at once. You can have the first module in your inbox about 15 minutes from now.