Rule #1 of branding is that you build your brand through publicity!
So that means that the press and PR isn’t a nuisance, but an actual asset to your business and something that you should be spending a tremendous amount of time cultivating.
But how do you garner that brand building publicity?
Here are a few ways:
1. Make yourself an expert:
This is easier than you think. If you have been working on something for any length of time, you probably have a point of view that will be helpful or unique and that allows you to share your thoughts in a new way.
I mean, I’m considered a branding and marketing expert, partly due to my experience working with American Express, Yellow Tail Wines, and Best Buy, but just as much because I write about the topic pretty regularly in magazines, blogs, and appear on TV.
So what this means for you is that you need to spend some time being your own PR agent and get yourself on blogs, in magazines and newspapers, on TV and radio.
2. Use your publicity as a spring board to more publicity:
Nothing breeds success like success, or that is the rumor.
But really, use the publicity and exposure you are getting in your early efforts to produce more publicity for yourself.
I started out my personal branding efforts by writing a monthly piece for the Project Management Institute and have used that early exposure to get a quarterly spot in the ALSD’s Magazine, SEAT.
You can do the same by taking the early success you have an using it as a tool to get yourself into bigger and better places.
3. Understand that publicity can only take you so far:
At the end of the day, publicity is a tool that can take you far, but it has a lifecycle just like everything else.
So know when publicity isn’t going to work and use other tools at your disposal to help accelerate your brand building.