Happy Thursday Friends!

Congratulations! The weekend is in sight. So today we’re doing something a little diff. We’ve had a lot of inquiries from authors about “building a platform.” How do you do it? What does it take? Ideas? Dos and Don’ts?

So here, at no extra charge, is The Official Mom and Kimber Guide to How to Build Your Platform. You’re welcome:

Blog.  Update.  Tweet.  Link in.  Network. Get an agent.  Don’t get an agent.  Self-publish. Don’t self-publish.  Go E-book.  Go brick-and-mortar.

Anyone and everyone is singing the praises of social media, networking and technology these days, especially when it comes to “branding” or “getting your message out” and “building your platform.”

 Spinning Heads

It’s enough to make your head spin.  But what do you do when The Experts (who are these people?) offer conflicting advice?  It takes time to wade through the Good, the Bad, and the Just Plain Ridiculous.

So let’s cut to the chase.

Bottom Line: “Building a platform” means building relationships.  And building relationships means getting outside yourself and building up others.  Letting them “rise and shine.”

The Secret

Here’s the secret to “building your platform”: It’s not about you.

Some ideas:

Rather than focusing on sales and marketing, focus on people.  Rather than seeing people as dollars on two legs, see them as individuals.  Not numbers.  Not blog stats.  Not followers, promotional tools or something you can use to make yourself look good.  But as living, breathing human beings with interests, opinions, pursuits, passions, families, in-laws, insecurities, ups and downs.  Some may even own a cat.  Nobody’s perfect.

Just like you.

And me.

Make Others Look Good

So, instead of “plugging in” just to promote, treat people like people.  Get to know them.  Ask how they’re doing.  Listen.  Seriously.  Instead of focusing on yourself, give the other person a chance to have their say. Don’t step on the end of their sentences.  Don’t interrupt because you can’t wait to jump in and redirect the conversation to yourself.

Reach out.  Make a phone call.  Send an email.  Answer a question.  Give others the limelight.  Share links.  Retweet.  Repost.  “Like.” Comment. Make others look good.

“Building a platform” can be summed up as “building up others.”  Or, as Jesus put it: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31.)   Amen?

How have you made someone else look good? 

Who has done the same for you?