5 Tools for Platform Building Success

Building anything requires having the right tools. My husband and I purchased our home in the fall of 1995 and all we owned was a chainsaw and a hammer. We managed to do a lot of the work on the house with those two tools, although nothing was perfect and my husband always saw the flaws.

Tornadoes hit our community in April of 2011. Most of our home had to be completely redone and we hired professionals to tackle the task this time around. They had more tools than you could shake a stick at – although I did wag my finger a few times. The finished product they produced was picture worthy.

Tools make the difference.

Building a platform – those things that hold up your career – also requires tools. You may can make something usable or tolerable using a few basic tools, but having something that will push you to your limits means getting the best tools and using them in the right fashion.

5 Tools for Building your Writing Platform

Conferences – attending conferences associated with your writing genre or you niche industry. You help to build your expertise in your field. You create new connections or expand those that are already in existence. You also get a chance to present your products to the public.

Speaking Opportunities – Writers have to be speakers (and it does not hurt for speakers to be writers). It may only be the local library or book store, but getting your face – and your products – in front of others will help you with selling today and tomorrow.

Social Media – The internet has opened up new areas for adding planks to your platform. Mastering Twitter, FaceBook, and other social sites will potentially connect you to a massive consumer base and also help you build an ally army that will spread the word about your events and products.

Websites/Blogs – Creating content that explains your position, exposes readers to your abilities or just introduces visitors to your services will help expand your reach.

Articles/Guest Posts – writing for others exposes you to a new audience. Choose places that are connected to your genre or niche. Getting paid is a bonus – you are looking for a byline that includes links to your own social media or websites.

If you build it, they will come. In this situation, it means that if you put in the effort to build your unique platform – by stacking planks one at a time in an order that suits your situation and focuses on your abilities or skills – it will help create an atmosphere for sales. Invest some time to learn the different tools available for building your platform and then put them to work in your journey to success.