Platforms Brands and Community

First there were platforms and communities. Now we are told to build our brands. I love a good DIY project, but I feel stuck in a perpetual motion of building. My energy gets spent but the desired results for my writing and speaking career get missed.

This morning started with a step back. I need to define what it is I am building or I will end up with a house whose roof does not go all the way to the walls (and that is a recipe for disaster).

Basic Definitions

Platform – a raised flooring or other horizontal surface that can be used as a stage for public speaking (literal, but I still think it fits); everything you do with your expertise . . . to reach your potential readers (Christina Katz); who you are in relation to your topic (Literary Architects).

Brand – the identity of a specific product, service or business (Wikipedia); a marking to separate cattle (is it wrong that this makes me smile) or the mark put on a craft to identify the artist; set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another (Seth Godin).

Community – a social group of any size or location whose members have a common focus and regular interaction.

There seems to be no end to all that I have to learn and develop when growing a freelance writing (and speaking) career. The technology makes things easier because I can connect with editors and publishers and other writers in ways that never existed before this generation. It also makes things tougher because EVERYONE can connect and I have to do even more to stand out from the crowd.

Understanding these different components makes the process a little easier, but I still feel like the more I do then the more I need to do.

Where are you in your career building plans?