Sell Your Product – YOU

Let’s pretend for a minute. Let’s imagine that you are an inventor of a new product and you’re here for me to tell you how I am going to get your product in front of every single person IN THE WORLD…FOR FREE! Are you going to listen? Would this be important to you? Of course!

Do you know how much ads during the super bowl cost? $2.6M for 30 seconds. They reach 110M viewers. 1.5% of the worldwide population. But, out of the same 7B people worldwide, 2.1B of them are internet users. You can spend close to $3M to reach 111M for 30 seconds, or NOTHING to reach a third of them 24
hours a day! I think we’re on the same page now

And the best part is, you do have a product. This wasn’t just theoretical fancy. You ARE the product. Are YOU any less important to sell than a product? You ARE your product.
 
Unemployment is up. Its past having to quote statistics for us all to comprehend or agree – we know people are struggling. If you were a baker and the market were suddenly flooded with 50,000 new brands of bread, you would have to change your tactics to make yours stand out and capture the sales. In the same fashion, you must sell yourself as your own product. You have to innovate to set yourself apart from the crowd. If you’ve been out of the game for a while, dust off and update the tools.

Still using a paper resume? I remember sending looking for a job back in the ‘90s. I was standing at a mailbox infront of the world trade center in Boston where I worked as a temp. I had half a dozen resumes in my hand, painfully typed cover letters and envelopes. I was about to drop them into the mailbox, I stood there quietly muttering a prayer, hoping they would wind up on the correct desk. It is a very powerful memory and it was a very powerless feeling.

Technology is here to make sure that we don't need to repeat experiences like this. There is a new world to acquaint yourself with and it is tailored made for your ease of use.
• Facebook captures ½ of a country’s population before enrollment slows
• Twitter has 13% of all online users in the US
• Google sites had 1 billion hits in May, 2011
These reach huge numbers of people and they are all FREE services.

Here are some steps to leverage these great tools:

THINK BRAND MARKETING ALL THE TIME, NOT JUST WHEN YOU NEED A NEW JOB
Appoint yourself VP of Marketing for your product - YOU.  Make sure you hold yourself accountable too.

Create a network
Use Linkedin and KEEP using it.

Blog
Tell us what you know. Set yourself up as an expert in what you do. This is no time to be shy.

Update status
Update twitter, Linkedin, facebook frequently. Let everyone know that you are staying fresh and have insights to share.

Create 3 minute videos
Youtube BABY! Web cams are almost free! Comb your hair, turn on a light and – SPEAK! Than post the link as a status update! I can hear it now “wow, Bob has thoughts and can articulate them. Plus he knows how to use current low cost tools to carry out his ideas”. Wouldn’t we all like that said about us?

Speak at meetups arranged on the internet
Another tried and true practice. Find a meetup group that is in line with your profession and go speak, press the flesh.

Tie it all together in a central location
Google sites offers great templates where you really only need to update the content and PRESTO, instant web site. I have one (brianleblanc.net). I did it on the train on a $170 netbook. Get business cards from vistaprint.com for free and put this web address on it. Put links to your all your social media profiles. Consider this your resume, one stop shopping for YOU

We are living in a day and age where location and money don’t matter. Never before in the history of man has this opportunity to market your skills and talent existed. You know you’re a SME, act like it, and have fun with this.

Best of luck,
Brian
http://atomictower.com - web reporting engine