Most of the people David Dunham and I come into connect with want to be celebrities. I’m not talking about actors or musicians, or the Hollywood types, but rather people who brand themselves and their product or service and become so successful that the public identifies them with it.
So, you’re an entrepreneur, a business owner, or an artist, and you want to dip into or own your corner of the market. Having a great product, message, or idea simply isn’t enough—at least in this economy. In order to be truly successful, you need more. You need You! You must become the chief marketer and front man, earning the approval and trust of the public before they’ll invest in you or your product.
To put it simply, you’re going to have to become a celebrity, branding yourself so that people identify you with your industry. Tiger Woods is the celebrity of golf, medicine can claim Dr. Oz, and finance has Suze Orman, among others. The one thing these people have in common is they’ve branded themselves. They learned their job, improved their skills and knowledge, and built an empire with it. Their names are now synonymous with what they do.
Sound tough? It can be. That’s why we developed our monthly mentorship program, YourCelebrityBrand.com. But to get started, the following five must-do steps to help you build your own celebrity brand and increase your net worth.
Step One: Develop a flawless plan using the 30-thousand level view. Where do you see yourself 1 year from now? 5 years? What intellectual property do you have to offer? How do you monetize it?
Step Two: Write a book establishing yourself as an authority. If you can’t write it or don’t have time, hire a writer to write it for you or a good editor who can clean up your manuscript. Using a traditional publisher or self-publishing, authoring a book builds your base, generates revenue, and markets your message. It automatically makes you a sought-after expert in your field.
Step Three: Exposure, exposure, exposure! Develop a PR and marketing strategy that includes broadcast and print media, television, Webisode on MSN, social media, etc.
Step Four: Develop intellectual property, including ancillary and derivative products. Got a book? Consider adding audio and video CDs, newsletters, blogs, and additional products.
Step Five: Plan your work and work your plan. Map your goals. Set yourself up for future books by not giving away the store with your first book. Give your followers a reason to want more! Plan your success by taking yourself from where you are to every place you want to be down the road. Kathy Ireland did it, so did Suzanne Sommers. They had a career, built a following, and used it to create an empire by becoming an image and authority for products in entirely different industries.
Those are the five key steps between you and fame! Build your brand and take the first step toward becoming a celebrity. The stage is yours, start climbing! To listen to our full hour info-packed teleseminar (for free!), sign up at http://yourcelebritybrand.com, and also receive the bonus gift of Business Innovator Secrets: 5 Innovation Tips to Increase Your Bottom Line, an interview with VC and best-selling business writer, Bill Glynn.