In an economy operating in both the digital and physical worlds, having the right online profile is essential to attract attention, achieve credibility and cater to a specific market niche. So what does it mean to invest in your own persona and build your online presence and what is the ultimate goal in doing so.
In a hyperconnected digital world, it is essential that you have a place on the internet where you can communicate directly with your audience. It is also essential to have third party content creators like journalists and influencers mention you in their content. This helps you build authority and credibility.
Jad MawlawiOnce you have an established online presence, the next step would be to attract the right attention. The most effective is through social media influencer endorsements. That’s why I sat down with international publicity wizard Jad Mawlawi.
Jad’s agency, Dooply, is human-centric premium media agency focused on promoting humans rather than products or services. They believe that through humans, one can promote any product, service, or ideology. The key is developing credibility and engaging your audience first, calling them to action second and perpetually evolving the relationship with your audience.
Mr. Mawlawi comments, “Engaging influencers and encouraging them to mention you in their posts to their audiences is probably the most effective way of attracting attention in an over competitive world.”
So if we want to break the process down into steps:
- Establish an online presence on social media. (this is the vehicle of direct communication with your audience)
- Engage third party content creators to mention you in their content. (indirect communication with your audience)
- Attract attention by engaging influencers to post about you.
Once you attract the right attention, you then must convert this attention into influence. This can be achieved by engaging, educating, and exciting your audience. The influence that you develop with your audience is directly related to your unique value proposition. However, it is essential that you demonstrate credibility and relatability prior to building influence.
Mr. Mawlawi continues, “According to Dooply’s model, there are three fundamental pillars to establish an online persona and cultivate influence; Branding, Publicity, and Relationships. The heart of this model, however, is your story and your cause which is powered by your unique value proposition.”
Promoting products and services does not give you a competitive advantage in an over-competitive market. The reality is once you connect with your audience on a a human and personal levels, you can then influence them to buy your product or service.
Today, attracting attention and cultivating influence is priceless and the best investment you can make is in your most intrinsically valuable commodity; your persona.
Damon Burton is an entrepreneur, consultant and President of SEOnational.com. He founded SEO National in 2007 to offer personalized campaigns in search engine optimization and online reputation management for medium to large companies. In 2013, he started UtahSites.com to provide WordPress development to local small businesses. He also enjoys blogging about entrepreneurship at DamonBurton.com.