In today’s age, visibility isn’t difficult to achieve, the question is “does it mean anything?” Be very careful about judging a person by their social media presence, it can be deceiving. I’ve talked with hundreds of business owners online who, by appearances, are successful, productive, in demand and profitable. The reality is that they are barely scraping by. They are what is known as “Internet Famous.” And it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
These professionals are typically out of focus, busy but not productive, overwhelmed by too many tools and not enough strategy, and unclear on who they really are so instead of putting themselves forward, they put a persona forward. They are good folks caught in a trap of visibility not being enough. They got the T-shirt, but that’s all they got. You deserve more (so do they.)
The issue is that with social media it is relatively easy to be seen, it is far more difficult to be heard. And success isn’t about how often you show up, but instead what you are known for when you show up. In other words, what words or tag lines leap to mind when you see certain people online? Sometimes they are genuinely famous and truly profitable, way beyond internet famous. Examples include:
Mari Smith ~ The Pied Piper of Facebook (and a genius at branding herself, her message, and her talent, plus a genuinely nice person)
Gary Vaynerchuk ~ The Wine Guy (well branded, outrageous, in your face, and a character who polarizes and that’s a good thing)
Carrie Wilkerson ~ The Barefoot Executive (leading work-at-home moms to success and fortune and a wizard with video branding)
Lou Bortone ~ The Online Video Guy (gifted at garnering your attention with fun stunts on film and in pictures, and shares a heart of gold)
Hemal Radia ~ The LOA Coach (guiding each of us to the best of ourselves by learning how to attract what we want most and attracting us in the process)
These five individuals are just a few examples of professionals who are focused, authentic, and congruent in their messaging. They show up and are seen, heard, listened to, followed, friended, and consumed. Others you recognize but you aren’t sure why. It isn’t clear what they do, who they work with, how to consume them (so you don’t) and it leaves them with just that internet fame glow but no real value to all that visibility. Now, I’m not going to pull the curtain back on those I know are internet famous only, that wouldn’t be right. They are struggling, frustrated and some will figure it out and some won’t.
The keys are simple, I named them above, but perhaps you missed them:
Get FOCUSED ~ being a Bright Shiny Opportunity Chaser is the fastest path to poverty. Give it up now.
Be YOURSELF ~ no one else wants the job or will do it nearly as well as you can.
Get CONGRUENT ~ this is about having one message that is clear, concise, real, and YOU through all of your life, business, and marketing
This is far beyond marketing, you can market yourself into the ground but unless you are focused, authentic and congruent, you won’t get far. Stop, look, listen, and take the time to figure out WHO you are, WHAT you are about, and HOW that looks to others.
I welcome your comments always and invite your experiences with being internet famous or the benefits of being yourself!
