your platform makeover action plan · 2014-09-09 · ￭ use a free service like surveymonkey.com....

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YOUR PLATFORM MAKEOVER ACTION PLAN©2014 Platform University

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Thanks for taking the time to watch my new video series, Your Platform Makeover. I hope you are now ready to begin your own Platform Makeover.

If you’re ever felt frustrated by how difficult it is to get the attention your message, product, or service deserves, this resource will really help you finally turn that around.

As I explained in the videos, the market is crowded. It seems like everyone has a blog these days, and the competition is fierce. While there may be a lot of apparent competition, few people are actually doing it well.

That provides an enormous opportunity for you. By making just a few small changes to your platform you can really move the needle, skyrocketing your traffic, growth and impact.

In this companion to the video series, I give you a simple checklist to guide you through your own makeover process, and take your platform to the next level.

Simply follow the steps I outline here in sequential order, and you’ll be set up for success.

Now, let’s get started.

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TWEAK #1

D e v e l o p a C o m p e l l i n g V a l u e P r o p o s i t i o n

A value proposition answers the question your audience is asking, “What can you do for me?” The value proposition also gives you the clarity you need to hone your other branding elements like logos, etc., and dial in your content, messaging, and marketing.

A c t i o n P l a n

1. Conduct a reader survey.

￭ Use a free service like SurveyMonkey.com.

￭ Ask both demographic and psychographic questions.

￭ Make sure to ask a question that helps you understand the primary pain point or frustration your audience experiences.

￭ Ask only 5–10 total questions.

￭ Run the survey for about 7–14 days.

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https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com

https://www.evernote.com/OutboundRedirect.action?dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com

￭ Don’t worry if you get a small response. Whatever information you get is more than you had when you started.

2. Summarize your findings.

￭ Once the survey is closed, summarize your findings in a simple statement about your audience.

￭ ______________________________________________________________________My Audience Summary:

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

￭ Jackie Bledsoe’s Example: “Ages 35-44, 70% are married, and most have kids ranging in age from 6-13.” 38% prefer your marriage content. 30% prefer your parenting content. 60% of your audience is female, though you are mostly writing for husbands and fathers.”

3. Develop your own value proposition.

Now it’s time to put it all together. Use this template to create your own value proposition:

￭ I am a [your professional identity, e.g., author, speaker, blogger, coach, etc.].

￭ I help [your target audience],

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￭ do/understand [your unique solution],

￭ so that [your promised transformation].

Now it’s your turn. Fill in the blanks below:

￭ __________________________________________________________________________________________I am .

￭ _________________________________________________________________________________________I help ,

￭ _______________________________________________________________________________do or understand

______________________________________________________________________________________________ ,

￭ ___________________________________________________________________________________so that they .

Here’s Jackie’s example for your reference:

“I am a speaker, author, and blogger. I help motivated but overwhelmed husbands and fathers learn how to lead and love their families so they can have lasting, fulfilling marriages and meaningful influence on their kids.”

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TWEAK #2

C r e a t e a P o w e r f u l B r a n d S l o g a n

Now, you need a brand slogan to immediately communicate the value you provide to your audience when they first come to your site.

A c t i o n P l a n

1. Distill your value proposition down to a short, punchy statement that describes the essence of your brand.

2. Begin your brand slogan with a verb or gerund.

3. Include your brand slogan in your blog header.

4. Make it bigger than your logo or name to communicate that you are focused on the needs of your reader.

Here’s Jackie’s brand slogan:

“Lead and Love the Ones Who Matter Most.”

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TWEAK #3

G e t a N e w P h o t o S h o o t

One of the best ways to take your site to the next level is to populate it with professional photos. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but this small investment will separate you from the competition.

A c t i o n P l a n

1. Select a photographer and negotiate the fee and rights.

2. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars for this. This may vary considerably depending on where you live.

3. If you don’t have a trusted photographer, Facebook is a great way to crowdsource this for a reliable referral.

4. Make sure to negotiate for all rights for your photos.

5. Create a shot list and discuss with your photographer. Examples include:

￭ Headshot

￭ Blog header image

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￭ Speaking shot

￭ Action shot (coaching, consulting, leading a small group or workshop)

6. Look into the lens, especially for your headshot. This builds trust and connection with your audience.

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TWEAK #4

C o m m i s s i o n a P r o f e s s i o n a l L o g o

A high-quality logo enables you to look professional and stand out from the pack. If you are building a personal brand, your logo might be a stylized type treatment of your name.

A c t i o n P l a n

1. Create a design brief to get aligned with your designer before you begin. This should include:

￭ Who you and your brand are

￭ Who your audience is

￭ The specifics about your project

2. Select a designer or a design service.

￭ If you don’t already know someone, get recommendations from friends whose logos you like.

￭ Or, consider a service like 99Designs.com.

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http://99designs.com/

http://99designs.com/

3. Respond to designer(s) quickly with feedback.

4. Finalize your logo and gets the files you need:

￭ .png files

￭ .jpeg files

￭ original source files

Here are some logo examples for Platform University:

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TWEAK #5

U p d a t e Y o u r B l o g H e a d e r

Now, it’s time to integrate all the branding elements into the header that lives at the top of your blog. This is where you put your best foot forward to those visiting your site for the first time.

A c t i o n P l a n

1. Select a picture to use as the primary image.

2. Make sure this image has your positioned on one side or the other, with lots of space to the side for your brand slogan.

3. Ask your designer to create a header based on the size requirements of the particular Wordpress theme you are using.

4. Include your brand slogan in the header, and possible your name and logo, depending on the space allowed. You can also put your name and logo in the navigation bar at the top of your site.

5. Upload the image to your blog. If you don’t know how to do this, ask a developer for help. It shouldn’t be expensive—this is a very simple project.

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TWEAK #6

F i n e s s e Y o u r A b o u t P a g e

Your About page is the second most visited page on your site. It’s the first place new readers go when they arrive. And, it’s an incredible opportunity to gain their trust and convert them into a regular reader.

A c t i o n P l a n

1. Avoid the common mistake of making your About page all about you—or, conversely—totally impersonal.

2. Share who you are in a way that is focused on your readers, their interests, wants, and needs.

3. Make sure observe the following principles:

￭ Write in the first person

￭ Write in a conversational style

￭ Start with your reader’s priorities

￭ Tell them about yourself

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￭ Tell them about your blog

￭ Set their expectations

￭ Invite them to subscribe

￭ Point them to your top posts

￭ Provide your full biography

￭ Tell them how to contact you

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TWEAK #7

C r e a t e a M a g n e t i c E m a i l I n c e n t i v e

Building an email list is the most valuable platform asset you have. Without it, you don’t have an audience assembled and ready to buy when you’re ready to sell something. With it, you have a highly targeted, high-trust list of prospects ready to consume what you have to offer.

A c t i o n P l a n

1. Review your audience’s primary pain point and the unique solution you provide.

2. Ask yourself, “Where can I do the heavy lifting for my audience and alleviate their pain or frustration?”

3. Focus on a "quick win” rather than a long ebook.

4. Choose a format. (e.g., a resource list, 30 day challenge, cheat sheet, checklist, etc.)

5. Write the content and keep it short (aim for 10-20 pages).

6. Hire a designer to create a 3D book cover. (If you can afford it, have the interior pages designed as well.)

7. Make sure the cover copy is readable at a small size.

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8. Place the your email incentive ad in the upper right-hand corner of your blog. The ad should include the 3D book cover.

9. Connect your email incentive to a email subscription service like AWeber or Mailchimp.

Here’s Jackie’s example for your reference: “Date Night in a Box: 12 Plug and Play Ideas to Wow Your Wife This Weekend.”

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http://www.aweber.com/start-sending.htm?gclid=CjwKEAjwj4ugBRD1x4ST9YHplzMSJACTDms8-oOvQdsjziazJnPtspSaycnQCogyKwKEdJpyjxoIGRoCV0nw_wcB

http://www.aweber.com/start-sending.htm?gclid=CjwKEAjwj4ugBRD1x4ST9YHplzMSJACTDms8-oOvQdsjziazJnPtspSaycnQCogyKwKEdJpyjxoIGRoCV0nw_wcB

http://mailchimp.com/?pid=GAW&source=website&gclid=CjwKEAjwj4ugBRD1x4ST9YHplzMSJACTDms8Lv6AuNmyUuaSGWmYaYF4xEBMwFMywcDRIPBjiKZumhoCk2zw_wcB

http://mailchimp.com/?pid=GAW&source=website&gclid=CjwKEAjwj4ugBRD1x4ST9YHplzMSJACTDms8Lv6AuNmyUuaSGWmYaYF4xEBMwFMywcDRIPBjiKZumhoCk2zw_wcB

TWEAK #8

D r e s s U p Y o u r S o c i a l M e d i a P a g e s

One thing that separates professional brands from the amateurs is brand consistency. In order to achieve that kind of professionalism with your brand, you need to make sure you are using your branding consistently everywhere it appears, including on your social media pages.

A c t i o n P l a n

1. Select and upload a headshot that you will use exclusively as your avatar on all of your social media channels.

2. Create and upload a background image similar to the one you used for your header. Adjust that to fit Twitter, Facebook, etc. A designer can quickly and inexpensively do this for you.

3. You can also use a free service like, Pagemodo or Canva.

4. Write a short bio (140 characters or less) and populate across all social media channels

5. This could be a shortened version of your value proposition and/or brand slogan.

6. Don’t forget to link back to your site in your bio.

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http://www.pagemodo.com/

http://www.pagemodo.com/

https://www.canva.com/

https://www.canva.com/

Here’s Jackie’s social media bio: “Author, Speaker, Blogger, Jesus Follower. I help husbands & fathers lead and love the ones who matter most. JackieBledsoe.com”

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http://jackiebledsoe.com/

http://jackiebledsoe.com/

C o n c l u s i o n

Thanks for taking the time to watch the Platform Makeover video series, and for reading this Action Plan. I hope you feel empowered to begin your own platform makeover so you can get noticed in a noisy world.

I promise you, the results are worth the effort.

If you happen to feel overwhelmed as you read through this checklist, just focus on taking it one step at a time.

In fact, to ensure that you begin to make progress immediately, I advise you pull up your calendar, and choose a deadline for each Tweak. Make sure those deadlines are simultaneously challenging and realistic.

I recommend that you set a deadline to accomplish Tweak #1 within seven days of today. The clarity and momentum you gain from that exercise will propel you forward, enabling you to quickly move through the other Tweaks.

Now, go make it happen. The world needs your message!

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your platform makeover action plan · 2014-09-09 · ￭ use a free service like surveymonkey.com....

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