Online Platform Branding and Building

Your 7 Step Plan to Becoming Relevant, Current & Successful in the Digital Age

 If you’re in your 50’s or 60’s, you’ve already had a lot of success. You have a wealth of experience that you want to share with the world. But chances are, you aren’t sure which parts of your experience you should pull from to ensure you’re both current and relevant.

• Maybe you’re recently retired and are wondering what to do next…
• Maybe you’re looking for an exit plan and want to leverage your wisdom in a new way…
• Maybe you’ve sold your company and are looking for a new adventure…
• Maybe you are saying, “It’s time!”

But how? What skills do you pull from? How do you find the gems in your past to make yourself relevant and current in today’s market and social media landscape?

Then there are those nagging little voices that say things like, “it’s too late to start now – you don’t have anything to contribute!”

The thing is, if it’s not now, when will it be? I’m a pilot and have a passion for flying, and you have to gain a certain amount of speed to take off before you run out of runway. The same is true with life.

Chances are, you’re just doing what you’ve always been doing because you just don’t know where to start. Maybe you don’t even know what you actually want out of this next chapter.

But you’ve GOT to figure it out because of market forces, or a deeper force within…

If it’s the market, you see the writing on the walls. You know that if you don’t reinvent yourself NOW, your business and opportunities are going to run dry in the next few years.

Or maybe it’s that underneath the voices of doubt, you have a deeper voice that says you have something to bring to this world – and that the time is NOW.

Either way – NOW is the key word!

Here’s the problem – 

In my experience, no one can see themselves clearly (not even me!). We all need some help to see ourselves in a new light, to recontextualize your skills and experience to make them relevant in today’s market. And even more, to find the hidden skills that bring you the most joy – and will make you the most recognized and rewarded NOW.

That’s what this is all about.

Authentic Authority is a program designed specifically for you. It helps men with skills, experience and wisdom repackage their expertise to make them relevant, visible and highly valuable today.

But HOW, you might be thinking.

Together, we build a platform for you that makes other people talk about you. You become the Authority and Influencer.  A Thought Leader.

And guess what? Referrals and business opportunities roll in – increasing in speed as your recognition grows in the market.

If you’re ready to be relevant, current and successful in the digital age (even in your 50’s or 60’s), this program is for you.

Both our 6-month and 1-year programs include:

• The development of your Personal Brand
• Your very own customized, branded Thought Leadership Website
• Matching authority-building social media platform setups
• Attend to any self-sabotage around visibility, so you can step out with true confidence
• Business and marketing coaching with Susan that is deep, strategic and focused

When you’re older, you may be wiser… but might not feel so smart when it comes to today’s social media business landscape. That’s where we come in. Together we can bring your expertise up to date and showcase it so the market sees you, value you, and do business with you.

If you’re ready to see what we can do together, contact Susan and we’ll discuss which timeline/program is best for you and your budget.

Contact Susan

Are you Passionate, Purposeful and Focused on Making a Difference with your Wisdom and Experience?

If so, just imagine:

• Building an online presence and platform that showcases you in a manner that’s both current and relevant.
• Showcasing your expertise in a way that makes you the go-to expert in your industry.
• Having a brand message that elevates your work to a new level of authority.
• Inspiring, influencing and impacting your ideal audience with a leadership mindset that will make you simply unforgettable.

THE AUTHENTIC AUTHORITY SYSTEM OVERVIEW

STEP 1 >  ESTABLISH YOUR BRAND AUTHORITY

What do you want to be known for? How can you change your industry for the better? Why should people listen to you?

Creating a solid brand message is an important step in being credible as a thought leader. It’s your foundation. Miss this step and you’ll be backtracking forever, wondering why your logo or website don’t bring you the success you crave.   People can’t trust or follow someone who isn’t clear on what they’re leading.

To inspire others to join your tribe, you need a clear brand message that explains your value proposition, positions you as an authority in a niche area, and defines why your audience should follow you. In today’s savvy and sophisticated market, being one step ahead with your best foot forward, is critical.

STEP 2 > BUILD YOUR TRIBE WITH CONFIDENCE

When you commit to becoming a go-to authority in your industry, you’re redefining who you are. You’re stepping into a new role as an expert leader.

If you’re like most people, this is going to bring up feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt as you question whether you truly have the expertise and wisdom to be seen as a thought leader. Now is the time to do a confidence cleanup and replace limiting thoughts with expansive ones.

It’s important to boost up your confidence and self-worth so that you’re ready to share more of your magic with the world. Don’t hide what you’re doing or downplay it… showcase it as you would anything else you wholeheartedly believe in. This can be done by updating your mindset and investing in your ongoing personal development.  That’s where our mindset is critical in the early stages of your platform building so that the voice of self-sabotage is tamed and transformed.

STEP 3 >  DEVELOP A COMPELLING ONLINE PRESENCE

This may be an obvious one, but I can’t tell you how many talented aspiring individuals I’ve met over the years who don’t have any way of being found online!

Is it possible to become a thought leader without having an online presence?

Not really. Even if you’re really well known in your industry for what you’ve done and the positions you’ve held, you can’t build thought leadership without a solid personal brand and online platform to back it up.

Love it or hate it – it still remains a fact.  You will be Googled by your tribe.

In today’s world, every article, interview, or quote you produce is going to be shared online.

If you want to have influence on what people learn about you, it’s critical to establish a clear online presence through your own website, social media channels and overall online presence.

STEP 4 > SOCIAL MEDIA MASTERY

You might not currently use social media, but most of the rest of the world does.  In order to connect with your right audience, you need to choose the right broadcast platforms.

To figure out where you should be broadcasting your message, ask yourself:

• Where does your ideal audience get their information from? For example, are they going to online publications, magazines, podcasts, or books to learn?
• What experts do they follow?
• How are those leaders sharing their thought leadership content?
• How will people find out about you? Through what communication channels will you showcase your thought leadership? Common communication channels include radio, TV, print publications, podcasts, online publications or your own social media channels.

You want to share your message, and attract the people you’re meant to serve.

With the overwhelming number of options available to share your message, it can be confusing to know the best way. Blog? Newsletter? Social Media post? Start a podcast? Offer a webinar?

Together, we’ll decide which of these may be right for you, and when to do them.

STEP 5 > START A BLOG  

Finding your unique voice and sharing it is a part of building your authority platform.  Thought leaders share their ideas, innovations, and expertise to positively influence their industry.  They actively generate dialogue to shift thinking and change paradigms.

One powerful way to do this is through starting a blog.

A blog (an online journal on your website) is a great way to produce content that highlights your expertise and establishes your brand authority.  It gives you a platform to test out your ideas and invite feedback from your audience.

Over time, your blog will contain several pieces of written content that you can turn into thought leadership articles to submit to other publications, compile into a book, or develop into a course or workshop. This is where you begin to monetize your platform.

STEP 6 > BUILD VISIBILITY IN YOUR MARKET

You have a website. You started a blog. You have a communications plan in place. (check, check & check.)

Now it’s time to take your brand authority to the next level.

How? Contribute your knowledge on platforms that directly connect with your ideal audience!

Are there trade or interest-specific magazines you can contribute an article to? How about being featured in some podcasts that reach your ideal audience?

Together we will identify the ideal places to start pitching your guest articles or podcast ideas, so you can reach a wider audience today.

STEP 7 >  WRITE A BOOK (optional)

Check out the list of 10 leaders and influencers in your industry and see how many of them have published a book. Or if you want to just take my word for it, I’ll tell you: ALL OF THEM will have published a book.

Being an author (read: author-ity) gives you a major credibility boost. Publishing a book is a great way to showcase your thought leadership and establish yourself as a go-to expert.

Make this a platform building goal of yours. Plant the seed now and nurture it as you establish your brand authority. Get ideas of what your audience wants to learn about from their comments on your blog and social media posts. Keep a book journal where you write ideas for your book, draft a book outline, and bookmark articles that will be part of your research.  

Your book is your stake in the ground for influencing your industry. Make sure it’s a quality product that showcases your absolute best.  I’ll be there to guide you.

What is the Final Outcome?

You’ve built Authentic Authority – you’re an Influencer in your area of expertise, doing the work you love while being well rewarded for your wisdom.

This is our passion and our expertise. If you’re ready to see what we can do for you, contact Susan to discuss which timeline/program is best for you and your budget.