Self Marketing 101

It's a never ending situation for me; I am constantly getting hit with questions of “how can I effectively market myself?" I always answer the same way and it will never change: you have to be in the faces of the people, in shape, and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Period!

There seems to also be a belief in the industry that if someone has a certain amount of exposure (even if it is a ton) that there should be pay involved, simply for being involved in the marketing of one’s self. Here is the bottom line, my friends: You have to constantly be proactive to further your career. A magazine cover or twenty won't suddenly warrant that you get paid to be involved in efforts to market yourself. Of course there are jobs that you should be paid for, but you really need to understand the difference between the two.

I was the worst back in the day. When someone would ask me to "contribute" to a project they were working on. I immediately thought to myself, “Don't you know who I am? You need to pay me for my time!"

While there is some truth to that statement, you also need to take into account that the person who asks for your contribution may be investing money into the marketing of that product. Even though they may make a profit from that product, and you may not, they will effectively get your name in front of millions of people that you never would have or could have on your own. Then it's up to you to take advantage of that for yourself.

Another thing you don't want to do is buy into your own hype. You may have a cover or fifty, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your face is the sole reason their product or service will sell. I was also guilty of that. I thought, "well if you don't pay me I'm not getting in. You'll see the power I have!" Wrong! The product goes on with or without you! I've had many ships set sail and make lots of money and get tons of exposure without good ol' me!

I had a rude awakening one day when someone asked me to contribute to an e-book they were selling and I refused because they weren't paying. He subtly told me that his site was ranked about 3 million higher than mine and that I wasn't getting any traffic and he was, so it was me that needed him and not the other way around. Once I understood that concept I jumped on board and things have changed for me.

Do yourself this favor: If you have a website check your rankings on alexa.com. If it ranks higher than mine (a lower number is better) or myfittribe.com let me know and I will start contributing there so I can increase my exposure. If it doesn't, then let's talk and my marketing guys will explain to you how to maximize your exposure and rankings which will, in turn, earn you more money if you have a product or service to sell.