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4 Ways to Ensure Knockout Blog Promotion
The bell sounds as the twelfth round, and fight with it has closed. The two fighters exit to their respective corners seeking out much needed hydration and the reassurance of their inner circles; each is confident of victory.
The buzz of the crowd swells as the judge’s scorecards are read aloud. Floyd “Money” Mayweather has won again.
The self-proclaimed pound for pound king of boxing last beat Argentinian challenger Marcos Maidana extending his unblemished professional record to 46-0.
Through his career, Mayweather has utilized textbook footwork, defensive reactions only matched by his hand speed, and a tireless work ethic to establish his dominance across five weight classes.
He is widely considered one of the preeminent boxers of this generation. If you listen to Mayweather, he’d have you believe he’s the greatest of all time. And that’s the thing – an incredible amount of people do.
For all his exploits in the ring, Floyd Mayweather is an equally skilled Marketer and Brand Manager.
Pretty Boy Floyd engages in only one or two fights a year, and has leveraged this event schedule into becoming the world’s highest paid athlete.
He topped the Sports Illustrated and Forbes highest paid athlete list in 2012, and maintained that position on last year’s Sports Illustrated chart.
For his recent bout with Maidana alone, Mayweather can make up to 70 million dollars between the fight booking and pay per view profits.
How is this possible?
Floyd Mayweather has crafted a brand that demands attention.
How to Market your Brand Like Mayweather
#1 Be Bold, Be Controversial
You aren’t going to attract the attention you desire – the attention you deserve – if you are content to play it safe and sit back in the midst of the crowd.
Don’t just talk about an important issue or deliver information. There are plenty of other people doing the same thing. Take a stand. And don’t be afraid to be aggressive.
“People love controversy, and I’m controversial.” – Mayweather
Sounds like an easy concept to grasp, right? It is. So what stops so many people or businesses from taking this crucial step?
By taking a hardline stance and firmly entrenching yourself to a specific viewpoint you are not just opening yourself to criticism, you are inviting it.
COME AT ME BRO!
Take a page out of Mayweather’s playbook. He treasures his undefeated record. It is his boxing reputation. But every time he ducks under the ropes and enters the ring he is putting his record and his reputation on the line.
You should be doing the same thing.
While you aren’t necessarily placing your face in front of a competitor who is actively trying to rearrange it like Mayweather, you need to risk criticism and risk failure to succeed. If Mayweather avoided the ring, he couldn’t add to his record and legacy.
If you play it safe you aren’t adding to your own brand.
It may initially seem counterproductive to outright welcome criticism or disagreement. The people that like you or agree with you will talk about you. But the people who disagree with your stance will talk about you even more.
#2 Define your Voice
What voice do you speak with? What is your brand essence?
It is entirely up to you.
Sure your voice should be appropriate for your industry or niche. And yes, you absolutely need to use this voice with consistency. But that’s where the limitations end.
The persona you push your full voice behind is a reflection of you. Be creative. Visitors come to your blog, or your website for one reason – to read, to watch, and to share your experiences.
Once you have found and channeled your persona there is one more thing you must do. You must own it.
Have you ever heard of Howard Stern? Of course you have.
Appropriate is never a word you would use to describe him. Bold, crass, outspoken, and controversial are all more like it – and that’s the G-rated description. And … that’s perfectly okay.
He has been consistent in his approach and is THE authority of this voice. Howard has leveraged this persona to become a prominent radio personality, and even transcends the medium as a pop culture icon.
Floyd Mayweather has done the same – but he has gone a step farther. The genius of Mayweather is that his public image is artificial. It is a premeditated and meticulously craftedbrand.
“If you see Tom Cruise in a movie, that’s not really him. It’s a character he’s playing. Some of what I do in public is me, and some of it is playing a character.” – Mayweather
Mayweather and his affiliates have crafted this cocky, gambling machine that has ensured win or lose, he will always be a part of the public consciousness. You can tailor your voice to fit your industry as well to reap the publicity benefits.
#3 Provide Quality Content
Your voice is important, but content will always come first. The core of your blog or your content marketing still must be built on a solid foundation of organized knowledge and relevant experiences.
All of the bravado in the world would do Mayweather little good if he was unable to back up his large walk and tall talk within the ring.
Floyd is a polarizing figure within boxing circles, but even his staunchest critics can’t discount his skill.
Mayweather trains relentlessly and thoroughly studies his opponents looking for an opening in their defenses.
While the public only views his success from the weigh in through his large pay per view fights, Mayweather puts in an incredible amount of work in the planning and training stages.
He is already primed for success before he even dons his gloves and ducks under the ropes.
Make sure your critics can’t discount you.
People are never going to unanimously agree with what you have to say, especially if you are taking an aggressive stand on topics. Even if you did attempt to balance across the thin tightrope of objectivity, the results would inevitably be similar.
You will always have critics.
There is good news though. There are things you can do to limit their sting.
Just like Mayweather, a lot of work can be done in the planning stages. Always do sufficient research and back your assertions with facts and social proof. Anticipate objections or alternative viewpoints and build these into your pieces to enhance your stance.
When you are showcasing your skill for your audience, presumably not through combat, but rather through your blog presentation, make sure not to drop your gloves.
Don’t make yourself an easy target by publishing incomplete thoughts, grammar or spelling mistakes, or content that doesn’t fall back on your brand promise.
Give your blog promotion a fighting chance. Your writing should marry with your research to deliver a worthy final product.
#4 Complement Your Voice
Mayweather is not solely responsible for his brand management and marketing efforts. Neither is any athlete, artist, or professional of any kind. No empire is built alone.
To realize his vision of becoming the greatest boxer of all time, Floyd has surrounded himself with a great trainer, great publicists, great promoters, reliable sparring partners, and in short a whole inner circle dedicated to his success.
This same principle applies to your blog promotion.
You need to create relations with other bloggers and industry insiders to gain publicity, links, and in time a substantial audience.
How to Build Your Inner Circle
Start simple. Follow and read other blogs within your industry and in related industries. By regularly taking the time to review and interact with their material, they will be motivated to do the same with yours.
Take this even a step further and engage in a practice called content curation. Treat your content marketing strategy like a museum.
Museums “curate” or collect and display materials of a related nature for others to view and experience. By regularly sharing and linking to other related content you will build stronger relationships with your industry leaders.
Extend your reach outside your industry.
In his most recent fight, Floyd Mayweather was accompanied into the ring by none other than pop sensation Justin Bieber. Yes, you heard me correctly.
This isn’t solely an unlikely friendship, it is a strategic brand move. I don’t think I’m stepping out on a limb when I suggest that your typical prizefight pay per view subscriber is not a Belieber.
But there is a mutual benefit for both individuals.
Beliebers are a rabid fan base and they worship their idol. It isn’t a stretch to imagine some might tune into the fight to support the Biebs. On the flip side it is conceivable that a boxing aficionado may look into Justin Bieber, now that he’s associated with Floyd.
By reaching out to seemingly unrelated audiences and finding ways to parallel your industries, you are able to reach new markets, pull in new readers, and better your blog promotion.
Now that you have the tools:
– Be Bold
– Define your Brand Image
– Back up Your Assertions
– and Build a Team
… so that you can claim the title belt and stand atop the blogging world.
Have any other blog promotion tips? Please share in the comments below.