Platform

Construct a Platform to Gain the Spotlight

To succeed as an innovator or inventor, you must promote public awareness of your work. Doing that requires building a platform, which is not necessarily easy, though the Internet puts success in reach. The successful platform builder can use modern communications methods – like blogs and social media – to increase visibility, create a brand and personal identity, amplify a message, connect to the right audience, gain Twitter and Facebook followers, and increase sales.

“Start with Wow”

Advertising legend David Ogilvy once advised, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.” Before you assemble your platform, be sure you have something to talk about: an outstanding product or service. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was the king of developing products that sparked customer excitement. His merchandise inspired consumer evangelists who spread the word about it. Because Apple invests heavily in product development, it spends comparatively little on marketing; Apple customers promote Apple via word-of-mouth.

The best products create an extraordinary “wow experience” for customers – generating emotions that...