We all know that person, on media. They are the ones who make every single post feel like they are trying to sell us something. That person is always saying they are doing well always telling us about a special deal that we can only get if we send them a message and that person is always asking us for something. That person can be really annoying.
If you are, like me you probably muted them months ago. I did that with those people months ago because I just did not want to hear what they had to say. Muting them was the thing I did it saved me from a lot of trouble. Those people and their noise are just not something I want to deal with. I muted them months ago.
There is a group of people. These people do not seem to be selling anything all. They just share cool things talk about the things they are learning and they show up all the time.. When they finally say they have started a new project everyone wants to help the new project.
That is Ghost Marketing. It is about building a reputation quietly and effectively that people start trusting Ghost Marketing before you even ask them to trust Ghost Marketing. Ghost Marketing is all about being reliable and good, at what you do so people believe in Ghost Marketing.
This is how you can do this thing without losing the thing that makes you, you. You have to be careful when you are doing it so you do not lose your soul. Doing it this way will help you keep your soul. That is the most important thing, your soul.
1. Show the "Messy Middle"
Most people only show off the things they’re good at. Ghost Marketing is about showing the things that happen behind the scenes like the practice sessions of Ghost Marketing. This is what Ghost Marketing is really about it is, about sharing the practice sessions of Ghost Marketing, not the good stuff.
It is like walking into a restaurant with a kitchen. You see the chefs cutting up the vegetables and cleaning the grill. This makes you trust the food they are making even if you do not know what is in it. The kitchen, at the restaurant is open so you can see everything. You see the chefs preparing the food. That makes you trust the food from the restaurant.
The thing to do is to stop sharing the things that turn out well. We should start sharing the spreadsheet we used to figure something out or the three times a project did not work before we finally got it right. When people get to see how we think they do not need to see a paper to know that we are really good at something. The move is to be honest about our mistakes and share what we learn from them so people can see that we are experts at what we do, like the move of sharing our process.
2. Be Specific, Not "Inspirational"
I think advice that says things, like “Follow your dreams” is really boring. It is also something that people forget easily. The thing is people give this kind of advice all the time like “Follow your dreams”. It does not really help anyone.
When you want people to believe in your ideas you should tell them everything. Do not just say that being consistent is important. Try saying something like this: I made a plan to post something on my website every day at 8 AM for one month. The website traffic had some changes. I will tell you exactly what happened to my website traffic during that time. People will trust your brain when you give them the details about your website traffic. Giving details, about your website traffic is what makes people trust your brain.
When you use numbers and specific tools it shows that you are really doing the work. You are not just saying things that you read in a business book. Using numbers and specific tools is important because it shows that you are actually putting in the effort. Real numbers and specific tools are what matter not just talking about what you read.
3. Be the "Filter," Not Just the "Creator"
You do not have to come up with a new idea for something every single day. Coming up with brand ideas all the time is really tiring. Having a brand idea every day is just too much to handle.
The helpful person in the room is often the one who says, “Hey I read these ten articles so you do not have to. Here are the two articles that actually matter.” This person is really helping people by finding the articles. They are saving everyone a lot of time by reading all the articles and then sharing the good ones. The person is saying, “I read these ten articles, about the topic and I think these two articles are the ones that you should read because they have the information.”
When you always tell people about resources and explain why they are worth their time people start to trust you. You are not trying to sell them something you are just being helpful. This helps you gain a lot of respect from people. They see you as someone who knows what they are talking about. The thing that happens is that you become the person people go to for information and that is a really powerful thing. Great resources are what people are looking for and when you point them in the direction they appreciate it.
4. Just Keep Showing Up (The "Friendship" Effect)
The Mere Exposure Effect is a thing that happens in our minds. It is a trick. The Mere Exposure Effect works like this: we see something a lot. Then we start to like it. We like the Mere Exposure Effect because it is familiar to us. The Mere Exposure Effect is about getting used to things and that is why we tend to like things more when we see them often. The Mere Exposure Effect is really, about the Mere Exposure Effect making us like things just because they are familiar.
Ghost Marketing is not about being the person in the room. It is, about being the reliable person. If you share one thought or one interesting link three times a week Ghost Marketing starts to haunt peoples subconscious in a good way. You become someone people think about because you are always sharing something with them through Ghost Marketing.
When people eventually need help with the things that you do your name is the one that comes to mind. You did not really win a pitch you were just already the person they thought of. Your name is the one that people remember when they need the things that you do.
5. Try "The No-Ask Post"
No “Subscribe to my newsletter.” No “Book a call.” Just… nothing.
When you give away your stuff for free with no conditions it makes the reader feel like they owe you something. The reader feels thankful to you.. Because you did not ask for anything, in return right away the reader becomes a long-term fan of your stuff. The reader will actually look for your buy button on their own.
The Bottom Line
Personal branding should not feel like you are trying to sell something to people all the time. It should feel like you are having a good conversation with someone important. Personal branding is about being yourself and talking to people in a way that feels natural. Personal branding is not about being fake or trying to convince people to like you. It is just about being honest and having a conversation, with people.
Ghost Marketing is something that takes a time to work. It is about being helpful to people all the time. You help them much that when you have something to sell the people who know you will want to buy it from you. Ghost Marketing is a way to get people to trust you and like you before you try to sell them something. Ghost Marketing is, about being helpful and people will remember that when you need them to buy something from you.
Stop trying to build a following. Just build a reputation. The right people will find you.