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[socialrocket-tweet quote=”‘Marketing is the act of sharing what you are passionate about.’ (Michael Hyatt)” tweet=”Marketing is the act of sharing what you are passionate about. #Platform @MichaelHyatt”]

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World is a fabulous tool for anyone who is in business or social media.  (And really, can you be in business without being in social media these days?)

[socialrocket-tweet quote=”‘For an online strategy to work, you need to create a site that makes people want to come back for more—and bring a few of their friends with them.’ (Michael Hyatt)” tweet=”You need to create a site that makes people want to come back for more–and bring a few friends.”]

It’s aptly called “a step-by-step guide for anyone with something to say or sell”.  The first section, on creating a wow effect, is great perspective for every company and business.  Then it gets a bit more personal, with branding tools, professional headshots, and elevator pitches.

Part three is full of great info for bloggers: writing posts faster, protecting your intellectual content, the importance of good landing pages, even creating video interviews.  Then Michael Hyatt delves into the nitty gritty of social media and expanding your reach, with a big emphasis on Twitter (7 chapters on Twitter, 1 on a Facebook page) in part four.  The final section on engaging your tribe wraps things up, with everything from how to deal with rude commenters to monitoring and defending your brand and a final chapter on monetizing your blog.

[socialrocket-tweet quote=”‘Don’t ask for a retweet; simply post content worth retweeting.’ (Michael Hyatt)” tweet=”Don’t ask for a retweet; simply post content worth retweeting. #Platform @Michael Hyatt”]

I suppose it’s expected that a book on social media read like a collection of blog posts—and the format works well for Platform, because you can read the applicable chapters and skip the rest without feeling like you’ve missed something.  But I still couldn’t help feeling that there was some repetition and some holes that mightn’t have been there in a book that started out as a book, not blog posts.

That being said, Platform is a resource I highly recommend to anyone who’s working on a product or brand, or starting out in business social media.  Combined with Twitter for Good—which is a fabulous resource for organizations on Twitter—Platform will be indispensable for every business and organization.  My Kindle clippings are full of highlights from Platform—so many pithy, quotable tidbits about social media, marketing, and Twitter:

[socialrocket-tweet quote=”‘If you want to build a social media platform—one where people listen to you—then you have to be a giver, not a taker.’ (Michael Hyatt)” tweet=”If you want to build a social media platform, then you have to be a giver, not a taker @MichaelHyatt”]

However, for those who are just beginning to write, Platform might be a bit overwhelming.  It’s written by a man who knows the publishing and social media world well, but he started blogging when he was CEO of Thomas Nelson—and I can’t help but think that did lend a bit of help to the phenomenal growth of his “platform”.

So for my beginning writer friends, I’m still recommending You Are A Writer and the companion Writer’s Manifesto.  Jeff Goins wasn’t a name anyone knew a few years ago—he truly started from the ground up in building his platform.  And he put the emphasis on the writing—which is where every writer needs to put their time and energy.

When you’re looking for more in depth info about building your brand and promoting your speaking and writing—not to mention finding out how the pros use Twitter—then it’s time to pick up Platform.

But don’t get so overwhelmed by building your platform, so distracted by expanding your reach, that you forget the most important part: writing. 

And of course, Michael Hyatt agrees:

[socialrocket-tweet quote=”“Write regularly. This is the best advice I could give you for building readership. If people like what you write, they will come back. If there’s nothing new to read, they will eventually lose interest. So the more regularly you post, the more your readership will grow.’ (Michael Hyatt)” tweet=”Write regularly. This is the best advice I could give you for building readership. @MichaelHyatt”]