Becoming an Internet Celebrity Using WordPress & Social Media

Erin BlaskieBusiness ID: ErinBlaskie.comAlter Ego: ErinGames.com

I Know What You’re Thinking...

• “But... I don’t know you!”– You do now! ;)– Important to maintain relevant to YOUR target

market (not the entire world – although, that’s not bad either!)

– As you maintain relevancy and gain further exposure in the market, your reach will expand further than you ever dreamed

I Know What Else You Are Thinking

• “But I don’t want to be an Internet celebrity”– True, you may not... But do you want to sell your

services and products online?– Internet celebrity is interchangeable with industry

expert, industry leader, guru, go-to-person, etc.– It’s all about the know, like & trust factor –

building credibility online will help you achieve this

My Real Live Case Study

• Meet Erin Games• Did not exist pre February of 2009• Erin Games 1.0 was built entirely using WP,

social media and a World of Warcraft membership

• She stayed in beta mode for approximately one month while tested by the community and the gaming industry

Erin Games WordPress Blog Site

TWITTER PLUG-IN FAIL!!

The Key to This Case Study

• I started Erin Games from scratch• WordPress was used to easily build site and

build up a bulk of content – ie: expert!!• I used none of my contacts from my business &

internet marketing world to drive traffic, etc. (although once I unleash this, I suspect the views / followers / etc. will increase!)

• No previous experience in the gaming industry as a professional – only as a gamer

The Way She Looks Today

• Nearly 9,000 channel views on YouTube• Nearly 500 subscribers on YouTube• Nearly 2,000 followers on Twitter• Starting a regular spot on TheStream.tv as a

gaming / MMO correspondent• Asked to cover ComicCon, BlizzCon, QuakeCon

and PAX• Clothing sponsorship with Jinx.com• Get beta codes & beta test opportunities

How Did This Happen?

• Currently ranking well in Alexa.com – we’re up 340% over the 3 months we’ve been live

• We’re using Brian Gardner’s Church theme and blogging on a low to moderate amount

• 279,000 ranking in the USA• 758 ranking in Namibia• 230,000 ranking in Canada

The Way She Looks Today

• Invited to EA’s offices• Visited LucasArt Digital office• Invited to the Resident Evil 5 launch party in

San Fran• EA Sports contacted EG on Twitter and is

mailing sports titles as “test” games• Featured on a radio program to discuss

gaming and the MMO community

How Did This Happen?

• Chose a specific target market that I had knowledge and passion in

• Began pushing content, videos and most importantly, personality, out to the mainstream community via WordPress and other tools

• Had a professional “look” to the site easily, quickly and did it myself (zero overhead!)

How Did This Happen?

• Partnered carefully with sites that were bigger• Focused and targeted specific people in the

industry and on the web who would help drive the brand forward

• Did live “come & meet me” broadcasts using Ustream.tv (first broadcast had 700 viewers)

How Internet Celebritism Applies to You

• Expert status for “guru sites”• Gather a following for your blog as opposed to

capturing a one-time audience – many people blog without involving themselves in it completely

• Target markets you may not have explored yet – advertising, YouTube partnerships, etc.

How Internet Celebritism Applies to You

• Create buzz and appeal from your market thus increasing sales, visibility and market appeal

• In today’s market, in any business, the hard sell does NOT work – selling socially does

• New promotional opportunities open up that didn’t exist before – media interviews, possible inclusion in books & other written materials, etc.

How I Applied This to My Company

• Erin Games was both a case study and also an opportunity for me to explore my passion in a possibly profitable way

• Over the last five years, I’ve built a six-figure company with a current team of seventeen using no paid advertising other than my blog site (thank you Brian!)

• I sell socially rather than hard selling or buying customers

Following on the Biz Level

• 250-500K visitors per month to the website• Nearly 10,000 followers on Twitter• 5,000 contacts on Facebook (1000+ pending)• 10,000 contacts on 1ShoppingCart (our

autoresponder program)• Nearly 5,000 views on business YouTube

channel

No, It’s Not an Ego Stroke

• Selling socially works much better than hard selling

• The contacts and followers I have were not spammed, followed for the sake of following, purchased, etc.

• People will seek you out when you give them reason to – the reason should be YOU and that authentic part of you

ErinBlaskie.com

Business Services, ETC (www.bsetc.ca)

The VA Coach (www.thevacoach.com)

LearnAboutOnlineBusiness.com

Generate a Following, Build a Long-Term Business

• People buy from those that they like, know and trust – becoming prolific on the Internet gives people plenty of opportunity to get to know you

• Authenticity sells... Be yourself instead of just trying to fit into a particular “mold”

• Utilize the tools and stay current and relevant

Generate a Long-Term Following

• Sell with passion and not for money – the money will come when you are passionate

• Ask yourself: would you want to work with someone who is unknown or is known?

• When you are blogging (and you should blog often of course) blog in your voice so people get to learn about YOU and not just your company or your chosen topic.

Simple Tools to Get You Started

• Video: if you’re comfy with it, get on YouTube and do videos about your content area– For example: WP designers could do video tips for

their clients... People who want a new WP blog. Series called “Why WordPress is the Better Website Choice...” with tips will generate you clients.

• Social networking: don’t get on it and blog about your breakfast, blog content specific things that showcase your expertise

Simple Tools to Get You Started

• Blog different mediums – video, blog posts, excerpts from other bloggers – give people a lot of things to interact with

• Interweave your efforts – when you blog, do a Tweet about your post, turn your blog posts where possible into articles and distribute those, turn your online videos into blog posts, etc.

Simple Tools to Get You Started

• Live streaming video: do sessions where you can invite people to come and ask you questions

• Guest bloggers: if you want tons of great content, invite some other industry leaders to blog on your site

• Interaction & interactivity: get your community involved through contests, etc.– Freebies actually help sell your stuff!

Simple Tools to Get You Started

• Get out of your bubble: look at the industry and outside of your industry to see what is “hot” right now– Create blog posts about relevant things– Create videos, parody videos, etc. – It’s okay to

infuse personality and FUN into your business• Attend specific events: going to networking

events and conferences in your industry gets you out there and helps you meet others

Most Important Tip

• Be a rockstar!– It’s okay to TALK about what you do, who you are

and why you’re the rockstar in your industry– Exude confidence when talking about your work –

confidence and personality sell– Get used to saying, “SUBSCRIBE!” or “Follow me

on Twitter!” – do it often and say it everywhere– Reach out as much as you expect to be reached

to... This isn’t a one-way street

Questions?

• As an industry leader, expert, internet celebrity, gamer and online rock star... I have answers ;) (See... Confidence! Haha)

• Oh... And follow me on Twitter! @ErinBlaskie• Susbcribe on YouTube ;)