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Excerpt from Chapter 11
Become a Little Bit Famous
Begin with Low Visibility Tactics
For most people in a company, you won’t be able to talk about the company or your job to the outside media unless you are a senior executive and have been authorized to do so. You probably can’t use high visibility tactics unless you are involved in something outside your job, such as chairing a fundraising drive for a non-profit or are active in a cause of personal interest to you.
But you can use a lot of low visibility tactics to get more visibility within your company and your industry.
Start by taking a more active role in volunteering for cross-functional projects at work. Ask to participate in or lead corporate initiatives where you can make a contribution. Besides learning some thing new, you will come into contact with executives outside your area in the company. Even something low key like setting up a monthly brown bag lunch and inviting senior executives and outside vendors to speak will help you get noticed outside your department.
Brush up your presentation skills so that you are an effective speaker and communicator internally at meetings and externally at industry and other groups. The better you are at speaking and communicating, the more opportunities will come your way.
Look for ways to make your talks special, or set up a dramatic introduction to someone else. Think about how you enter a meeting. Don’t ever rush in. Enter slowly, and if you are in a company where you can pull it off, you can even enter grandly. I’ll never forget my college experience of Margaret Mead entering the auditorium from the back of the room and walking down the aisle with an enormous walking stick. I don’t remember what she said after all these years, but I will never forget her grand entrance.
When you talk about your ideas and proposals, use the branding techniques discussed earlier like “naming” your ideas to make them big ideas and coining words and expressions. Write an article for the company newsletter, or suggest a story idea about your department’s new initiative for the company intranet site. Don’t make the story about you. Make it about the project or the idea or the accomplishment. Glory will flow back to you, and you won’t appear self promoting.
Look at the comparison chart in the box below to see a list of high visibility and low visibility tactics used by business people. It’s not only a good review of what we’ve just discussed but may spawn additional suggestions of your own.
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High Visibility | Low Visibility Tactics |
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Expert on Television | Project Leader |
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Media Interviews | High-level Presentations |
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Book | Company Projects |
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National Media Articles | Company Newsletter |
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Charitable Boards | Charitable Activities |
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Corporate Boards | Letters to Editor |
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Keynote Speeches | Trade Articles |
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Industry Panels | Industry Association Activities |
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Website/Blog | Proprietary Reports |
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High Society Events | White Papers |
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Celebrity Pal | Company Website
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Check for Room in the Channel
One thing you need to keep in mind in visibility seeking is whether there is room in the channel as they say in the business.
PR isn’t a limitless thing. There is only so much room or coverage that can be absorbed in any one topic (with some notable exceptions like a juicy scandal).
As a rule, only a certain number of people can dominate each arena. Only a certain number of new faces can be highlighted every year.
Look at a major American event like the Academy Awards, an event that is filled with high visibility celebrities. The media has to focus on the winners in the big categories, but after that, visibility reaches just those celebrities who stand out with a fabulous (or awful) dress or say something especially provocative (or incoherent) on stage. The channel simply doesn’t have enough room to give visibility to everyone who is “important” at the event.
Likewise, it’s harder to find room in the channel in a geographic market like New York City. It’s already crowded with top talent in every field. It will be much more difficult to break out. You have to come up with something special, much more so than in a less competitive market.
Find an Arena You Can Dominate
Look for an area that is not already too crowded by others who staked it out before you. The first place to look is your job and your field. Then you can look at outside areas – cultural or political organizations or a cause that you are passionate about. Best of all, create a new cause or business idea to champion.
Every field produces “celebrities:” people who act as standard bearers. These are the leaders who are active at industry events and are quoted on industry issues or on a specific specialty area. Or they play the role of expert, pundit or contrarian. Every institution has a need for people to fill various archetypal roles. Some even become icons.
Think about where there might be room in the channel for you. Is it time for a changing of the guard? Are there issues in your field that are not represented well or even discussed? How can you get to know some of the influential people in the various arenas that interest you? Where could you contribute best?
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