When I look at this sign, I see two things that I try to apply to my business.  You should too.

#1 – Always move up
Keep moving in a positive direction.  Sometimes that may mean retreating or quitting some things that are not working, but only because that affords you the time to focus on better, more positive things.

# 2 – Be a rebel
Stop looking for the one right way to do marketing.  Forge new ways and you will stand out and create more buzz.

With those thoughts in mind, lets get to the list of 7 tips for not being invisible.

1. Unexpected Web Element- Are you working hard to make your website look super professional and just like your competitors?  Consider this a slap down.  Many studies have shown that people’s eyes go to the unexpected on a web page.  It could be an image, it could be a misspelled word.  Put something out there that grabs the attention. (but not misspellings – that was just an example)
    
   
2. Be the Brand – If you are not a big corporation, maybe the best thing to do is stop trying to act like one.  Give your company some personality and make part of your personality your business.  The work/life balance applies to people that hate their jobs but want a check… not to people that are passionate about what they do.  Are you passionate?  If not, quit.
    
   
3. Act like you own your industry – Be knowledgeable about your industry and own it.  Inside you may know that there are bigger players and other experts, but unless you start acting like the leading expert now, you never will get there.
    
   
4. Have the courage to be wrong – You simply cannot be right all the time and stand out.  If you want to be right, you have to take safe, blah positions on issues and cover all possible exceptions.

   I got a lot of attention when I said – “If an employee is not passionate about the business and willing to create buzz, fire them.” – Many business owners liked the idea but did not find it practical…. they could not fire otherwise good employees just because they did not want to create buzz. – If they want to have a sucky half business that is their problem.
    
   

5. Build value engines – If you try to make everything one to one personal, you will find you spend all day answering emails and talking to people.  Create avenues where more than one person can get to know you without needing your individual attention.

   Blogs are one way to do this, and designing an auto-responder course such as mine on Buzz Marketing is another.  You would be surprised how many people feel like they know me even though I have never met them.
    
   

6. Lurkers are Losers! – Lurkers are those people that read blog posts, message boards and other online community sites but do not participate.  I am going to expand this to also include people that read books, magazines and newspapers but do not email or send a letter to the author, reporter or editor.

   If you are investing time to read, why don’t you invest a few moments more to add to the discussion and create some visibility for yourself?  It gets easier the more you do it and people appreciate the participation.

   Are you going to comment on this blog post or are you a loser?
    
   

7. Don’t Alienate People – If you go around calling people losers or acting like you are too important, people will ignore you instead of care about you.  There is a delicate balance between being different and an expert vs. being obnoxious and annoying.

   I know very high profile people that do a great job of replying with personality and humor to emails and inquiries, even though they are busy and very successful. Make every communication an effort to win fans.  You cannot be invisible if you have a fan club.

Bonus Tip #8:  NEVER SLEEP Lastly, you can take naps from time to time, but never sleep.  Your visibility depends on a consistent, long-term commitment to creating more visibility and buzz.  You can only become a celebrity in your industry if you start thinking like one.