Win the Game of Googleopoly

Chapter 1Either You Are Visible or You Are Invisible

As the old adage goes, if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? What about your marketing strategy? If you have the best product, service, widget, or invention and no one knows about it, does it truly exist? If the most talented person, the most innovative product, the greatest sales pitch to pass one's lips is created and no one is around to witness it, does it, he, or she exist?

The point is, you need an opportunity to do business, in order to do business. And regardless of your paradigm, whether you are a recording artist or owner of a small family–owned and operated bakery, your craft, talent, or passion is indeed a business and must be treated as such, if you expect it to evolve and earn money. Sure, I understand it is your passion, and it is easy to get caught up in the love of it, but at the end of the day, your passion is a business. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Beyoncé are all brands, and despite all the fun it appears to be, they are in the business of sales: merchandise sales, record sales, concert sales. So yes, you need an audience. You can't sell something to an inanimate object. You need a real, live, breathing, responsive being to act as your audience, who essentially is going to purchase your product, idea, or talent.

In the performance and entertainment arena, you need an audience to develop a fan base from. You can't become famous if no one has ever heard of you. Even ...