Defining Your P3 (Public Poly Presence)

You’re interested in making a difference.  Maybe you have some fresh ideas that need to be heard.   Perhaps you have a set of skills that can help fellow poly movers & shakers with their own endeavors. Here are the million dollar questions:  Why should someone (listen to / work with / work for) you? What is going to draw them to you? The answer depends on your public poly presence.

What is a "public presence"?

Another name for this is your personal brand. Most of us live with (and are bombarded by) brands on a daily basis.  The things that we eat, drink, wear, and use typically carry the name of another (corporate) identity.  For instance - from the time I wake up to the time I leave for work, I am in contact with over a dozen branded items. When we go to the store and have the opportunity to choose between a well-known brand and a generic item, we typically buy the well-known brand, even though it's usually more expensive. Why does the brand name influence our decision to the point where we are willing to pay more?  First we feel an emotional connection to the brand, which is due to our own experiences with the products (and clever marketing). Then there's the logical side which values quality, consistency, and trustworthiness. This is why the store-brand Mac & Cheese will never taste as good as the real thing :p How does this apply to you? Guess what - as you start promoting yourself, you are creating an image that others can connect with and identify with.  Over time, your audience will shift from periodically listening to you to becoming loyal fans and advocates (free advertising!). The first step is to define your personal image - your public poly presence.

Before you promote yourself, you need to know yourself

Take a long, honest look at why you want to promote yourself

• Do you want others to see you as a role model?
• Does the potential attention and admiration excite you?
• Are you planning on selling goods or services to other poly people?

There are no wrong answers to these questions.  Most of us are driven by self-interest, so it is important to know what motivates you.  Not only will this help keep you focused during the tougher times, but being honest and open about your desires can help build credibility with your audience. To give an example from my own career - I coach financial professionals on how to sell insurance to their clients, and part of my compensation is based on how much they sell. The reason that I help them sell insurance - in contrast to other financial products - is I also believe in the importance of people protecting their families from financial hardship caused by a catastrophic event.  Both reasons motivate me to work hard, and the professionals that I work with are aware of this.  They share a similar focus in what they do, and their clients are aware of it as well.  The client's understand that their advisor earns money based on what they sell, but they also trust that person to act ethically. It was through the honesty on motivations, and an acceptance that self-gratification and serving others aren't mutually exclusive, that allowed this partnership to happen. It is okay to desire attention and money, as long as you are providing value in return.

Be Real

[caption id="attachment_784" align="alignright" width="300" caption="My early attempts to "build a presence""][/caption] Here's another story from my own personal experiences - When I first started Young Metro Poly, I did not have pictures of myself on the site. Instead, I used a stock photo of an ethnically diverse group of young people.  After getting smacked hard in a review on another site, I redid my layout and threw on a couple of cute self-portraits for my header image. At first, I was nervous about posting pictures of myself.  This wasn't a normal issue of body image - I'm comfortable with my height, weight, skin complexion, hair, etc.  I was worried about how people would react seeing me for who I am - a young, white, intellectual woman who looks like a cross between the "girl next door" and a corporate professional. [caption id="attachment_777" align="alignright" width="300" caption="This is me in my element"][/caption] I like money and making money. I used to drive an SUV until it broke down after 190,000 miles of wear and tear.  Politically I'm a Libertarian with Republican leanings. While I'm "more spiritual than religious", I also hold a lot of respect for Christianity, even if I think that the institutionalized church has messed things up.  I could go on, but the jist of it is that I don't fit most of the common stereotypes about poly people. I felt awkward about this at first, but have gotten used to it over time. Perhaps in the next few weeks, I'll find time to re-skin this site to better reflect my personality (though if that gets done before mid-February, it means that I'm procrastinating on prepping for my workshop at Poly Living). What I'm trying to get at is that it doesn't matter if you fit certain labels or break the stereotypes completely. Be yourself. You bring your own unique perspective to The Poly Movement and people will respect you for it. Today I shared with you the basics on building your personal image. Tomorrow I will discuss the practical side - how to promote it through personal networking.