Platform University: Platform building savior or another business expense?

The business world is constantly changing, and you need to stand out. What sets you apart from other entrepreneurs? How are you different? A handful of factors can kill your business without you seeing it coming. One of the biggest is visibility. If your customers or viewers cannot see what you are offering they cannot support you. Platform University provides its members with the tools they need to combat these issues.

Let’s face it the times are different and the youth is moving business whether you like it or not. So, with that knowledge what can you do to get them on board with your brand? You could spend a couple thousand dollars on traditional ad campaigns, but there is no guarantee of penetration. Television, for example, while still a staple of American culture, is slowly declining. In fact, a 2015 survey found people were watching most of their media on handheld devices. Most of the time, if we have the means, opt for the commercial free option. This means you have to think of a workaround.

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Photo Credit: Platform University

This is where Platform University comes in. Platform University is an online community that helps it members promote a service or product. Platform University’s claim to fame is giving members a myriad of tools to set them up to win. The site is the brainchild of Michael Hyatt, author of Platform: Get Noticed in a Crazy World, and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. He is also the host of the weekly “This Is Your Life,” podcast. His reason behind Platform University is simple: Get the help you need in an all in one package.

Along with promotion, Platform University offers a variety of benefits for members. One of the biggest is the Master Class. Basically, the class is comprised of videos from people Hyatt personally knows in which they share their experiences in business and pro tip that you could implement in your day to day endeavors. Within the Master Class, the experts answer the hot topic questions that people have. It works on a month to month basis where Hyatt interviews an expert on a specific topic.

Platform University features a how-to section that provides members insight on tackling certain problems that they may be facing with their project. For example, if you need help figuring out who your target audience is, there is an article for that. Every month you will be able to read something fresh and new from the resident how-to content producer. If you miss one month’s post, you are able to search through the thousands of articles on the website.

The site also provides a Backstage section where Hyatt himself gives you his personal tips and tricks to successfully building your platform. It contains everything you need to know from creating your own brand slogan to launching a marketing campaign. If you still have questions on certain subjects Platform University also has a live Q&A with top experts each month. The site provides you with a transcript and MP3 of all the sessions just in case you miss a month.

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Michael Hyatt founder of Platform University

You also have a forum with people that you can bounce ideas off of or ask for advice, as well. All of these features and amenities come at the monthly fee of $30. Which if you do the math is only $360 a year. You are also able to pay on a month to month basis; so, if you decide you do not need to use the site one month you and opt out and rejoin later.

Being a member of Platform University has its benefits, but do you really need them? Let’s be honest a lot of this stuff you can already find online from multiple experts for free. Yes, it may take a while to gather all of your sources, however, you can essentially do the same thing. Hyatt has given you a very useful, convenient and handy resource that you are able to access day or night.

Is it worth it’s $30 a month price tag? In the opinion of this writer, the answer is no. It is great to have everything in an all in one package, but how many times do you see yourself using the website? Enrollment is another thing you have to keep an eye out for. If you want to become a member you have to catch it one of the two yearly enrollment periods. That means if you wait you have to binge on all the content that you missed.

We all have those membership cards or rewards card that we may use only once after our initial transaction. How many times have you been to the library for anything else besides the free Wi-Fi (libraries are important we are just trying to prove a point)? In fact, people like Gary Vaynerchuk are notorious for giving away their tips and tricks for free. YouTube is a free site that will give you most of the stuff you could find on Platform University. Hyatt has a free blog and podcast, himself, that you could get a lot of information from.

In the end, you have to decide what the best option for your lifestyle is. You could go the free option and have to wade through hours of content. On the other hand, you could go the all-in-one route and pay a monthly fee. Where Platform University gets it right is being able to give you your time back. All the content is accessible without a computer or internet connection. So, what will help you build your platform?