CEO Advice: Your Soapbox

Yesterday I discussed the merits of building a proper Mission Statement for your Corporation. This is something that first-timers typically scoff at, but it is critical to focus your efforts and provide clear goals to not only yourself, but those that may follow you. That is a crucial first step along the path of building a Corporation, but there are other steps - like getting the word out - that I want to discuss with you.

For sake of argument let's assume you don't have the inclination to spend six years making an awesome, well-read, horribly creative blog of your own that attracts a tremendous audience every single day. Just for the sake of argument here. So what else can you do to help spread the word about your shiny new idea for a Corporation? And keep in mind, everything is about scale when it comes right down to it, the more you put into it the more you get back. I did in fact spend six years writing this blog, so I do get a tremendous return for that investment. Your time, on your own scale, is also an investment. There are no short cuts to hard work.

Don't despair, there are more tools available to the potential Corp CEO than ever before. Getting the word out is easier than it has ever been before. So let's take a look at the tools that are available to you.

Bottom Line
Traditionally posting a recruitment thread on the Eve Forums is always step one. This is traditionally the first step of starting a new Corporation for good reason and it should remain your very first step. Not only does it work, if you keep it active every day, but it also serves as a handy link you can share with people in a pinch. I still recommend you do this immediately when you are ready to start recruiting.

In-game recruitment ads are a good second step. Just be sure to post them in areas where potential new recruits will be hanging out and not to far from what will be your base of operations. Especially when you are starting out, many people simply don't want to have to move across the universe to test out your new idea. Most people won't. But these ads do work and help to make you "seem" like a real Corporation.

Seeming like a real Corporation is important. Even with only you at the helm, you can do things that make it seem like you know what you are doing. Setting up a forum, even a free one with ads, is better than not having one. What are you going to do about Comms? Do you have a Slack or Tapatalk account? What about a killboard? You don't have to go and set all these things up before you recruit your first player, but these are the things you may need if you want to grow past a few friends. Remember the scale, a few friends may be all you are after.

And get a public channel right away. Do eet!

Social Media
Today we have Twitter, Slack, Skype, Facebook, G+, and many many more tools at our disposal. I honestly can't imagine trying to start a new Corporation without being involved with at least some avenue of Social Media. And while not all of these are important, being involved in at least some of them is. This is where active people hang out together and you should be in the mix.

As a recruiting tool the benefits may not be obvious. But recruiting is about more than just finding people that may want to join your Corporation. It is also about building word of mouth. Everyone already on social media also already comes along with their own audience and network, a network you may not have access to. But they do. Especially if you are starting from scratch, exploiting other people's networks can be very important. We all know someone, and that someone might just be interested in what you are doing.

You may not know this, but I re-tweet every single recruitment tweet I see on Tweetfleet.

Get in there and mix it up. Show some personality. Link stories that you find interesting, that might apply to your goals, and don't be afraid to cheerlead your own Corporation.

Cheerleaders
Your personal style is going to play a huge part in the type of Corporation you build. There is no way around it. This is a good thing. As the leader your Corporation should reflect you, and likewise, you should reflect your Corporation. This makes you the primary Cheerleader for your Corp. You are its biggest fan, you believe in what you are doing, and you want to jump up and down and tell everyone about it! Go Team Go!!

Remember the scale. Your own scale may vary, but within reason you are the one that believes before anyone else does. So tell them about it. Tell them in local. Start convos. Send evemails to old friends in-game. Get the news out baby!!

I used to drop links to the Stay Frosty article in every local I went thru back when we first started. Every single system, once I started to leave, drop a link. I have no shame.

Luckily, all the photos of me in a Cheerleaders outfit have been burned.

Friends
In real life or in-game (or both) friends are the bestest. You can't beat friends. But you can exploit them. Either they can join you on your crazy crusade or they know people that might want to. Friends already sorta kinda like you, so they are great for getting the word out about what you are doing. It is called a network for a reason, a giant spider-web of connections, potential connections, and potential new recruits. Invite your friends to your awesome public channel, talk in that channel, tell them to invite their friends.

Lastly
You may not have a blog, but you can comment on them. You may not have enough members to set up a 200 man public roam, but you can fly in them. You may not have 14b to hold an FFA, but you can participate in them. Being active makes you active. Not only can you have a lot of fun, but you get to meet new people, hang out with successful players, and learn new things.

Your Corporation is going to be awesome. I just know it.

Tomorrow the last post in this series will talk about what to do when everything goes down the toilet. Tension and conflict baby. Tension and conflict.