Have you ever felt frustrated or overwhelmed by social media? Have you ever gotten caught up in the “how”, and forgot to focus on the “why” for what you do?
Do you sometimes think to yourself, “I know that I have something of value to offer, that many people will pay for! Why am I struggling so much to make money, and make things happen?”
These are questions that every artist, small business owner, entrepreneur, and blogger experiences at some point along your journey. The thought of creating something fantastic, that people will pay for again and again, then refer their friends to is exciting yet daunting!
Throw in the work involved in getting your message, art, product, or service to the masses on a daily basis, and you may want to quit before you even get started. But don’t fret. Help is on the way!
Whatever issue you’re facing today, there are thousands of other people who have gone through the same thing, faced the same challenge, and overcame it. So guess what? That means you can too!
Are you starting to feel better now? Great! Let’s get started!
Five Major Problems Every Brand Faces:
1. Having a Great Product, Service, or Art to share with the world, but not knowing HOW to get it in front of the right people/your target customer/your “super-fans”.
2. Spending so much time on marketing your brand, and growing your social media numbers, that you are sacrificing the quality of your art, product, or service.
3. Not putting enough time and focus into building an e-mail subscriber list of targeted individuals, who are interested in specifically what you have to offer.
4. Not knowing how to speak the language that drives your potential customers to take positive action.
5. Getting so overwhelmed that you end up doing nothing.
Five Powerful Solutions For Every Brand:
1. Study, Research, and Discover the top 3 social media platforms where your target audience hangs out online.
Then build your social media strategy on those platforms alone. Forget about trying to be active everywhere. Don’t try to take on too much. If you spread yourself and your strategy too thin, you won’t be effective anywhere. It’s already so much work, time, and energy to create compelling, engaging content on a daily basis, schedule or post your updates, reply to comments and mentions, share other people’s stuff, create unique, branded images, videos, etc. The list goes on and on. Be honest with yourself about the resources and time you really have to dedicate to social media marketing, and focus on quality, and building relationships where it counts!
2. Create High-Quality Products, Services, and Art, then enjoy the blessing of FREE word-of-mouth marketing.
Don’t ever compromise the quality of your offerings because you’ve become obsessed with marketing and promoting them. I’ve seen it happen too many times before. A person is so focused on creating a growing presence on social media, and establishing their online brand, that they don’t realize that what they’re selling, kind of sucks! Make sure that what you’re offering is something of high-value, of distinction, something that keeps people talking, and coming back for more! There are way too many options out there for people to choose from. In order to stand out and be successful, you have to offer something well above average. When your product, service, or event rocks, people will naturally be inclined to tell their friends, family, and colleagues.
3. Use Social Media As A Tool To Get People Onto Your List.
Focus more on building your e-mail subscriber list, and less on huge numbers on social media. When someone chooses to opt-in to your e-mail list, they are saying to you, “I like what you have to offer, and I want to learn more. Please keep in touch with me.” That is way more powerful than a like or follow on social media. Build your list, and you will have direct access to individuals who you KNOW are interested in what you’re offering. Provide value through your e-newsletter, offer free gifts and incentives, and build a relationship with your e-mail subscribers that drive them to take action.
4. Use industry-specific terminology and a personal, conversational tone, when communicating with your audience.
People love to hear a personal story of challenge, triumph, and success. They also love it when you speak the language that only people in your specific niche industry would understand. It makes you relatable, and approachable, and also shows that you understand where they’re coming from. When your target market sees that you “get it”, they will be driven to take positive action, i.e., “Click, Donate, Buy, Sign-up, Subscribe, Join”, etc.
5. Forget about perfection, and aim for action.
As the saying goes, “Even the smallest step in the right direction, makes a difference”. Don’t be so concerned with how far you have to go from where you are today. Don’t stress over the lack of time, knowledge, or resources you believe you have, which creates a huge obstacle for you. Focus on what you CAN do, then DO IT! That might mean doing just one small thing this week, and that’s it. In a previous blog post, I talked about the power of the 1 = 52 equation, and the major impact doing something just once-a-week, can have on your business. Don’t get stuck where you are, simply because you don’t know how to get to where you want to be. In my experience, God gives you direction one step at a time, but you have to make a move, in order to find out what the next step is. It won’t happen if you are just sitting still, and doing nothing.
On the flip side of that, don’t just throw anything out there online. You don’t want the work that you are doing to work against you. Remember, quality is EVERYTHING when it comes to growing a successful brand.
I hate to see talented, passionate individuals putting up some crappy website, flyer, or low-quality video on social media to promote their event, dance class, or performance! I immediately think to myself, “Haven’t you ever heard of WordPress, Canva, iMovie, or Final Cut Pro?!!” It’s tough when someone’s online presence actually detracts from the level of skill, talent, and expertise they have to offer. Don’t let that happen to you!
Conclusion
Every brand, whether a personal brand, or a large or small business, faces challenges. It’s how you approach those challenges that determines whether you are successful, or just get left in the dust. There are people who want what you have to offer. God has given you a specific talent, gift, service, or product for the purpose of being a blessing to someone, and to make people’s lives better. Don’t take that lightly.
Do the work you need to do to get your brand out into the marketplace in the right way, and start building a life and a legacy that will make a difference in your family, and in the world!
Have you ever struggled with any of the challenges I discussed in this post? What has been your biggest challenge in growing your brand online through social media? What has worked for you?
Reply in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!
If you found this post helpful, please like it, and share it on your favorite social media sites. Sharing is caring!
If you’d like to learn even MORE about how to grow your brand and start getting REAL RESULTS on social media, I invite you to join my new Facebook group for entrepreneurs, artists, small business owners, bloggers, writers, dancers, and media professionals.
CLICK HERE to learn more about my secret Facebook group, “How To SHINE On Social Media With Ashani Mfuko”.
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