As a blogger, I consider myself an entrepreneur because my blog is my brand. I am responsible for the success or failure of my blog. For me, blogging is not just a hobby, but a way to get extra income as a side hustle. Whether you are a serial entrepreneur like Dan Lok, or are a writer, influencer, small business owner, blogger (like me), there are several tips that can help you be a better entrepreneur.
Get to Know Your Audience
Depending on the product or service you specialize in, you will certainly need to determine your audience so you can put the focus on them.
Is your audience aspiring entrepreneurs looking for reliable training and advice? Is it millennials seeking to become first-time homeowners? Perhaps, it is most of the people in your hometown that could use a specific service or product you offer locally?
Some people try to branch out too quickly too soon and that is why they say to know your audience first. You need to reach the target people who are looking for what YOU offer. It is always wise to see how successful you are with your original audience before thinking of ways to expand. Make sure you take time to get to know the people that engage with you on social media and the people that come to you for business. Don’t forget to ask them what they like and do not like, so you can do an even better job in the future to attract more customers or clients.
When I first began blogging, it was for the sole purpose to give advice to a broad audience. I ended up determining the topics people wanted advice on based on feedback from my readers. Now, I can focus on the different types of readers I have by offering them the specific type of content they want to see.
Market Your Brand
Unless you hire someone to do your marketing and PR work, you must be able to do it on your own and sell yourself to your audience.
There are several ways to market yourself like: networking at events, promoting on social media, or collaborating with people who can promote you to their own audience.
Some brands will collaborate with another brand to create a new dual product that gets their name out to more people. Bloggers and influencers are a very useful way to get the word out through sponsorships and shoutouts. Make certain you sign-up to attend events in your field where you can meet people and brands to collaborate with. Their audience could easily become your audience as well.
Invest in Yourself!
That old saying that it ‘takes money to make money’ may seem very cliche, but it is also true. You cannot expect to turn a profit without investing in your brand. Do not be afraid to spend money to invest in a professional logo or website and do not be stingy with paid advertising.
The better the quality your brand reflects, the better the impression it will give potential customers. Remember, as an entrepreneur, you are worth it! Keep your confidence!
When I first started blogging, I did everything myself. However, as hard as I worked, I wasn’t really growing like I wanted to. I had to invest in professional web designers to help make my blog look clean and to create an attractive, professional logo. I also paid to promote my posts on social media and I have invested in myself by paying for conferences that have allowed me to network and learn how to be more professional.
Take Notes from Others in Your Field
Some people view everyone else in their field as ‘competition’. Though they are a competitor, if they are successful, you need to pay attention to their advice and what they seem to be doing right.
If you notice your advertising campaigns do not have great results, look at what other brands in your field are doing. Sometimes growth just means trying out different things and learning lessons along the way.
I am friends with lots of other bloggers. I see them as friends and mentors because I always reach out to them for advice and they do the same with me. When I feel like I’ve plateaued in my growth, I will ask for guidance from other influencers and later return the favor. Other entrepreneurs are always great to get to know and to collaborate with.
Think Like Your Client
At the end of the day, you need to think like your target audience because that is how you can critique your brand. If you think your website is hard to navigate when you visit when you are viewing it, you should consider making it more user friendly. If something does not seem right to you, it probably doesn’t seem right to your audience either. Always ask yourself: “if I were a customer, what exactly would I want” and then focus on delivering whatever that is.
Hopefully, these tips help you look closer at what you may be doing right as an entrepreneur or areas where you could improve.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love reading and responding to comments but in order to get my reply you must ensure you are NOT a no-reply blogger. If you are, here are some quick steps to change that!
1. Go to the home page of your Blogger account.
2. Select the drop down beside your name on the top right corner and choose Blogger Profile.
3. Select Edit Profile at the top right.
4. Select the Show My Email Address box.
5. Hit Save Profile.