Are you feeling stuck? As if no matter what you do, it’s just not good enough and you’ll never get your online business to be as large as other bloggers? In order to truly be successful and overcome the doubts that can often sneak in when you are running an online business, you need to have a growth mindset.
As bloggers we are often left to our own devices. We are navigating the online space by trying out new strategies on social media platforms without knowing if they will pay off. It’s sort of like the Wild Wild West, which can make many of us feel like we’re just trying to throw something against the wall and get it to stick.
You need to see the glass as half full. That the new strategy you are trying on Facebook with live broadcasting, will lead you to increased engagement and the opportunity to know your audience better, even if it might not lead to traffic to your site.
IE 38: How to a have a Growth Mindset as a Blogger
A growth mindset is necessary to move your business forward. In order to have that mindset, there are certain issues that we need to overcome.
Comparisons
We need to stop comparing ourselves to everyone else on social media. Just because a blogger is using the ad hashtag talking about a trip to Hawaii does not mean that their entire trip was paid for. They might have just been given a $100 gift card or they might even be just trying to attract the attention of a hotel for future vacations. We just don’t know the extent of their relationship so stop wishing you had those opportunities and go out and make them for yourself.
We also need to realize when comparing ourselves to other bloggers that our journeys are very different. Someone might state that they’ve had their site for 9 months and they’ve grown their pageviews to over 100k in that amount of time, but is that truly the story. Did they have another site previously that they worked on for five years and now they understand how to grow their new site that much faster? Everyone’s journey and past experiences are different. You need to focus on what your original goals were when you created your site. If you’ve passed those then set new ones, but you have to recognize and reward yourself for having hit those goals.
Fake it, until you Make it
If you’ve never worked on a business that relies heavily on social media then this is new for you. There is a learning curve, but you need to fake it until you make it. So if you want to work with a brand on sponsored content then confidently reach out to that brand and express to them what it is that makes you unique. Last week we talked about finding your strength as an influencer. You need to be able to show the brand how that strength makes you the influencer that they want to work with. Have confidence in yourself and fake it until you have the experience that you need to be able to give previous experience.
You are going to hear negativity
You have to thick skin and know that not everyone is going to understand what it is what we are doing. Find that one person that you can rely on to support you. When you run into people that come at you with negativity, you need to realize that they are not happy with their own lives. By sharing your content on social media you are making yourself a target and you need to realize that people are going to be mean. It is your space so don’t be afraid to delete those comments and ban those people. No matter what they say, just realize that their comment might be directed at you, but their unhappiness comes from somewhere else. Do not allow them to discourage you.
You will be asked to work for FREE
All too often brands will reach out and ask bloggers to work for free. It is the brands job to try to get exposure for as little as possible and it is a bloggers choice whether or not they want to work for free. Yes. I said it is their choice. I’m not going to tell anyone that they are hurting my bottom line by working for free because if they are willing to work for free it is likely that they need the experience or the product for their family. Influencers who get frustrated by other bloggers that work for free, most likely should not be working for free because they have a larger amount of influence, which also means that they should be able to deliver better results than someone who is smaller and is willing to work for free to get the experience. Don’t worry about those that are working for free. Stop comparing and judging other bloggers. Instead use my renegotiation email to turn those free campaigns into paid campaigns.
Brands will not reply after one email
Think about your own inbox. Do you reply back on the first email every time? I certainly don’t and it’s not because I’m trying to be difficult. My inbox is just swamped. So if you don’t hear back the first time after sending your initial pitch to a brand then you need to follow up. The brand is not giving you the brush off if you don’t hear back from them on your first email. They’re just swamped! Be sure to follow up with them.
Each No get you closer to a Yes
The conversion rate on selling a product is 3%. That means that if 100 people go to your sales page that only 3 people will buy it. Pitching a brand is similar. I find that the law of averages with pitching a brand is about 10% so out of 100, 10 will say yes. You have to keep in mind that this is when they respond though so you have to keep working to get in contact with the right person. You want to think of each no as a way to get you closer to that yes. It is a process though and you have to keep at it. Students of Pitch Perfect Pro know that it is a process that works though. Be sure that you are on the waitlist for Pitch Perfect Pro if you are not a student already.
Links
Mastering Your Influence Membership Site 14 Day FREE Trial
IE 37: Finding your Strength as an Influencer
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