Steemit is growing at a fast pace as the day goes by, some are not really happy by this because they only see it as more competition, but that's a perception that will cripple you and make you unable to take advantage of Steemit growth
The number one commodity online is attention, and if you can hold the attention of people long enough, you can make them see reasons with you or buy into your idea, that is why we have all those little pre roll ads in viral and popular videos on Youtube
And is it just me, or does those five seconds of the ads which you must watch longer than what it is presented to be, i have been observing that and I have found out that the countdown seem slower
Time and Attention are very precious, most products that have been making waves of late have utilised the principle of time management to become popular ranging from Tivo to Uber
But i see that most Steemians don't take advantage of the massive attention present on this platform to market their business, and I don't mean spamming people's comment section with you ads, I am talking about business blogging
Business Blogging is simply talking about what you do and the value that your business can bring to people right there on your blog but for you to do this you have to find the right audience and this comes by giving value upfront
A good example of a Steemains who does this well is @paulag and @datageek, their blogs are an express image of what they do
Now let me get to the main thing people fear when it comes to business blogging
The Fear Of Criticism
This is the major stumbling block when it comes to blogging for business and it can manifest is different ways ranging from inaction to perfectionism, most people feel that their content have to be perfect
That is not possible, you will always recieve criticism, it is part of business. When you delay in publishing business content you are trying to protect yourself from any mistake that your readers might point out
But practice makes perfect, the more you write the more you will get better at it, and it will also motivate you to get constant education of what is happening in your field, even when you create amazing content there will always be someone that will dislike what you are talking about
I watch amazing videos on Youtube and when i scroll down i see that a good number of people gave it a "thumbs down". And i try to picture what was going on through their minds as they watched the video
There is a saying I love very much because it pierced through my desire to be perfect in everything I do
Never Strive For Perfection, You Will Never Attain It
Criticism is not the worst thing that will ever happen to you or your business online.Obscurity is. No matter the quality of content you create, there will always be someone who will not like what you do or Stand for
You just have to accept that and keep creating content that will bring you and your readers value. You can care about the qulaity of your work without putting undue pressure on yourself to be perfect
Not creating content for fear of criticism will deny others the opportunity of discovering what you have to say.
Three Things You Have To Do While Business Blogging
Develop Confidence
By now you already know that there are some things that will always happen after you publish a post, no matter how good your post is or how careful you are
You will always have people who will disagree with you or you will notice some typo's that evaded your proof reading process
What you need to do is to get comfortable with this mistakes and reviews and actually focus on working on your strenghts, that is something you can control, and this builds your confidence
Confidence is important for business bloggers, it enables you to stand for something and it attracts people who love what you stand for, bringing more attention to your brand. Influence is not bought or borrowed, it comes when you stand for something
And you have to be serious about and set up a schedule. Blogging twice a week every month is better than blogging for everyday in a week and publishing nothing the next week
And most time people tell me that they cannot start because they don't have an audience yet, but getting an audience means going out there and helping people, answer people's questions whenever possible
That is what gets you notice, post engagement should not be limited to your blog, read blogs of people who blog about similar things like you add your viewpoints, answer the questions in the comment section that the post author failed to answer
I was someone who was fomerly concerned about how people will view my work, so when i started blogging on Steemit, I was just writing short stories, I am a very Imaginative person so writing a short story everyday was not much work to me
I felt comfortable writing short stories because they came easily to me and once it was finished and posted, I was done with it, no one could tell me that they did not like the colour of the protoganist eyes or his age, I had a tight leash on my work as it was just a story
But when i finally decided to talk what about what I knew well the most, which was content creation and personal branding online, it was a huge step in the right direction, there was am audience for me because most Steemians had problems with that
Don't Hoard Your Best Ideas
I talked about this at lenght last week, most people fail to give their best just because they have 150 followers, they are waiting for when they have 1500 or 5000 followers then they will show everyone how smart they are
Waiting for when you have a bigger audience would not cut it, you should totally avoid that mentality and start serving the little audience you have, because they are the one that will resteem your work and tell anyone who they see that needs the information about it
If you are waiting for 5000 people to stumble across your blog and follow you to get upcoming amazing content, then you are in for a long wait
You have to give your best now, things are constantly changing, you will always talk about the same thing in the future and you will do so then with better insights for your audience
It is smart to share content that will be good for your audience right away, even if you feel that you would have gotten better reception from a larger audience
Market Yourself Always
Now this is obviously the most importsnt thing of all, you can create the best blog series or podcast and no one will know
And they are different forms of spreading your work, it may involve repurposing it in a different format, I recently began compile my best work in the Blockchain Blogger Series into an e-book format
It may even mean making a video series for your content, because your readers might also look for similar information in video form on Youtube. And this can draw attention to your blog and Steemit as a whole
Information is information, no matter in which foramt it is presented, and being consistently good at what you do will build trust with your readers
So you just have to consistently create content that will make people like you and what you stand for and publish it on your blog regularly
Thanks For Reading
Image Source : Pexels.com
Thank you for this @ogochukwu. It was really expository. I try as much as possible to update my blog with my designs. Although, it hasn't been all constant. I'm a man that's got his hands into many things. I just feel the blog will look so scattered if I begin to blog about these hobbies. So I restricted it to designs, poetry and some general topical talks.
Don't let the perception you've already built in your mind derail the hustle. Go ahead and do your thing. I once read a book that said something along this line, "Americans are not surprised seeing you do your thing. They are surprised seeing you do nothing." That is true with a lot of people, not just Americans. I'm "nicheless". I blog about everything including the reason the sky is blue :)
Steem on my person ✌️
Very True @greenrun
Though being known for one thing is important, that does not mean that you should not talk about other things you want to, or share a particular story or lessons with your audience.
Apart from teaching people how to blog, I do motivational posts from time to time and I am even considering starting a story series, it is a blog not a barrack.
Thanks for your engagement, I appreciate.
@ogochukwu
Thanks a lot
Thanks for this @greenrun. My perception has just received a redefinition.
That is a good one
Hello @lemmybe
You just have to overcome your fears and blog about your hobbies, that is what you will be really known for, when I say blog about your business, it means blog about the thing that concerns you or what you love the most.
The paramount virtue here on Steemit is community building and communities can only be built around a common topic or goal, just talk about what you love and focus on making friends with people of common interest, it will make your post engagement easier and also add value to the community.
@ogochukwu
You are absolutely right, thanks for this.
The youtube part weaks me sometimes
I just wonder why people do that or are they testing the button if it works?
Have been poundering on this, not until i met my cousin does that on purpose, no matter how good or amazing the video is.
And that just explains everything to me
No matter how good you are, someione is doesnt wish you well even if yoou are helping the individual
Like this your post has been helpful to many but few show appreciation
Hello @camzy
I am glad you were able to take something from the post.
Thanks for reading.
@ogochukwu
A post to read - upvoted
Thanks
Post filled with golden lessons! Steemit is a planet wide enough for everyone. How well do you rock this planet is what matters.
Well-said.
We meet again here. Good job✌️
Thanks for reading @mimy
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The number one commodity online is attention, and if you can hold the attention of people long enough, you can make them see reasons with you or buy into your idea: good post, complacency =death
Thanks for reading
I always wondered at the thumb downs some video garner at YouTube. I always wonder the type of people giving it the thumbs down. But then I remember, that a celebrity once said even bad publicity is a good one. Because the moment people stopped talking about you that your career is over. So, it's a win if you get 100 likes and 20 thumb downs. It shows you have 120 people viewing your video! That's a good thing if you ask me. Business blogging is cool. You can mix business blogging with normal blogging. That's the good thing about it. You don't really have to go exclusive on it. Even most Youtubers mix their business with the entertainment they do. They usually end a video with buy X to support our channel. I guess with time we would see more business blogs on steemit. As always nice writeup. Thumbs up to the boss 👍
Hello @greenrun
The level of your engagement amazes me. Seldom I see a newbie who grasps the psychology of Steemit so early, it shows you have a different spirit.
Like you said, no publicity is bad, and also if people don't think you are crazy or foolish then your dream is not big enough.
P.S I sent you a message on Steemit Chat.
@ogochukwu
ok
Thank you for the post. I have been kinda having some difficulty with this subject. You helped me remember that a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. Thanks!
Hello @max-alexander
Thanks for reading and I am glad you were able to take something out from the post
@ogochukwu
Business blogger. Smart ideas ogochukwu. Youtube is a great idea. Its also a good idea to have a domain of yours like ogochukwublog.com to document your brilliant ideas and link your videos. That way, your brand,is not only creating value for people. You'll also be giving yourself a face. I learned one key thing which is not to care about criticism.
Thanks a lot.
Hello @jotmax
Thanks for your time and i am glad you were able to get something out from the post.
@ogochukwu
I buy into your idea whole hug. Again no one is perfectly perfect. Like one mistake you did not notice up there. You meant to say quality but you wrote qulaity. Thanks for your encouragement to the son of man