5 Things I wish I had known before I started my business
When I decided to go all in with IG, I did not have a strategy (but at that time, I thought I had), and sometimes I was frustrated because I was putting out good content, and for me, that was enough. But I was wrong. I was unaware that you need a strategy plan, knowing what you really want to talk about and what you want to do on social media. It would be best if you were you (sharing your journey, struggles, wins, doubts), so you can connect with your audience. And, of course, you need traffic, and even if you have traffic, if no one is buying your products or services, there's nothing left. So here are the five things I wish I had known before I started my brand:
1. Have a strategy plan
This is obvious. If you want to run a successful business, you need to focus on what matters: your target market and how you will reach it. I was putting effort into my work, and that was enough. But in reality, it didn't work. More than being active on IG is required. You need to understand what you really want to talk about/do on social media because if you don't do that, you will talk about everything and nothing. You must narrow down on what you want to do or talk about, for example: "I want to talk about makeup," or "I want to inspire women. I want to share my journey as a woman in the makeup industry". The more specific you are, the better.
2. Attract your target market
This is my biggest mistake, which I am still making. I only know how many times I talked about what my brand was about after first knowing who my audience was. You need to know your target market to share helpful content. What if your target is teenagers, and you post about how to make money with Instagram? Your teen audience wants something else. They want to know what being a YouTuber, or makeup artist is like. This is why I always suggest that you start by focusing on one thing first: your audience. Who are they? Your primary goal should be to find out who they are and then find the right marketing strategy for them.
3. Know your goals
We all want to make money from Instagram, but how much? And when? Are you looking for a part-time job, or do you want to run a profitable business where you can earn money and spend more time with your family? If so, you will have different goals. I wanted to earn money quickly, but I paid a high price. It would be best to have a lot of time to market your brand to make a profit. That's why I always say: "Go where you can make money and stay there."
4. Be yourself
Especially if you're a woman and we are talking about IG, understand that being yourself is not an option. We are all different, so what works for one person will not work for others. Be authentic, and you will connect with your audience. If you are a fake person, sharing pictures of your life for money, then I don't think anyone will buy anything from you. So be yourself, but be a natural person with real values.
5. Be consistent
This is the most important one! If you have consistency on IG, people will stay interested. It would help if you consistently had value and built a strong brand. I have been consistent for three years but was not patient and made many mistakes. So, you need to learn patience. In my case, I needed to know how to be consistent on IG at the beginning. I made many mistakes that cost me a lot of money because people stopped following me over time. I also have a business with products, and that's why people need to buy from me, so in that sense, you need consistency on IG for your brand to go further in the long term.
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