Guys, I gotta be honest…
Going places by myself where I have to talk to strangers is like my least favorite thing to do. I remember as a kid and even into my early twenties, I got bad anxiety if I had to call someone or answer the phone and talk to someone I didn’t know. Like, I wouldn’t even call to order a pizza.
But then when I’m around people I know, or I’m talking to strangers online (you guys don’t feel like strangers to me, but technically, you are), I’m totally at ease and no conversation is off limits.
It’s like I’m two different people sometimes… Can you relate??
This weekend I attended Social Media Marketing World with over 4000 other people to learn about how to use social media to grow our businesses.
Instead of doing what I always do at conferences (talk to no one, back to the hotel ASAP, yoga pants and room service in bed), I did some things that scared the poop emoji out of me.
Aside from that one night I had room service in bed.
I did things that made my heart pound, my face turn red and my eyes get a little misty from trying to hold back all the emotions.
I’ll tell you more about how I got out of my comfort zone in a minute, but first, I want to share with you some of my key takeaways from 8 experts who spoke at the largest conference on social media marketing in the world with the hope that their experiences will guide you as you work on building your website, building your audience and turning your expertise into income.
Because as uncomfortable as it was, it was totally worth it, and it will just get easier every time.
Speaking of being scared, if you haven’t signed up for my Free 5 Day Website Challenge yet, click here to join over 6,600 other bloggers and business owners overcoming their fear of tech and building their websites with WordPress.
1. The masters focus on the fundamentals
Robyn Openshaw, founder of the multi-million dollar blog greensmoothiegirl.com talked about how she was able to get traction in growing her blog to over $5 million dollars in annual revenue over 11 years by consistently focusing on the fundamentals of blogging:
- Be yourself and write in a conversational tone
- Go deep on the subjects you write about
- Create freebies and always be building your email list
Heidi Cohen shared her top three strategies for creating consistent, relevant content. My key takeaway from her presentation is that the masters don’t just wing it.
And they become prolific through practice, instead of worrying about perfection.
What this means for you:
That anyone can build a profitable blog, but most people won’t put in the work to master the fundamentals. The way to stand out is to actually do the work, regardless of whether you’re seeing instant results. Just like anything else, you won’t see the rewards of your consistency until later.
2. A smaller, more relevant audience is more important than a larger, less engaged one
Michael Stelzner, founder of Social Media Examiner said that the future of social media and online marketing in general is going to force us to have to zero in on our target audiences and build meaningful two-way relationships with them.
And Robyn Openshaw said the same thing – that 5,000 super engaged fans are worth more to your business than 100,000 who never open your emails.
What this means for you:
That
3. Shareworthy Content is more important than ever before
My biggest takeaway from this week is that Facebook is prioritizing showing content that gets long comments and shares, also known as engagement. Basically, instead of everyone seeing everything, they want real people to share content. Sounds pretty straightforward, but it’s freaking marketing people out!
Pat Flynn drove this point home in his keynote about creating super fans (which was amazing, if you ever get a chance to see him speak don’t miss it).
He said that most people are focused on just getting more traffic and new subscribers that they miss out on serving the people who are already part of their community, and the best way to do that is create amazing, super valuable, actionable content that can get your audience a quick win, and then they’re in with you for life.
Sound familiar? I learned it by watching what Pat has done for the past 3 years, and he just confirmed that’s his strategy at Social Media Marketing World.
What this means for you:
Creating what I call “shareworthy content” is more important than ever before, because the algorithm doesn’t really care if you’re sharing your own stuff. It cares that OTHER PEOPLE are sharing your stuff. And other people aren’t going to share your simple checklist if it doesn’t solve a problem, entertain them or give them a win.
Like Chalene Johnson says, “People share what makes them look good.”
So create content – especially freebies – that makes your audience look smart, funny or inspiring and you’re on the right track to building an audience of highly engaged people that will tell everyone about you and can’t wait to see what you’ve got coming next.
4. The Time to Start Monetizing is Now
Green Smoothie Girl wishes she could go back in time and monetize her blog from day one. Oh, and she’s never put a single third-party ad on her site.
Know what that tells me? That’s she’s not just focused on the number of page views, but she’s focused on building a highly relevant audience over just the numbers.
Are you seeing a trend here?
Mark Manson has had over 100 blogs that he’s monetized, including a blog about litter boxes and another about baking.
What this means for you:
You can start monetizing from day 1 exactly like I did, and then grow it over time as your audience and your email list grows. If you want to learn more about how to do that, make sure you attend my next Website Monetization Master Class.
5. Connect with your people through stories
It’s not enough to just give away information, you have to share who YOU are. That’s the only thing that’s going to set you apart from the other blogger that blogs about the same things you blog about. Your experiences will connect you with others who have had similar experiences.
Jenna Kutcher does this by sharing body-positive photos of herself and talking about mac and cheese and her dogs. Amy Porterfield has started sharing deeper, personal things like how she’s ashamed of her weight and that’s why she doesn’t like to be on video.
Guess what? I listened to enough marketing podcasts that I loved, and I had no intention of adding Amy Porterfield or Jenna Kutcher’s podcasts to my library. I mean, who has time for more podcasts.
Until… They both talked about something on social media that I struggle with. Something that I know holds me back – how I’m ashamed of my body and how it looks.
And that humanized both of these majorly successful women for me. It showed me that I don’t have to be that perfect version of myself that I have in my mind to be successful, I can just be me.
And that made me subscribe to their podcasts and ultimately turned me into a paying customer of both them.
What this means for you:
The reason why you started your business is very different than the reason someone else started the same business. Where does your passion come from? Tell people about it!
You don’t have to pretend to be an expert, or have it all together. People respect you more if you’re real. So be real.
6. Video is still the fastest way to build trust online
There’s nothing quite like seeing someone’s face, looking into their eyes and hearing their voice for you to decide if you like them. Right now, only 35% of people are using video to connect with their audiences – and just like the blogging fundamentals, most people just won’t do it.
What this means for you:
You have an opportunity to stand out and actually make this thing into a profitable business if you just start doing what most people won’t do – which is put themselves out there on video – whether it’s live or not.
Like Jenna Kutcher said, “Be real, not retouched.”
Think about this:
Do you expect your ideal clients to look a certain way? Do you expect them to always have makeup on with the perfect outfit and hair? Do you expect that they should look 20 years younger than they are? Do you expect them to never stumble over their words or be nervous?
No? Then you don’t have to be perfect for them either. They just want to see you for who you are and get to know you. Start making videos.
Listen, I know. It’s way easier for guys to just pick up their phone and go live. I look like a totally different person when I wake up without makeup on (okay, let’s be honest, yesterday’s makeup on), and that’s just not how I want to be seen online.
7. Get out of your comfort zone
If you don’t know who Jenna Kutcher is, check out her instagram. I was scrolling through my feed one day and I see a photo of her in a bathing suit, and my first thought was, “Why am I hiding?”
I don’t have the body I think I’m supposed to have, so I don’t wear bathing suits, or shorts or skirts.
But it goes deeper than that. I’m not X, so I can’t Y.
I’m not good at public speaking, so I can’t give that talk on SEO to bloggers in Austin.
I’m not an expert, I can’t blog about that.
I’m not outgoing, so I can’t go talk to that person.
Here’s what I’ve decided to do instead.
I was invited to speak at Thrive Creative Conference in front of real live human beings, no hiding behind a laptop. I said yes, and then I stressed out about it for two whole weeks beforehand (ask my husband Floyd how fun I was to be around two days before I left). And my heart was pounding, my voice was shaking and I kept hitting the wrong button on my slides, but it was amazing and I will definitely continue to speak to in-person groups.
I saw Jenna Kutcher’s talk at Social Media Marketing World, and I felt super nervous about going up to her to thank her for being an inspiration. I almost walked away, but then I didn’t. I got in that line, I hugged her, thanked her and got a photo with her.
Instead of leaving the conference and going straight to my hotel for yoga pants and room service, I asked the girl next to me if she wanted to grab dinner.
Instead of skipping the networking party because I was tired, I went with two people I had just met that evening – and it was actually fun!
Instead of skipping the huge line of people waiting to get a photo with Amy Porterfield, I waited. And I was nervous to share with her how grateful I was to her for sharing her insecurities – but I did it.
Instead of not asking a question in Steve Chou’s session because I had to go up to a mic and ask it in front of 300 people, I did it. And I’m glad I asked, because I would have implemented his strategy a little wrong!
What this means for you:
When you start to do the things that make you uncomfortable, opportunities open up. It can’t all be done alone in a vacuum, this online business thing requires other people and relationships to make it work.
All of those actions I took to get out of my comfort zone – those were little seeds that I’ve planted and who knows what they will look like when they sprout?
And conferences are a great way to meet people that have similar interests but a totally different perspective than you – and that opens up a whole world of possibility.
Yes, it’s an investment to attend a conference, but you can start local. Find something within driving distance so you don’t need to pay for a flight and hotel. Then make it a goal in 2019 to travel to a conference and meet some people in real life, and really stretch outside of your comfort zone.
8. Don’t Quit
The final takeaway I want to leave you with is this: Don’t quit before you’ve really gotten started.
Mark Manson told a story about how Pat Flynn almost shut down Smart Passive Income because he wasn’t getting any readers. Green Smoothie Girl shared how the first couple of years she made no money because she didn’t know how, but she kept going.
No one at this conference is an overnight success, and everyone has made mistakes and had a windy road to success.
What this means for you:
If you’re 3 months into building your website and your still trying to make it perfect, please stop. Make sure you have a freebie set up and please just start blogging and connecting with people online. Perfection is a myth, a lie designed to keep you in your comfort zone and stop you from doing great things.
Just start, master the fundamentals and please, don’t quit. Because everyone else will quit, and when you do what others aren’t willing to do, that’s when you’ll finally find success.
So if you’re ready to get over your fears and get started building your dream business online, click here to take the Free 5 Day Website Challenge with 5000 other people overcoming their fear of tech to make their dreams come true!
