| The real reason entrepreneurs and business owners fail on social media.
Read time: 3 minutes
Social media, once thought of as nothing more than a pass time for connecting with friends and family, is now responsible for the creation and rapid growth of an immeasurable number of businesses and brands. It’s safe to say, social media is here to stay and could be just what the business-brand doctor ordered to take your business or brand to the next level. If you haven’t mastered it for yours yet, you’re in luck, we’ve done this a time or two…
Today I’m going to break down exactly why so many people struggle and fail at using social media to grow their brand and business, while others have used it to skyrocket to the highest peaks of success.
Let’s go!
| Here are the 3 most common mistakes entrepreneurs and business owners make online, and how to avoid them – with ease.
Mistake #1: Fear
Procrastination, overthinking, perfectionism, and inertia is fear. Putting yourself out there on social media can be scary, “people” are going to come for you. It can also be very rewarding. You have to decide for yourself if the risk, and pushing through the fear, is worth it.
If you do believe it is, and I’m guessing that’s why you’re reading this today, my number one tip to overcome fear, procrastination, overthinking, and perfectionism is to hold on tightly to your social media plan. Use discipline to push through, instead of relying on how you feel (which could change from moment to moment). Work your plan consistently… Eventually, you’ll start to reap the rewards and the fear won’t come up as much.
Mistake #2: Being Sloppy Online
See any entrepreneurs conducting their online selves like it’s a free-for-all or the revival of the wild west? …As if the internet isn’t real life, so anything goes?
Don’t get caught living a sloppy party online instead of using social media as a tool to grow your business and brand. What you put online is your brand. It lives on and on and on. Your posts will attract and repel. Far too often we see entrepreneurs shouting their every fleeting thought and emotion from the metaphorical rooftop of their keyboard (before the internet, this is what therapy was used for). Do you want to serve emotional basket cases that thrive on drama and chaos? If so, please, rage like the wind all over social.
Along the same lines, we all too often see a lack of professionalism and respect online; attention for the wrong reason? One thing social will reveal very quickly is who you really are and what your business or brand stands for. Make sure your business is grounded in the values, beliefs, and desires you want for your life and business, and carry that online. This might seem heavy… or it could be as simple as being clear about what you want out of business and life, and staying true to that at the very core of all your online messaging.
To avoid this mistake, think about who you want to attract before you publish, and align your message accordingly. Don’t follow the crowd that preaches “polarize at all costs”. One final practice that may help: if you wouldn’t say it in person to those most important to you such as your family, friends, and colleagues, it’s probably not a good idea to put it online either.
Mistake #3: Not Treating Social Media Like A Tool For Your Business
Yes, you can still have fun, you’re online, after all, living the dream of millions around the world. Being an entrepreneur or business owner is a huge accomplishment, and living in the celebration daily, having an excited and grateful appreciation of it, and always remembering what it took to get where you are right now, is part of your reward for doing it, and helps to keep you going…
At first, discovering the power of social media can feel like you’ve discovered the matrix for your business, it can feel very motivating and exciting. Once the dust settles, it’s not really that glamorous. It’s just another tool to use to grow your business or brand. It’s then that so many entrepreneurs and business owners are left flying around by the seat of their fire-lit pants, executing random acts of marketing on social, and wondering where they went wrong.
To avoid this mistake, and use social media successfully for your business, you have to have a plan, just like every successful business has a plan. Having a plan, or structure, for how you’re going to use social media for your business or brand, and sticking to it, is critical. Your system will make or break your time online.
TL;DR
Procrastination, inertia, and perfectionism are fear, and it can hold you back. Rely on facts, your business/online plan, discipline, to keep you in action, and out of your emotions.
Be intentional with what you publish.
Have and work your online system consistently.