Chances are, you are in 1 of 2 different camps as a blogger…
But, first, check out this all-too-common scenario.
You get an idea for a killer blog. You think it is going to be awesome. You’re going to make it the internet’s premiere site on this topic, and you’re going to be awesome.
You’ll be the ninja, the guru, the authority on the niche.
You see what the “A-list” does, so you’ll do that. So, you write a LOT of blog posts. I mean, seriously – A LOT of them. You write an e-book that you plan to sell. This thing is gorgeous! A work of art. You know this isn’t some cheesy ebook. It has a lot of value.
People should really read your stuff. What’s wrong here?
So, you build up the courage to approach one of the “A-list” people and ask them to promote for you. You spend a lot of time researching how they do it, and you start copying the techniques you think they’re using. After all, it worked for them, it must work for you, too, right?
So, you’ve put together this big launch, with great content. You’ve gone out of your way to do what all the “big guys” do. You promote on your blog. You really SHOULD start making some money here and start getting noticed, right? Right?
You sell just a few copies. Your blog gets just a little traffic, but it is all from the same little crowd of people. And they don’t comment on your posts much, which just pisses you off even more.
Seems like a lot of work for nothing. You feel as if you don’t have the magic touch that some others have. You feel you’re too late to the game. Perhaps you can’t stand out because too many other people have already come in and taken over? Or, perhaps it is a conspiracy from a “syndicate”? Hmmm…
The one thing you know is….. THIS SUCKS.
So, chances are (as I said), you’re in 1 of 2 camps. You have either already experienced something like this, or… you don’t even really give it a solid try because you fear this will happen to you. You don’t want to fail. You’d rather have the hope of success than the certainty of a failure.
And The Secret Key To Success Is…
Well, if you know anything about me, you know what I think of secrets. And what I have to tell you is not a secret.
First, you’ve got to have a product. Groovy. For anybody to take you all that seriously, you’ve got to have some kind of product. But, there is something even more fundamental than that…
You have to create something that people really, REALLY want.
See, in the above scenario (which wasn’t too pretty), you would be attempting to build your online empire based on your idea, what you think people need and want. And you simply built it.
In other words, you were thinking about yourself, not your audience.
The “secret” key, the one so many bloggers screw up, is to cater to the internal desires of the market, not simply what you care about. Bloggers tend to fall in love with themselves too much, and then get offended when nobody notices.
Putting Your Stake In the Ground…
It isn’t a safe bet to build a business on something which might not be there tomorrow.
You don’t build businesses based on Twitter, or Facebook, or even Google. It is easy to lose perspective on just how fast the Internet is changing. A few years ago, Twitter didn’t even exist. Who’s to say it will exist in a few more years? Who’s to say Google will still be doing things the same way? Maybe they’ll kill off Adsense, who the heck knows.
It is important, as online entrepreneurs, to focus, not on the medium, but on the message. It is important to build our online empire based on something solid.
Which brings us right back to the point about making yourself TRULY valuable by helping people, and by giving them what they REALLY want. Because, humans will remain humans. We want stuff and we’ll always spend money for things we really want.
Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Google…. these are all just the current medium. In a few years, we’re likely to see some adjustments to how we do things. But, the foundation will remain, and you’ll just adjust. No big deal.
So, are you basing your business on that solid foundation? Are you giving people what they need and want? Is your business model based on these fundamentals, or are you just riding on the tactic of the minute? Do you even have a business model?
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A quick reminder… Blog Masters Club is CLOSING DOWN on May 18th – for good. To learn why, click here.
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