Have you noticed all of the small businesses on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter promoting their products? Have you noticed how retail store after retail store is getting shut down? Have you noticed how Amazon has became the largest retail and online shopping site in the world? The way we do business is changing. And it’s important.
The big shift from company store chains to smaller online businesses has been happening for years. And for some reason, I didn’t even notice until about four months ago when I began my blog. Blogs are businesses (particularly if you begin making money through them). So, they have to be treated as such. I didn't even consider blogs to be deemed as businesses. Now that I know, the world has certainly shifted, in my eyes, to a brand new digital age of marketing and shopping.
As my blog has grown, I’ve noticed the elements within it that are making it a small business. I have a book which I will have a link to in my website, I provide a service and a product (in the form of written communication) and I have ads and affiliate links on my site. This is all business related! However I’ve noticed something bigger than just “we’re moving to the digital age in retail and product production.”
Small businesses (unlike Amazon, Target, Walmart, etc.) are slowly becoming more and more prominent
What have I learned?
Well, starting an independent business is no easy task. I’ve chosen to write a blog, write a book, and market my poetry and creative talents. This is all well and good, however, I’m not swimming in my earnings. In fact, I haven’t earned anything so far. There are a number of sites and bloggers who post about earning $3000 in their first three months of blogging. For most people, this is unrealistic. And that goes for small businesses as well.
You have to grow your audience. You have to grow your reach and reliability. You’ll need social media for that.
I keep stumbling upon “relevance” and “consistency” when researching how to best utilize social media for my blog. And I’ve began to wonder, what does it mean to be relevant? Is social media good or bad or both? How do I know?
Relevance and consistency are the only known marketing techniques that will help you thrive.
Lately, I’ve been trying to appear more often on social media feeds. I post more on Instagram and twitter than I ever have before. This is the only way to draw attention to what I’m doing. It’s the only way to stay relevant. And I’m not so sure I love it.
I’ll admit, it’s certainly nice to connect with others through social media. But I’m slowly falling into that paradigm of people who count their progress based on likes and followers. My success is written by how often I post and promote myself. It’s strange to me. It’s strange to put so much into a digital platform. But it’s necessary.
I’ve begun to ask myself if social media is good or bad.
A lot of people talk about how social media detoxing is important. And before, I couldn’t understand how obsessed a person had to be in order to invoke a detox. Now, I get it. It’s good to step away from the light and to live life beyond the screen. However, this can’t be a permanent solution. If you have a business, you are almost required to connect with others to share your product/service. Otherwise, your biz will rank.
I’m still working on how to find a happy medium.
What I do know, is that small businesses are about to hold the power. And we are at the forefront of it all. This is the time to jump on that bandwagon if you were ever curious on starting your own gig. It isn’t as glorious as the media makes it out to be, I warn. Money doesn't just get handed to you. And it’s a lot of hard work.
But I can see the potential. I can see the purpose.
Let me know in the comments below what you think about this new mode of marketing and living.
What business ideas do you have? What are your goals? Who are your favorite independent retailers? I’m interested to hear your thoughts.
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Also, check out my poetry book The Lights are on but Nobody’s Home! It’s officially on Amazon ebook for $5.99! The paperback version will be in stock shortly.
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.
