This is part 2 of our 5 part series “Do You Have What It Takes to Succeed Online?”. In this post I am talking about Courage – specifically, do you have the courage to implement even when you are nervous.
Do you Have Courage to Implement?
In the previous post we talked about willingness to learn. Learning is one thing. Implementing the advice and strategies is another. Not everyone has the courage to face their fears and do the tasks required to be a successful online marketer.
This is a biggie for me. I love to read and learn new things but putting them into action has been – and continues to be – a challenge for me.
There are many people who prefer to be wallflowers and never be “seen” or “heard from” by strangers. That might be your downfall as an entrepreneur – but you also have the option of creating a pen name or business persona to operate under. It has taken me years to have the courage to put my name out there.
What are some common fears people have when it comes to starting a career online?
You hear a lot of talk about being a leader in your niche. Really? A leader? I just barely know what I am doing, how can I lead?
Leading a niche in general is intimidating to many. They don’t feel like they have the experience to label themselves an expert.
The good news is, you don’t have to have a PhD or some sort of certification to lead an online audience. Many people prefer to learn from others in the same boat, so simply blogging about your journey can help you build a formidable audience who loves that you’re leading by example.
Putting Yourself “Out There”
Another area where people let fear stop them in their tracks is having to put their name on a paid course – or a book (as an author). Again, you don’t want to make up false claims of expertise you don’t have, just be upfront.
You’ll be amazed at how many people flock to those who are one step above them on the rung of success, so be honest about where you are in your journey and let your audience weed themselves out if you’re not their cup of tea.
Building a Relationship with your Followers
Social networking is a popular method of building a rapport with your audience, and also getting free traffic to your site and offers. But this, to some people including me, is terrifying. I have not yet mastered my fear in this area but I am working on it.
You might ask, “Why would anyone care what I’m doing this weekend?”
The reason people personalize and share a little piece of themselves online is because it’s what we do with friends – talk about insignificant things because it helps paint a picture of who you are.
So go ahead and snap pictures of your meals, share a cute video of your pet being silly, and yes – talk about the weather.
It’s the little things that bond us as humans. It’s also not intimidating for your audience to participate in, as opposed to someone who posted a tour of their new mansion and 99% of their audience can’t relate, so they keep quiet.
Making videos might be your impediment. Yes, you can stick to text or even podcasting (audio) if you want to, but eventually, you should start utilizing video since a large percentage of the population prefers it. This is another area where I am challenged.
You don’t have to put yourself on camera, though. You can use screen capture video like Camtasia and a slide show presentation using a tool like PowerPoint and that will be a good compromise with your audience.
Having said that, if possible show yourself on video, even if only briefly. For many people, seeing that there is a real person behind your stuff make them more likely to keep following you.
That, by the way, is my challenge to myself for this, the first week in July 2017 – Make at least 1 short video with me in it, and post it to Youtube. Watch out – I might break Youtube!!!
Next time we’ll cover the desire to help others.
[optinform]
