Saigon, Vietnam
Have you noticed bloggers who only self-promote on Facebook Groups and LinkedIn Groups?
Do you count yourself in this solely self-promoting crowd?
This never creates lasting blogging business for a good reason.
If the strategy worked as a way to create exponential, long-term blogging business growth than top bloggers would be doing it.
Top bloggers would teach that only self-promoting on groups related to your niche netted the biggest blogging profits. Top bloggers would also only self-promote all day long through social media, forums and their blogs.
Do you see top bloggers doing this?
Nope.
This is one clear reason why using social media to only promote yourself never precedes long term blogging success.
Pro blogging careers depend on giving freely not trying to get business with every social media post.
Self-Promoting Can Play a Role in Becoming a Successful Blogger
I promote my blogging courses freely.
Self-promoting plays a role in me succeeding because promoting my courses triggers fears related to deserving, worthiness, past blogging struggles, criticism and rejection. Sharing links to each online course exposes tender inner weaknesses that need to go for me to sell more blogging courses and to help more people in the process.
This seems par for the blogging course; even bloggers unaware of their fears know the clarity that surfaces by getting comfortable with self-promotion. On the flip side, most bloggers feel awkward, embarrassed or even ashamed about self-promoting for fears buried deep in their conscious and unconscious mind.
In most cases, bloggers can do a little more self-promoting for exposing similar fears. Few know how much unconscious fear holds them back. Self-promoting is a simple way to unearth unconscious fears.
Never take this post as an argument against all self-promotion.
Frame this post as a warning to not use social media as a tool for only self-promoting and doing nothing else.
Why the Strategy Does Not Work for Lasting Business Growth
Imagine if making money online was as easy as only self-promoting across Facebook Groups and LinkedIn Groups?
Every blogger who only used social media to promote their business products and services would be millionaires if the tactic worked for exponential business growth over the years.
People need proof before trusting you enough to hire you or to buy your products.
Self-promoting provides no one with proof. Without proof, no one trust you. If no one trusts you then no one buys your products or hires you.
Work slowly through this logic. Baby step through the process.
Do you understand why using social media to only promote your business does not generate blogging income? How can you earn the trust of a potential customer or client based on saying:
“Here is my business. Hire me.”
????
Proving that you run a business and asking people to hire you only proves that:
- you own a business
- you know how to ask people for business
Why should someone hire you? Why should someone buy your online course? Why should someone buy your eBook?
You need to give people a clear reason to trust you based on offering tangible proof that you can skillfully coach, lead or guide before someone buys your stuff or hires you.
Publishing targeted, detailed blog posts to solve reader problems is the direct way to earn reader trust.
Practical Example
Imagine if someone comes across my blogging course:
How to Get Featured on World Famous Blogs
I advertise the course frequently on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
What proof can I offer that I know how to gain massive exposure online?
I wrote and published this blog post:
I also promote these links frequently:
Seeing my blog post and appearances on Forbes and Entrepreneur proves that I know what it takes to get featured on world famous blogs.
Prospective customers of my course know after reading those posts that I know how to guide them; I offered proof to gain trust.
Prove Yourself by Teaching for Free
Prove yourself by teaching for free through:
- blog posts
- videos
- podcasts
- guest posts
Give away the farm. Gain skills. Boost exposure. Secure credibility.
When you do use social media for self-promoting people seem more likely to check out your business and some hire you or buy your stuff.
This underscores the importance of building a trusted resource through your blog. Teaching people for free through targeted, detailed, in-depth blog posts forms a rock-solid foundation for your blogging business. The next logical step is to scale in order to be seen by more highly targeted customers and clients.
Everything begins with detailed, thorough, targeted content to prove your knowledge and to gain reader trust.
This is why blogging is worth it.
Is there a better way to gain credibility as an online business owner?
I am partial of course – being a blogger – but have not seen it yet.
Blogging is about the ultimate way to prove your business worth because it offers readers the supreme teaching mechanism. I publish text-based articles and videos to help my readers. Publishing rich content also promotes my blogging courses and eBooks for bloggers who want to take the next step with detailed blogging guides.
Conclusion
Using social to only sell does not work for a long term business model because you never prove your knowledge with the approach.
Build a trusted resource through your blog.
Publish targeted, detailed blog posts to earn credibility.
Being perceived as credible lays a rock solid foundation for your blogging business.
