Are you truly taking control of your followers? |
You put so much time and energy into growing your audience -- shouldn't the hard work be rewarded? This is why capturing your fans is essential for creators' success.
Shouldn't all that hard work pay off?
Having a following on a social media platform does not necessarily mean that you have a relationship to that particular group of people. And if you don't, you're missing out on 1.) the people who are seeing everything you can offer and 2)) the advantages such as community building, monetization and even growth being able to reach that audience in the first place.
This is the definition of "owning your audience" is and why it matters.
What is it that you can do being a leader in your field? (And what makes it crucial?)
Owning your audience means building relations with them in your own way. You are aware of who they are as well as how they interact in relation to your material, whether they're introducing your brand for the first time or have long been loyal fans.
It is important to build relationships with your customers by owning when and how you talk to your audience. Your communication with them is through a platform or channel that you control, like an email newsletter, your online community, or website. The direct channel of communication is flexible, meaning you are able to easily contact the right people at the right time whether that's an individual user or your entire email list.
There's a difference between posting on Instagram and waiting to see if that the algorithm will put your posts in front your followers as opposed to. being confident that your post will reach the people you want to.
Imagine you're hosting an evening party with new friends. To ensure they'll enjoy themselves it is important to know a few details about them prior to the event What are their dietary restrictions? What sort of music does they enjoy? Do they prefer alcohol, wine or a mocktail?
Just like asking your family members for their suggestions can help you plan a dinner party for your guests, getting to know your target audience more than "likes" and "follows" helps you create content and products that meet the needs of your audience.
The outcome? growing your business as a creator with more sales and happier customers.
What happens if you don't own your audience
If you're not able to control your followers, you miss the chance to create relationships, monetize your audience ensure that your fans are aware of your posts, and help grow your business.
Three ways social media platforms make it harder to own your target audience.
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok do not let you share your audience that you've built up by bringing them along. You aren't able to contact all your TikTok users at once, or create a list of the email addresses of your followers to be able to interact with them on your terms.
Social platforms' algorithms are created to keep users using social media platforms for as long as possible making platform profit above creators' success. Changes in algorithms means your users might not see your work at the time you publish the content, or actually see it. These platforms also promote works of others for your fans and showcase your posts with the branding of the platform, not your own.
It's not that we suggest creators shouldn't avoid social media completely. It's an effective method to increase your followers and help new people get to know your work however, it's not the the onlyway to communicate with your followers. Making use of social media along with other platforms (like email) could make a huge difference in successfully growing the business of your creator.
Intentional ways to build audiences according to your own preferences
The most significant aspect of governing your audience is having the control of the experience they have at each stage no matter if they're a new subscriber or a regular.
There are many ways to make that happen. We have two suggestions for creators:
Begin to build your email database as early as possible
Pick a user-friendly, all-in-one platform for creators.
1. Get your email list growing as early as possible
Email is a tried and true marketing method because it's cost-effective and easy to get started as well as building an mailing list before the deadline can be a huge benefit.
Your workshop's success is in the decision-making process *.
(*The Instagram algorithm changes frequently and at no notice, which means the data in this graph could alteration. That's one of the biggest reason why people are tired with Instagram -- and are moving into channels that they control including email, and even private groups.)
What you do with the place you host these digital goods -- and run the rest of your company -- could make a an enormous difference.
2. Make sure you use platforms and tools designed for the creator.
A lot of platforms treat creators as though they are in the same place that they only create posts and connect with users on the platform -- rather than as real people working to build brands and business. The companies do not understand what it takes to begin and grow a creator business.
That is to say that they're not creator-friendly.
A Creator-friendly platform allows you to manage your audiences relationships and controlling the user experience easier.
"Creators work to build their own fan base with long-lasting relationships which shouldn't be a reason to become entangled in a certain platform. It's your right to enjoy the benefits of your time and labor along with you wherever you travel."
"That is the capability to transfer your information clients, data, and profits and transfer them to another platform, or , at most, export it off the platform you are currently using quickly and in a simple manner."
The platforms that are creator-friendly allow you to connect with all of your customers -- students, community members who are free, paid subscribers, your list of email addresses -- to the extent you need. Send a message to everyone on your list or contact a particular pupil in a cohort of students using the same screen.
Platforms such as Facebook don't send information to the email service you use. (They won't let you export email addresses.) This means that you cannot make use of audience information to segment your audience, so you need to than one platform to connect with everybody.
"I have to pay an entire virtual assistant allow members in, welcome them, moderate, etc. We have Google Sheets and separate Facebook Messenger software which is $30/month in addition to Facebook's algorithm and distracting features. This is a complete mess."
This is particularly important when you are looking to do more than offer free content. In order to begin monetizing your company by offering digital services and community, you need the right devices.
Create a space for them to communicate updates to the people who support them
It's the bottom line: the software that you choose to use must see and help you in a holistic way as a creator of something extraordinary rather than just an avenue to make more money. Platforms that are supportive of creators understand how crucial that creators be in control of the relationship and communications with their audience. When you're able to control these aspects, you have the opportunity to build an incredible creator business on your terms.
Ready to get started by using a platform for creators which puts your success at the forefront? Register for your free account today . We are excited to see your progress.