There’s a better way to do online business than stressing over social media.
I’ve been reading a little too fast and engaging a little too much for the lifestyle and headspace I like.
I’ve been chasing the claps and reads for the last month. This is not normal for me.
And it reminded me of a couple of months ago when someone came to me with the exact same issue.
She had been engaging, posting, and creating like a mad woman and was burning out. So we scheduled a call.
The first question I ask her?
Do you want a freedom business or social media employment?
See, her worst mistake was hiring a marketing agency.
And their bullshit makes me mad.
She said that she was getting stressed out by social media.
Make no wonder.
You should see what they had her doing.
“Jenny” has a couple kids, a husband and a full on e-commerce store.
This marketing company doesn’t do any of the work for her.
But they told her to:
Post several reels a day.
AND told her to post a full youtube video a day.
Plus several shorts.
AND- to keep pumping out content on Tik Tok.
The crazy thing is, she was mostly getting it done.
But it was wrecking her.
And the results?
None.
And all the while she was doing this social media she was ignoring her active buyer email list from her e-commerce store.
Did her marketing company tell her how to tweak that?
No.
Did they tell here to figure out where most of her target audience hangs out (on socials), prioritize that, and then funnel to email?
No.
They just gave her vague and general ChatGPT advice about smashing away at social.
This bullshit makes me mad.
It made me think about building community and not making the mistake of becoming an employee of social media.
An email list > Social Media.
If you don’t control the ability to scale your business then you don’t control your business.
Family > Social Media.
You only have a certain amount of time with family. Social media algos change. Accounts get wiped out. Your family is a real thing. Social platforms don’t give a rat’s ass about you. Just like your employer.
Own a solid customer funnel that feeds in new customers and makes sales hands-free.
And enjoy time with your family.
Do this and you’ll have a list of buyers that you can regularly contact to help with transformational advice and products that solve their problems.
And they’ll love you for it.
And once you have that list you can test and tweak it to serve at the highest level - which also means more customer loyalty, appreciation, and sales.
What did I tell her to do?
Just the basics.
She ‘IS’ her audience so she needs to talk directly with them.
Be less corporation and more the person who can help her customers solve their problems. Because she has solved the same problems for herself.
Do fewer ‘Buy This’ emails and more ‘This is the one thing I’m using this week that has really helped me with (XYZ) and it’s 15% off for this week. I’ll send it to you in under 24 hours and throw in a surprise that I know you’ll love as well.”
Listen - You are really good at doing the thing you love.
And fixing this stress you’re under could be as simple as less wasted life on social trying to get free traffic and pennies on the hour - and a little tweak to your emails and ads to increase your click-throughs to your products.
Make dollar sales not penny reads.
Ask yourself:
Did I get into this online business thing to be stressed out -OR- to build a business I love that takes care of me financially and gives me more freedom?
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Things to think about if social media is stressing you out.
#1- Step Back. Take a look at what your social media efforts are giving back. How does it compare to other engagement strategies like email marketing? Concentrate on activities that align with both your business goals and personal values.
#2- Simplify Your Strategy. Focus on one or two platforms where your audience is most active. Trying to be everywhere will burn you out. Do one or two things well.
#3- Go for the real relationships. Spend time building your email list. Create meaningful, personal connections with your readers. Give them value beyond the sale with infotainment and personal insights.
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My name is Ray Burton and I teach people how to make predictable passive income with their writing both on and off Medium. You can get the free 5-day course here: https://raymondburton.com/Secret-Sauce