Navigating the Internet For New Businesses
Your Mindset and Marketing
The Internet needs no introduction but you may need some guidance when trying to navigate it in 2021 and beyond. The options are endless, the information on a subject, overwhelming. How can you be sure you’re getting the right information when there is too much information to choose from. Having a business seemed to be regarded as an accomplishment in the past when today it seems everyone owns a business and everyone has an LLC. Don’t get me wrong it’s a wonderful thing for access to credit, tax purposes, and more, but where does that leave the individual who is just getting started?
“I always wanted to start a business but I see so many people doing what I want to do and they have millions of followers, how can I compete?”
The short answer to that is don’t compete. The first step to being successful at any age and any time is to be fully aware of your mindset. Here are some steps I have found helpful to navigating the internet in 2021
- Schedule downtime on your phone and apps. I personally don’t look at my phone between 8 pm-9 am. I also schedule a set amount of time for apps that I use frequently like Mail. If you’re one of those people on social media all day, you’re likely being influenced by what you see and it’s hard to differentiate your creative ideas from those you see constantly. You want to have a clear mind and let the creativity flow you don’t want to have ideas based on everyone’s else thoughts and ideas.
- Stick with a brand or influencer, I like to call it information overload; when you google or YouTube search a topic and there are so many suggestions. What helps me when navigating the internet is finding a source that directly provides me with quality information about a goal I’m trying to achieve or information I need. I also prefer to go with someone who articulates the information well. I have found 2 professionals that have helped me with my son’s education and my real estate business but they aren’t the best speakers. They are great at what they do in their respective fields but when it comes to their delivery it could be better, I still follow them because I know their profession isn’t making YouTube videos they are experts in the fields that I’m seeking information.
- Every time you pick up your phone you should think “Is what I’m about to do beneficial for me”. It might sound crazy but it works. Studies have shown that social media is the cause of many people’s stress and anxiety, the constant posts of perfection distort reality. In addition to anxiety, the constant refresh for new messages, comments, and likes are similar to the high an addict receives when he/she takes a hit.
“The same technology that was created to advance us is the same that will destroy us If we don’t use it in moderation”.
- Just simply don’t look at your phone. Don’t take it with you everywhere you go. We have become so connected to a device that it controls us. It controls our day, every time we hear that “ding” we almost fall out of our chair trying to get to it. We have to get back to our true essence as beings. If you don’t get to the message right away it will still be there. Does anyone remember a time when cell phones weren’t a necessity? I’m an older millennial so I got my first cell phone around 9th grade at that time it was just texting. We didn’t NEED the phone. We found ways to communicate like actually talking to each other in person or calling each other.
Sometimes when we create we don’t know where it’s going to take us, but with student loan debt the highest in history and remote learning and education being at the forefront of learning most are creating online businesses. If you're thinking about doing so here are some tips
- Start with the end in mind, who is looking for the information you're putting out and how will you convert these buyers to sales. Not every platform works for every business. If you’re just starting out selling meal preps you probably want to advertise locally; you would consider platforms Like Google Ads and Facebook to target local buyers. If you're selling clothing you may want to consider Poshmark or Mercari because they already have a database of user’s looking to buy and sell. The main platforms I’ve used or looked into for selling locally and online include
- Craigslist
- Offer-Up
- Mercari
- Poshmark
- eBay
- Udemy
- Skillshare
- Thinkific
- You Tube
- Google Local Ads
- NextDoor
- Thumbtack
- Home Advisor
- Angi
- Patch
2. Don’t overdo the email blast. Like seriously, you’ll just get lost in the sauce, and besides who wants an inbox full of emails every day, that’s so annoying. I know it’s a numbers game but when I get emails from these influencers or companies I don’t feel a connection with them, it seems like they just want a sale. I prefer moderation. There is a business credit guy I follow and literally, he only sends emails when he uploads a video, and that's like 2x/month max and it’s extremely valuable information. I’ve heard you have to post every day especially to be relevant on Instagram for example, I don’t think that’s true but again that depends on your end goal. One of the businesses I’m in is real estate and I swear all everyone talked about was advertising on Facebook, I mean it was like every 5 minutes someone was saying this was a requirement. I kept thinking “am I doing something wrong”? I knew this wasn’t the case because I made a lot of money and never posted one ad on Facebook. There is target marketing and social media marketing, do your research and be very careful, you don’t want to waste time spending money on FB ads and you’re not converting, that’s the worst!
3. If it’s free it’s for me. I weigh my advertising and marketing budget based on a target market and whatever has these 3 main things; Is it free, does it require a contract, do they offer pay as you go? Once you're bringing in money, you can move up to paid advertising.
I hope this has given you some guidance on navigating the internet in 2021 for your online business. I offer advice on these topics via pureheart.site
