Don’t Make More Connections: Make Better Connections

 

When I committed to doing more social media, I read up on all the things I was supposed to do. It seemed like every resource told me I needed a lot of followers because that’s what matters most. If you grow your numbers and you’ll get more eyes on your content it will translate into more business.

I have discovered that this isn’t entirely accurate. More doesn’t mean better, it just means more. And if you’re an introvert like me, you have no idea what to do to convert these followers into customers anyway.

Instead, I choose to focus on getting the right connections. I've worked on building my social media brand my way to attract interaction rather than just amass followers. And it works. Here’s what I know.

 

Do Good Work

My entire business is built on my ability to do good work. For a long time, I was going with the Field of Dreams strategy: “if you build it, they will come.” For some things, that’s still a good core strategy. Building a good reputation and good relationships with businesses is the first step. Always hitting deadlines and writing content they’re proud to publish is equally as important. One way I’ve expressed this on social media is by inviting my current satisfied customers to become followers. Their interaction can show other similar businesses that I can be successful for them.

 

Interact Online

Of course, in today’s world, you can’t get very far without an online presence. It took me a while to build up my courage to put myself out there online. Most of my professional work is actually ghostwritten, which means my name is never attached. While the internet is a safer place for shy people like me, it can still give us anxiety when we think that people will judge us or ask us for something we don't know if we can do. But the more I can interact in virtual space, the better. This way I don’t feel like every connection is cold or starting completely from scratch.

 

Don’t Accept Every Prospect

Do you want to know an important tip? Saying yes to every possible client is not the best strategy for building your business. It may feel like the only way to increase your revenue is to do more work, but that’s not exactly right. The best way to increase your revenue is to work with clients who are a good match for your personality and work style and can become long-term clients. When someone reaches out to me, I'm honest about what I can or can’t do. Sometimes that evolves into a different kind of working relationship. When I am not a good fit, I try to recommend other people who might be. This still provides positive value that may be remembered in the future if things change.

 

Be Your Authentic Self

When you’re on social media as an introvert, you can’t exactly try to hide behind an extroverted personality. Creating a character who is so different from who you are will be exhausting long term and negatively affect your business. Even if you think you’re too quirky or shy, embrace what makes you unique when creating content. My bestie handles this in her pet-based business by using her dogs as her social media characters. It keeps her from feeling anxiety caused by putting herself out there and communicates the most important parts of her business.

 

All of this is true when you’re deciding how to create content for your website. Don’t just hire any content writer, hire the right content writer. Someone who cares about your story as much as you do.

To learn more about how to work with me, check out my blog, published works, and email me at lmlavoie@gmail.com today.