Recently, I’ve been too hard on myself in this whole creator journey. I’ve realized early on in my Freelancing Business journey that I need two types of strategy to succeed. I need an INBOUND and OUTBOUND strategy.
My OUTBOUND strategy is pretty straightforward. Utilize the power of online social networking. I’ve chosen my target market and I’ve consistently connected with them via LinkedIn. I’m elated that I have a high acceptance rate and in the past two weeks, I’ve steadily built my prospect list.
The next steps are also pretty clear. Study their companies, come up with killer blog ideas and send them a pitch.
Done. Outbound strategy finished.
But to make freelancing sustainable, I cannot rely on just an outbound strategy. I need to find a way for clients to find me.
Enter Inbound Marketing Strategy.
Applying what I’ve learned from Hubspot’s Content Marketing Course, I decided to also apply an Inbound Strategy for my business. This also mirrors the service I give out to clients.
But an inbound strategy is way more difficult than an outbound strategy.
I have to come up with content that my target market would find useful and valuable.
Eventually, I realized I had to become a content creator in order to serve my market.
And it’s no easy feat to create content. My respect for all the awesome and excellent content creators just skyrocketed.
Just the mere act of thinking about what content you need to put out is daunting.
Impostor syndrome is a constant battle. Procrastination is a threat. And the lack of efficient systems is a deal breaker.
I realized I had a lot of work cut out for me.
But it promises to be a rewarding journey.
Yesterday, I bared my soul to Twitter. I honestly had no idea what content to put out. Everyone seems to be way better than me at doing it. Plus, I felt like a fraud simply parroting other people’s thoughts.
But the outpouring of support was staggering.
I didn’t realize people cared and were really supportive. I wasn’t even so sure I was seen. I’ve always had this idea that tweeting was like sending thoughts out into the void of the Internet. Sure, you’d get strangers to like or comment but it’s usually just a one-time thing.
I was amazed that people I respected and followed took the time to boost my spirits and impart valuable tips.
And then it hit me.
That’s the power of having an audience. A genuinely interested audience who you win over with your authenticity and vulnerability.
Gone are the days when in order to have any sort of following online, you need to pretend and aim for popularity.
Before people had to work on being interesting or witty, pretend to be an expert, or paint their lives a rosy color just to be noticed and gain followers.
Now, people who are transparent, authentic, and unafraid to be vulnerable are the ones who get the most engaged followers.
You don’t even have to try really hard. People are able to build personal brands simply by sharing who they are with the world. Their real, unfiltered selves.
And so the journey to creation begins.
I never imagined creating an inbound strategy would evolve into something bigger.
It’s not even an “inbound strategy” aimed at generating sales or leads. It’s about giving actual real value to the audience who resonates with me. Before I was stressed out trying to figure out what the audience would want to see. But in fact, it’s not as hard as I thought it would be.
Sharing who I am, what I’m going through, what I’m learning at the moment and making my unique personality shine through it all are actually the keys to winning this creator journey.
