So as the old saying goes- you have to strike when the iron is hot if you want something! And that's exactly what I did. Due to the unfortunate crisis the world is currently facing from Covid-19, it has left millions of people locked in their homes with nothing better to do. Sure, many people working from home, watching TV, attending to kids and trying to stay busy while occupying their down time. But the truth of the situation is that for the most part- lots of people are actively on their phones right now. They're on social media platforms, news websites and watching entertaining videos on YouTube or Netflix to help pass the time. However- they're also reading a lot more right now too. They're reading different news articles about the crisis, reading intriguing post that capture their attention and reading blogs about the things that interest them! And for an entrepreneurial blogger like myself, this is the perfect time to flood the market with my content. As any successful business owner knows, a solid plan is based on knowing how to capitalize on the market!
In these times, everything we need is right at our finger tips. Our smart phones contain all the essential tools we need to effectively run and manage a business without ever getting out of bed! Here's how I capitalized on that market and gained a combined 5,000+ friends, followers and subscribers in 3 days by using social media:
(Combined I gained over 4,700 new friends and followers on FB, 300+ on Instagram and 80 new subscribers to my blog)
CONTENT- after taking in the severity of the Covid-19 situation, I insisted my company allow me to work from home. They agreed and it helped me not only focus more on my work tasks, but also on my own personal goals as well. I knew people would be home and on their phones, so I started blogging a lot more and sharing more of my content online. I began creating funny, risque posts and comedy vlogs to flood my timeline with. From there I started receiving hundreds of friend requests and followers. My highest count for requests and followers in 1 day totaled nearly 500 people. I accepted just about all of them and I noticed that the more I accepted new requests, the more I would receive. It had gotten to a point that by the time I accepted 20 new requests, I had another 30 waiting to be accepted. Seemed like I was getting a new follower or request every minute. By posting non stop content and telling jokes to help make light of the situation, I gained a ton of followers! Although I'm not as active on Instagram as I would like to be, I gained over 300 new followers there which prompted me to become more present on that platform as well.
Not just that, the messages began pouring in from different people around the world about my jokes and travel pictures. They would say that I inspired them to want get out and travel once the crisis is over or that my jokes made them laugh and helped them get through their day. Once you have a captivated audience, you'll need to keep the momentum going. Social media can be both fun and fleeting at the same time. For just as fast as you gained the attention, you can lose it as well. One way to maintain interest is to keep providing the content they want to see. Talk to people online, engage them and ask more questions. Go 'LIVE' and let them see you're a real person and not some bot behind a computer. People enjoy being engaged and apart of something. Host free giveaways, ask them to share your content and keep your posts light and fun. That's how I gained my following, although small compared to some, it's a start and a sign that I'm doing something right. In fact, doing these things led me to acquiring my first blog sponsor!
(Gaining over 1,500 followers and friend requests in 1 day)
As of right now, I won't share the details of my first blog sponsor because we haven't negotiated any terms just yet. However- they've already emailed me the content packet they want me to promote. In exchange for my promoting them, we'll negotiate whether or not I'm compensated financially or if we'll build an on-going networking relationship. I'm excited to see where it goes and what comes out of it. I'm also excited about getting more new sponsors from all around the world. Since the content I already promote isn't limited to traveling, I'm open and looking forward to gaining sponsors from all different industries.
Lastly, I owe a huge shout out to all of my new subscribers! That's the best part for me. Followers on social media are nice, but subscribers are what make my travel blog a success. Without you guys, I wouldn't be doing this. Thank you all for the kind messages you all send and for all the shares of my blog posts with your friends and followers! It means the world to me being able to get my content out there for people that may need it.
Although we can't all be solo world travelers, knowing that I inspire people of all ages to want to get out there and go, makes my heart smile. I always say that I didn't start a travel blog because I wanted to be a famous blogger. I started it because my friends and followers always asked for more details about my trips; like how much they cost, how I got started and whether or not I felt safe going alone. I created this blog is for YOU! My entire mission is to show others that it can be done, it can be fun and it can be less expensive than most think.
In closing: I just want to say never give up on your dreams. Whatever they are, go after them! Never let your fears hold you back. Never let what others may say or think stop you from living the life you deserve. If I listened to the people making snark comments about me being bored or not having better things to do with my time while making my vlogs, I wouldn't have earned the followers, subscribers or potential sponsor that I've gotten. Push through the naysayers. Whether it's family and friends, your job or your own inner voice saying it can't be done. Always remember that the only difference between the average person and a successful person is that the successful person kept going despite the uphill battle.
Be that person! You'll discover that there are more people rooting for you than there are people hating on you. I'm rooting for you! If I can do it, you can do it.
Don't be a stranger- like, subscribe, share and follow me on social media! I want to hear from you!
xoxo-
Ashawna Lane